27 June 2024
Nelson Mandela once said sport has the power to change the world. Former Rockhampton man, Cooper Blackwood, believes it also has the power to heal.
The ex-Navy boatswain’s mate would know – he fractured and dislocated his C5-C6 vertebrae in a diving accident while holidaying with friends in Bali in January 2020 and was told by doctors he was unlikely to walk again.
Four-and-a-half years on, and with incomplete quadriplegic stamped on his medical records, he is defying the odds by representing Australia in five sports at the US Department of Defense’s Warrior Games in Florida – athletics, indoor rowing, swimming, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby.
An annual adaptive sports competition, the games highlight the exceptional physical skills and mental toughness of wounded, injured and ill serving and former-serving members from the US military, along with competitors from Australia.
“Everyone competing has similar stories yet completely different stories, from different walks of life,” Mr Blackwood said.
“Everyone has dealt with their own issues and it’s just amazing to see the positive attitude everyone comes out with at the other end.
“That’s the power of sport and in particular the [ADF’s] adaptive sports program: giving people a way of getting back into sport and a more positive outlook on life.”
The added detail is that this is the second international adaptive sporting competition for which Mr Blackwood will pull on the green and gold in the past 12 months, following a successful campaign at Invictus Games Düsseldorf last September.
Being one of just four competitors with that experience in Australia’s 30-person Warrior Games team has allowed Mr Blackwood to appreciate the trip and the nerves his teammates may be feeling while competing against hundreds of current and former-serving US military members.
“My goal this time is to take more of a leadership role,” he said.
“I’ve had my time at Invictus and my time now is to help encourage others and teach everyone to take a big breath in.
“Savour the moment, it’s a wonderful experience.”
While he had a ball at Invictus, this year’s Warrior Games has provided a timely distraction for the sporty Queenslander, who has juggled transitioning out of his six-year Defence Force career amid his gruelling training regime.
Following the games and a few weeks of travel, Mr Blackwood is keen to get back and start the next chapter of his life, which he hopes might lead him into disability work.
“I can relate to a lot of other people having a spinal-cord injury and I feel working with those kinds of people would be a lot more beneficial,” he said.
“It would be rewarding for me because I feel like I’m making a difference.”
