Each year, FourBlock and Marsh McLennan come together to host the annual Inspire Games to support military veterans, in partnership with the New York City insurance industry. 100% of ticket sales & donations will support FourBlock's programs and services for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses. This includes support for wounded Marine veteran and FourBlock alumnus Ralph DeQuebec, a member of the 2021 World Champion U.S. National Sled Hockey Team who took home the gold with Team USA at the 2018 Paralympics Games in PyeongChang and the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Over the past eight Inspire Games, we have raised more than $800K towards adaptive sports training and FourBlock’s career transition programming.
Join us at this year’s Inspire Games on Wednesday, May 1st, where we will celebrate Ralph’s continued successes and his amazing journey from serving our country on the battlefield to representing us on the ice to supporting the next generation of sled hockey champions.
To register to attend, to sponsor the games, or to make a donation, please click the button below.
DATE:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2024
LOCATION:
CHELSEA PIERS, NY
DETAILS:
12:00 PM — 4:00 PM
HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
4:00 PM — 7:00 PM
COCKTAIL HOUR
About Gunnery Sergeant Ralph Dequebec
In 2012, Gunnery Sergeant Ralph DeQuebec deployed with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion to Afghanistan. On June 21 of that year, GySgt DeQuebec was disarming an improvised explosive device when it detonated. As a result of the blast, Ralph lost both legs above the knee. He endured four years of recovery and rehabilitation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. With the help of his FourBlock mentor, he discovered that he responds best, both physically and mentally, to recreational therapy; in particular, he fell in love with sled hockey.
In 2016, Ralph retired from the Marine Corps and began pursuing his dream of playing in the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, Korea. In 2017, he was named co-captain of the US National Developmental Sled Hockey Team. And in January 2018, Ralph was selected to play with the gold-medal-winning U.S. National Sled Hockey Team in PyeongChang.
In 2018, Ralph was inducted into the Los Angeles Sportswalk of Fame and now coaches and mentors disabled veterans and disabled youth, while still playing with Team USA. The following year in 2019, Ralph and Team USA went undefeated en route to capturing the gold medal at the 2019 Para Sled Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
In June of 2020, Ralph and Team USA again took home the gold at the 2021 IPC Para Ice World Championship in the Czech Republic! In March of 2022, Ralph and Team USA again took home the gold at the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing.
While Ralph has since retired from professional play, he remains committed to helping others who have similar dreams to play sled hockey. He has coached and mentored disabled veterans and disabled youth while still playing club sled hockey.
With support from the Inspire Games, Ralph has been able to host training camps in Denver, which included national teammates and a large group of aspiring sled hockey players from the local Denver Community. Ralph was able to organize and fund the training camp with some of the proceeds from previous years’ Inspire Games!