Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Jeffrey Sparks, a disabled Army veteran from Boise, Idaho, 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. Sparks, 45, is a quadriplegic. He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Seattle, Wash.

       Sparks is competing in the following events:

field - shot
quad weightlifting
table tennis
air guns (quad)

       "I have been competing in National Veterans Wheelchair Games since 1989," said Sparks. "I look forward to coming to the Games every year, and enjoy seeing old friends and making new ones. I have learned a lot in the last 17 years. I don't consider other athletes my competitors; instead, I consider them friends who help each other learn new sports and activities. I hope that every year I can continue to learn more."

       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). Sparks competes as a Class IB in the Open 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 Sparks, 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.)