Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

click on photo to enlarge

       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Robert Morris, a disabled Army veteran from Grindstone, Pa., 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. Morris, 34, is a paraplegic. He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Pittsburgh, Pa.

       Morris is competing in the following events:

archery (para/amp with compound bow)
weightlifting
basketball
field - discus
bowling (manual)

       "It is a great experience to see different places where this event is held, and be able to compete on an even playing field with the other athletes," said Morris. "I continue to compete for my reality check. Although limited, I can still stand and walk. At the Games, you see men and women who can't move from the neck down and they still compete. It makes it impossible to say 'I can't', and not make the attempt."

       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). Morris 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 Morris, he can be reached after July 10 at (724) 677-0301. 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.)