Military service members often seek out new physical challenges. Two U.S. service members with ties to Washington state jumped at the chance to take part in the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 in February, where winter adaptive sports made its debut.
Before hitting the slopes with Team U.S., Sgt. Bianca Hayden of the Army National Guard and Staff Sgt. Colton Chabot, an active duty member of the U.S. Special Operations Command, could count on two hands how many times they had participated in winter sports. Hayden, who currently lives in Bremerton, had spent only a couple of days on skis, while Chabot, hailing from Olympia, snowboarded just six times before training for the Invictus Games.
“No matter what military branch we serve — we are now working together,” Chabot said. “We are now on the same team at the Invictus Games.”
Chabot also competed in skeleton, where he plummeted head-first down a steep ice track on a tiny sled. He reached speeds of 60 mph.
“Skeleton was a blast,” Chabot said. “It takes years to master, but many people at the Invictus Games tried it for the first time. I definitely felt the speed, and my face was right against the ice.”
Transcending sports
Founded by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, the Invictus Games is an international adaptive sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans. Adaptive sports allow modifications so people with physical, visual or cognitive disabilities can participate.
For instance, the Invictus Games does not allow gun shots to start competitions or have fireworks during the opening and closing ceremonies, in order to facilitate a safe environment for participants — many of whom have experienced trauma and PTSD. Emotional support dogs accompany many athletes to their competitions.
Hayden and Chabot both have invisible injuries. Hayden is currently stationed at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Soldier Recovery Unit at Fort Lewis to rehabilitate a shoulder injury. Doctors diagnosed Chabot with thyroid cancer in 2020, but he is on the mend now.
What also makes the Invictus Games unique is that service member athletes compete in several different sports throughout the nine-day competition. In addition to winter adaptive sports, Hayden and Chabot also participated in swimming and indoor rowing.
Hayden, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, grew up in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area. Her family and friends from Vancouver rooted for her on the slopes in Whistler and alongside the pool at the University of British Columbia.
According to Invictus Games guidelines, every competitor can bring two family members or friends to attend and support them during the Games.
“The involvement of family and friends is important to the Invictus experience,” said Robyn McVicker, chief operating officer of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025. “This is what sets this competition apart from many other international sporting events — creating space to help competitors continue on their healing journey with the closest members of their support system who are an integral part of the recovery process.”
Hayden won a gold medal in alpine skiing, while Chabot placed fourth in snowboarding at Whistler. But medals and rankings are not the main goal at the Invictus Games: the athletes’ focus is on rehabilitation and personal progress.
“Every single moment at the Invictus Games is memorable,” Hayden said. “Invictus is so much more than a sports competition — it’s a place where people who have struggled in so many ways can get together. We can talk, grow, and learn from each other.”
Breaking barriers
The spirit of competitions like the Invictus Games and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is intoxicating — this is how the world should be, said Jillian Politz, program coordinator of the Trail Blazers program at the Whatcom Family YMCA in Bellingham.
“Adaptive sports restores hope and brings camaraderie to those with shared experiences,” Politz said. “Sometimes, it’s less about the sport and more about people showing up.”
Perhaps the biggest barrier in adaptive sports is the word “adaptive,” as the expense of sports equipment is a challenge for adaptive athletes who want to participate, said April Katz, founder and executive director of the AIROW (Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation of Whatcom County) Project in Bellingham. Katz helps children and adults with disabilities enjoy more access to outdoor recreation in Whatcom County.
“I hope to see adaptive sports as a common activity by 2030,” Katz said. “These amazing athletes are breaking barriers and pushing boundaries.”
Bellingham: an emerging accessibility hub
Although the Invictus Games took place right across the border in Vancouver, the distance may be too great to have had an immediate impact on adaptive sports in Bellingham and Whatcom County, Politz said.
“The size of Bellingham is challenging,” Politz said. “Chicago has big opportunities for adaptive sports, while Crested Butte, Colorado, has an active adaptive sports community. Bellingham falls right in between.”
But Bellingham’s selection as one of the nine fan zone cities in Washington state for the FIFA 2026 World Cup due to its location between Seattle and Vancouver could be an exciting opportunity for Bellingham to emerge as a sports hub in Western Washington, Politz said.
