In the September 2009 Program Spotlight, we highlighted the 29th Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games that took place in Spokane, Washington, this past summer. This month (December) we continue sharing exciting sport footage with video and interviews from the swimming competition.
Interviews with Swimming athletes Rory Cooper and Angela Madsen are printed below as well as appear in the following video clip.
To access this video clip, click the link below
Video Text:
My name is Rory Cooper and I'm from Pittsburgh, PA. I'm doing the 50 meter backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and the 100 meter individual medley. I've been participating in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games since 1983 and I learned about it from a friend of mine whose a marine who went to the games in 1982. He came back, and said I should start participating. I think its important to stay healthy and the games kind of give me a way to balance that and check myself every year. Plus I have made a lot of friends at the games over the years. It's great to see them and see how they're doing, and to help the new guys, it may get them along. When I was first injured the games were a big part of my life, as walking and re-integrating into society. Now they're a big part of my life for doing research and for helping the young OIF, OEF veterans learn to adjust to their lives as well.
My name is Angela Madsen and I'm from Long Beach, CA. I'm participating in the 100 meter breast stroke, which I just finished and the 100 meter freestyle. My first Veterans Wheelchair Games was Atlanta in 1995. It's an awesome event, I mean I had a physician tell me after my back surgery that my physical condition was a waste of human life. And then I joined Disabled American Veterans and PVA and the guys started encouraging me to come out and actually talked me into going to Atlanta. Accessibility is important at pools and basically any place where people with limited mobility can participate in recreational activities and athletic events. It's important, it improves out daily live to be able to go out and swim a lap, helps us to be able to get in a car easier cab easier, get up a ramp easier. So it's really important for people with any kind of mobility limitation to get out and get busy and do things.