David Vobora took a beating on the NFL field and off, but he fought back every time.
Now “Mr. Irrelevant” found his true path; helping civilians and combat veterans become battle buddies in their own missions to overcome their injuries. You may have seen him on Ellen, and now you can catch him again right here on American Snippets.
David Vobora and the Adaptive Training Foundation
You are ready to get yourself into the best shape you’ve ever been. Your step is light and quick as you stride toward the gym, excited to meet your trainer and begin your first workout. The air freshener-diffused smell of sweat strikes you as you walk through the gym doors.
There’s the front desk and the smoothie bar. To the left is a room filled with people running, climbing, stretching and lifting on various pieces of equipment. You pause a moment, scanning the area in an effort to guess which of the perfectly toned athletic bodies belongs to your trainer.
A polite smile on your face is returned by everyone you make eye contact with while you wait in the designated meetup spot. One man catches your eye and holds your gaze, his smile large and his greeting loud as he waves at you, asking if you are his new athlete in training. His energy is so intense it is all you first notice about him.
It’s not until he offers a left-handed handshake that you notice his right arm isn’t there. “I’m Jeff,” he says, waiting for you to respond. You manage to return the greeting in a wave of bewilderment as you notice your trainer is moving briskly toward the weight room – on two prosthetic legs.
Two months and a few buckets of sweat later you are not only a different person on the outside, but the inside too. Jeff has pushed you further than you ever thought you could be pushed both physically and mentally. You are in awe of his physical strength and his personal courage, and you take all of this back out into your own world with you.
Stories like this may be rare right now but it won’t be long before the first wave of nationally certified Adaptive Trainers appears in gyms across the country.