“Bellingham is a rest area between Seattle and Vancouver,” Katz said. “It’s a beautiful area between Mount Baker and the ocean, but it’s not accessible just yet.”
Safe sports spaces outside and inside
In the meantime, the Bellingham area has some outdoor winter adaptive sports offerings.
The AIROW Project has paired up with Mount Baker Ski Area the past couple of years to host inclusive ski days for neurodivergent participants, Katz said. Adaptive athletes can travel to Mount Baker every Monday in March to ski.
Specialized equipment is on hand for adaptive athletes at Baker, including bi skis for two, sit skis and outrigger skis to help people with balance. The Komo Kulshan Ski Club paid for some of the specialized equipment at the Mount Baker Ski Area.
When people with disabilities see more equipment tailored to them, they are more willing to participate in adaptive sports, Katz said.
“Many of AIROW’s participants have spent significant time in the hospital and face large medical expenses,” Katz said. “Being outside is the best medicine.”
For athletes who would rather compete in a gym during the cold and rainy winter months, the Whatcom Family YMCA offers adaptive sports like pickleball, swimming and indoor running.
Wheelchair basketball is one of the world’s most popular adaptive sports, and drew a large crowd at the Invictus Games. All athletes use wheelchairs no matter their ability, Politz said.
Western Washington University has a wheelchair basketball team that practices every Monday evening at the Wade King Recreation Center.
Reconciliation and healing
Indigenous leaders from the Líl̓wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations played an integral role in bringing the Invictus Games to Vancouver and Whistler, said Sxwíxwtn Wilson Williams, spokesperson for the Squamish Nation. The Four Host First Nation elders’ support of the games is what landed Vancouver and Whistler the bid over Seattle and New York in 2022.
“This collaboration is really special — not only because it’s a hybrid Games with winter and summer sports, but because of the Indigenous touch,” Williams said.
The Four Host First Nations languages, traditions, protocols and cultures were evident throughout the Games, with its influence depicted on the Vancouver Whistler logo and medals.
“The medal design brings together several Coast Salish symbols, including a war paddle, half of the ancestral eye — the eye of the Creator — the triangle and wave of the mountain and valley often seen on traditional blankets, coming together to represent earth, air, sky and water,” said contemporary Indigenous artist and designer Levi Nelson of the Líl̓wat Nation.
The Invictus Games is an example of international reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous communities, Williams said.
“In Canada, we’re in the spirit of reconciliation — the elders are bringing out our teachings and culture, and sharing it proudly with everyone rather than being ashamed of it,” Williams said. “We hope our presence at the Invictus Games showed how our Indigenous identity, culture and traditions can help the world today.”
The AIROW Project, along with the Whatcom Family YMCA, are also cultivating relations with the original inhabitants of Washington state with adaptive sports. Both organizations have reached out to Lummi Nation and the Nooksack Tribe to include them in their activities and programs.
Shared journey
Indigenous people have a strong connection to the Invictus movement itself, Williams said. Indigenous veterans have fought for Canada for centuries. Many Indigenous veterans have returned home with unseen wounds, including undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues such as PTSD, Williams said. Countless Indigenous veterans also came back injured with lifelong disabilities.
“As much as we wish these Games weren’t necessary, I understand why they are still needed, perhaps more than ever,” the Duke of Sussex said at the closing ceremony. “It’s because of the strength you give to the world — the power of your example; your duty to one another. You may swear allegiance to different flags, but you stand united in your decency, your compassion and your spirit of service.”
Above all, the Invictus Games are a celebration of the human spirit, the Duke of Sussex said. He thanked the Four Host First Nations hosts, along with all competing athletes, for bringing this spirit to life during the Games.
“Invictus means coming together,” Chabot said. “We’re hearing other people’s stories from different countries and cultures. But as athletes and military service members, we’ve been through similar experiences. It’s been an amazing experience, and I have enjoyed the journey.”
The Salish Current is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, online local news organization serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties by reporting local news with independence and strict journalistic integrity, and by providing fact-based information and a forum for civil commentary.
