Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

click on photo to enlarge

       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Robert Huskey, a disabled Army veteran from St. Louis, Mo., 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. Huskey, 71, is a quadriplegic. He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in St. Louis, Mo.

       Huskey is competing in the following events:

bowling - ramp (hand control)
power soccer (hand control)
motorized wheelchair rally
field - club (Class IA only)

       "I've been in a wheelchair before the Games even began 26 years ago," said Huskey. "I was always working and never had the time to attend this great event. Now I'm retired and could not wait to compete. I've looked forward to this for such a long time."

       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). Huskey competes as a Class IA in the Masters 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 Huskey, 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.)