DERRY — Derry resident James Wallack was one of hundreds of athletes from around the nation who participated in the 30th National Wheelchair Games, held earlier this month in Denver, Colo.
Wallack, a disabled Coast Guard veteran, joined nearly 600 athletes to participate in the Wheelchair Games, the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. It's a multi-event sports and rehabilitation program for military service veterans using wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, amputations or neurological problems.
Wallack, 54, has a spinal cord injury that keeps him using a wheelchair. He currently receives care at the VA medical facility in West Roxbury, Mass.
During the games, he competed in archery, bowling, air guns, trap shooting, basketball and kayaking.
The national games offered a total of 17 events to participating athletes.
Athletes in the games compete within three divisions: Masters (over age 40), Novice (first-time competitors), and Open (all others). They also compete within classes according to the level of their physical ability, with three quadriplegic level classes (1A, 1B and 1C), and four paraplegic-level or amputee classes (2, 3, 4 and 5). Wallack competed as a Class 4 athlete in the Masters division.
The games are presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America,
They were hosted this year by the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System and the Paralyzed Veterans of America Mountain States.
The event also helps forge friendships among wheelchair athletes while exposing people to sporting events and other activities.
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