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National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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The 31st Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games held their opening ceremony on Monday on the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Dozens showed up to watch several athletes compete in an obstacle course. The games are open to all military veterans who use wheelchairs. More than 500 veterans will participate in what is considered to be the largest annual wheelchair sporting event. Other sports occurring over the next week include bowling, basketball, table-tennis and quad rugby. Participant Holly Koester, a veteran from Ohio called the games "life-changing." Among the first to compete in this year's games, she said, "When I first got hurt back in August of 1990, I thought my days of competitive racing and any competitive sport was over with. And then I came to my first game and I saw all these people in chairs wheeling around and doing all these amazing thing…I quit letting people push me around and started doing everything myself." The games conclude on Saturday evening.