Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- John Register, a disabled Army veteran from Colorado Springs, Colo., 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. Register, 41, a combat veteran of the Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield/Storm), is an amputee (left leg above the knee). He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Denver, Colo.

       Register is competing in the following events:

swimming (100 yd. freestyle)
swimming (200 yd. individual medley)
swimming (50 yd. butterfly)
swimming (100 yd. backstroke)

       "The Wheelchair Games allow disabled veterans to enjoy friendly competition while showing them how to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle," said Register. "I have looked forward to meeting other veterans from around the world and sharing the value of sports and the Paraylmpic Games. I had never been to Alaska and was really looking forward to that as well." Register, a world class athlete, is a member of the Associate Director for Outreach and Development for the Paralympics.

       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). Register competes as a Class V 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 Register, 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.)