Students encourage wheelchair athletes

Apr. 20—HARPERSFIELD — Personalized signs and yells of encouragement greeted wheelchair athletes on Friday at the Buckeye Wheelchair Games at SPIRE Academy.

Sixty athletes came to the academy for two days of competition in 12 different events, including track and field, disc golf and a wheelchair obstacle course. The competition continues today in the track and field building at SPIRE Academy.

The event is made possible by a variety of volunteers, the Veterans Administration, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and SPIRE Academy, said Josh Maley, who is the co-sports and recreation director for the Buckeye Chapter of the PVA.

Maley said the VA is very important in making the event a possibility with most of the volunteers, coaches and bus drivers coming from the organization.

Milton Young, of Canton, said he loves competing at the event. He said he served in the the U.S. Air Force from 1982-86.

"This is great. I've been coming since they started this. It gives camaraderie and the ability to compete," he said.

Twenty-eight students from Edgewood High School came to the event to cheer the athletes on and some participated in a relay with the wheelchair athletes.

Chris Juncker, a teacher and coach at Edgewood, has been helping to organize the event since 2013.

"I love interacting with these guys," he said.

Edgewood Athletic Administrator Steve Kray said it is great to have the student council students participate.

"It is nice to give back ... and be a part of something bigger than themselves," he said.

Samuel "Wheelz" Johnson, of Richmond Heights, said he comes to the event every year and joyfully encouraged others.

"These games get me ready for the National Veterans Games this summer in New Orleans," he said.

Maley said the Buckeye Wheelchair Games have a lot of similar events to the Veterans Games but also have some different competitions. He said they keep track and field in Ohio even thought the national games do not.

"We like to use Buckeye Wheelchair Games as kind of a clinic," Maley said.

He said disc golf was a game he tried and has been a part of the national games and was a big hit last year during the Ohio games. Maley said other games that have been played at the national competition are rock climbing and bobsledding.

Joshua Fry, of Logan, said he did not plan on competing, but is glad he did.

"I love it," he said.

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