Ahead of Veterans Day, South Florida honors veterans with sports event, vehicle giveaway

South Florida is honoring the men and women who served their country with special tributes, sports events and a life-changing gift for one local veteran. The celebrations began Tuesday, a day ahead of Veterans Day, with events recognizing those who served and sacrificed. In Miami, over 40 wounded warriors took part in a day of exercise featuring a sport called padel. It gets me out here to be active in the community and also meet other veterans and be able to talk about our experiences, said Stephanie Lanford, an Army veteran. Veterans took to the court to try the hybrid sport while also being recognized for their service. Padal is a hybrid between pickleball, racquetball and badminton where the [Veterans Affairs] and the Department of Veterans Affairs and us, Military Adaptive Court Sports, are using padal as a form of rehabilitation for our service members, said Steven Harper, Executive Director of Military Adaptive Court Sports. The group of veterans didn t lea