Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Terence Travers, a disabled Navy veteran from Webster, N.Y., is competing in the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, being held through July 8 in Anchorage, Alaska. With more than 550 athletes from 46 states, Puerto Rico and Great Britain, this is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. All athletes are military veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, certain neurological conditions, orthopedic amputations or other disabilities. Travers, 42, has multiple sclerosis. He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Syracuse, N.Y.

       Travers is competing in the following events:

bowling (manual)
swimming (25 yd. freestyle)
swimming (25 yd. breaststroke)
air guns (quad)

       "As a first-time athlete in the Wheelchair Games, I am just excited to be part of the show," said Travers. "Rolling in the Fourth of July parade in Anchorage was definitely one of the highlights. My six-year-old son, wife and parents are with me and the whole experience is one of pride that I can compete as an athlete in front of them. I was once a fine athlete, but multiple sclerosis has stripped me of most of my athletic ability. I have managed to hold on to the abilities I still possess. I don't expect anything but a proud finish at each of my events, to show my son and the world that I did it. The fact that I will be able to compete and finish with an official score helps bolster my self-confidence and sense of independence."

       Athletes in the Games compete within three divisions -- Masters (over age 40), Novice (first-time competitors in the Games), and Open (all others, or those who chose to compete in this category). They also compete within classes according to the level of their physical ability, with three quadriplegic-level classes (IA, IB, and IC), and four paraplegic-level or amputee classes (II, III, IV, and V). Travers competes as a Class IA in the Novice division.

       The Games are presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and are hosted this year by the Alaska VA Healthcare System and Regional Office and the Paralyzed Veterans of America Northwest Chapter. Funded with help from a host of corporations and service organizations, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games are a showcase for the benefit of sports rehabilitative programs, and the remarkable athletic abilities and personal achievements of our nation's disabled veterans.

Note to Editor:
If you would like to interview Travers, contact Kim Byers, National Veterans Wheelchair Games Public Affairs Coordinator, at (734) 761-7824 after July 10. (Above information regarding military service and disability provided by veteran.)