From left, front row: Joe Chitty, Arthur Parson, Jack Grams; second row: Paul Carter, Larry Moses, Leslie Craddock, Steve O’Brien, Pam Foley, Steve Hymers; back row: PERs Gloria Cisneros, Jim Cox and Larry Megahan, Arizona veterans. Wheelchair Games coach Karen Gialle, PERs Earnest Cruce, Jack Baillargeon and Richard Esparza
Pat Cox
Catalina Mountain Elks Lodge No. 2815 hosted a celebration party for the Arizona veterans who attended the 36th National Wheelchair Games in Salt Lake City, Utah from June 27 to July 2. The Lodge used $1,500 from an Elks National Foundation Grant to sponsor the Arizona Dry Heat team. The Past Exalted Rulers Association also donated funds to purchase team shirts.
The 12 athletes from Arizona, who competed with over 600 veterans from all over the country, received 14 gold, nine silver and eight bronze medals in seventeen different wheelchair competitions. The purpose of the Wheelchair Games is to encourage veterans with physical disabilities to become aware of their potential while promoting a spirit of healthy activity and camaraderie. It was apparent from the stories that the athletes shared at the celebration party that a bond of solidarity was formed from their experiences.
The Arizona team coaches, Karen Gialle and Richard Bonner, said that their goal is to continue to seek novices to experience an event of this magnitude and bring an even larger team to participate in the 2017 National Wheelchair Games in Cincinnati, Ohio.