Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Kaney O'Neill, a disabled Navy veteran from Des Plaines, Ill., 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. O'Neill, 28, is a quadriplegic. She is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Hines, Ill.

       O'Neill is competing in the following events:

motorized wheelchair rally
slalom (motorized, hand control)
field - club (Class IA only)
bowling - ramp (hand control)
power chair 220 (hand control)
Exhibition Event: power chair relay (hand control)

       "Breaking through barriers is something we face everyday of our lives," said O'Neill. "The Wheelchair Games lets us break through them in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Just like everything else, sports competition is no different for people with disabilities. When the torch rolls across the stage it not only makes you catch your breath, it helps you catch the spirit. That's what the Games are all about."

       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). O'Neill competes as a Class IA 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 O'Neill, she can be reached after July 10 at (847) 682-3160. For more information about the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, contact Kim Byers, NVWG Public Affairs Coordinator at (734) 761-7824. (Above information regarding military service and disability provided by veteran.)