Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Rosemary Cahill, a disabled National Guard and an Air Force veteran from Yarmouth Port, Mass., 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. Cahill, 50, a veteran of the Vietnam Era, has multiple sclerosis. She is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Brockton, Mass.

       Cahill is competing in the following events:

bowling - ramp (hand control)
motorized wheelchair rally
air guns (para)
power chair 220 (hand control)
Exhibition Event: power chair relay (hand control)

       "Competing in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games allows you to go beyond your disabilities and find your real abilities," said Cahill. "Although my disease is now in its progressive stage, it doesn't keep me from shooting an air rifle. doing archery, swimming, going scuba diving, or other activities. Some events I have competed in before at the Games, some I am training for and others I do just for fun. The whole point is to look beyond your challenges and discover all strengths."

       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). Cahill competes as a Class IB 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 Cahill, 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.)