SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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Road to Redemption

Hundreds of people from all walks of life attend the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The competition is intense, and the athletes come away with medals of all colors. But often it's the journey to and from the Games that's most impactful.

Coverage includes a feature on NVWG participant Larry Foster, written by Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig reporter Matt Goldberg, and another article on Games participants, written by Sue Kratochvil.



Champions
by Sue Kratochvil

We are the champions, my friends, and we’ll keep on fighting ‘till the end,” isn’t just a popular rock ballad by the band Queen. These lyrics playing over the loudspeakers at the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) also described the determination and enthusiasm of more than 500 experienced and novice wheelchair athletes as they gathered to begin their journey of friendly competition.

Participants, including 100 novices and more than 25 veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF), met for a whirlwind week of archery, swimming, weightlifting, basketball, quad rugby, power soccer, and more.

A group of newly injured athletes traveled to the games for the first time, ready to learn how to return to the sports activities they enjoyed before their injuries. Several attended thanks to the PVA Rehabilitation Fund, which was formed in 2005 to encourage and support newly injured veterans. Health Net Federal Services once again sponsored recently disabled veterans through the fund. 

One of the newly injured novice athletes was David Dotson, a friendly 32-year-old U.S. Army and Navy veteran from Henderson, Tex., who served in Iraq. A spinal-cord injury from a car accident hasn’t slowed him down. He keeps a positive attitude about his capabilities and ability to overcome his circumstances. Dotson participated in the shot put, javelin, air guns, and bowling competitions.

“Your life doesn’t stop because of your injuries,” he said. “You just have to keep moving and do the best you can. I’m thankful for the opportunity to meet new people and participate in these amazing sports events.”

Tim Vixay, a 21-year-old Marine Corps veteran from Oregon City, Ore., was the youngest athlete and also a novice at the Games. Vixay was a lacrosse player since high school and very active in sports before his swimming accident in 2008. He heard about the NVWG during his rehabilitation therapy and saw the event as an opportunity to return to sports competition. He participated in quad rugby, air guns, trapshooting, and slalom events.

“I’m learning that anything is possible,” said Vixay. “The Games motivates you to do more and be more independent.”

To prepare for his first experience in Wheelchair Games events, Vixay worked with occupational and physical therapists, along with a daily workout in Bowflex weight training and handcycling. He also practiced with a local quad rugby team and used those new skills in NVWG athletic competition.

“Being around other wheelchair athletes motivated me to resume sports activities, and I’ve learned that there’s no limit to what I can do,” he said. “The VA has provided physical therapy and equipment to help me be the athlete I was before my accident.”

Prep Work
Training for the Games is important for experienced and novice athletes. They not only train physically but also prepare mentally and emotionally for competition and stamina.

Nathaniel Jackson, 30, is an Air Force veteran from Belmont, Calif. His friend and trainer, “Big Joe” Siosifa, is always by his side helping him stay fit and mentally prepared for his events in bowling, motorized rally, motorized slalom, and power soccer.

Jackson’s daily routine at home and the VA medical center consists of two hours of strength training in a standing frame, a rowing machine adapted for quadriplegics, and weight training. It’s important for the 6' 4" Jackson to build strength and endurance and to maintain his weight with a low-carb diet. His training routine paid off during his events—he received second place in motorized rally and fifth in motorized slalom (hand controls).

“Maintaining a positive attitude is very important, and it keeps me going every day,” said Jackson. “I also have a group of good friends I see every day in the gym at the VA hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. We lift each other’s spirits and motivate each other to keep trying. By the time I arrived at the Games, I was prepared for the competition!

Women also participated in the Games, competing side by side with men in team and individual events. First-time competitor Lisa Maddox is a powerhouse on the basketball court as well as in softball, air guns, and bowling. The 42-year-old Army veteran from Havre de Grace, Md., received a gold medal in basketball, a silver in softball, and a bronze in air guns. A former basketball player, Maddox owes her stamina to strength training and staying physically active.

“I’m very competitive and the Games helped me get back into sports competition,” Maddox said. “Participating gives me the confidence to get back into life and be the same person I was before my accident. It’s hard work, but I am inspired to keep going by all of the athletes who are giving it their best effort in the competitions.”

Sloane McMahon, an Air Force veteran from Redding, Calif., was excited to participate in the games for the first time since a motorcycle accident left her paraplegic. In her first competition, she won three gold medals (motorized rally, motorized slalom, and nine ball) and a silver in air guns. She was motivated to show her children she can live independently and achieve goals she thought were beyond her reach.

 

“I’m inspired by the opportunities at the Games,” she added. “I’m proving to my family and to myself that life goes on, and I’m capable of more than I thought was possible after my accident.”

 

Tragedy to Triumph
by Matt Goldberg

Larry Foster has 17 National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) medals to his name. And he's been in a movie with Tom Hanks. But none of these accomplishments would have happened if Foster hadn't endured the worst day of his life.

Foster was 21, starting his post-military life after a three-year stint in the U.S. Marines, when he went down to Carbondale, Ill., for a night of fun on October 31, 1981.

Foster and five friends were in a car stopped at a railroad crossing. The trains driving past sparked the memory of when the group used to jump trains near the Quincy soybean plant.

After getting their adrenaline rush train surfing, the friends were about to drive off. Until they realized someone was missing. Where was Foster?

Unfortunately, during this "train-surfing" session, Foster believes a handle on the side of the train broke and he fell underneath.

Foster survived this scary situation. His right leg didn't. To this day he doesn't know who called the ambulance-or how he managed to survive an encounter with a freight train.

Surprising Survival

His heart stopped twice that night. But Foster, who received 50 pints of blood and survived nine surgeries, never stopped fighting.

His mother Rosie will never forget that night. Or the update from the anesthesiologist.

"I told the doctor to give Larry a kiss for me and tell him I loved him," Rosie said. "And later, the anesthesiologist told me he thought that's probably what brought Larry through."

Foster somehow lived to tell about his encounter with the locomotive. There was definitely a reason he was spared. But it took 16 years for Foster to discover his purpose.


Check out the complete article in the September 2009 S'NS.

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