SEPULVEDA VA CENTER RESIDENT SERVES AS INSPIRATION; WHEELCHAIR ATHLETE GETTING HIS POINT ACROSS.Byline: Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
Every morning, right after breakfast, Richard Pugh wheels the 200 yards down the corridor from his room to the gym at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center. He says good morning to his recreational therapist and coach, Steve Gates, then wheels over to the corner and picks up a long, pointed stick that makes him someone very special. Makes him a genuine sports role model, not one of those blowhards. Forget all the egomaniacal pro athletes who think they're Greek gods to be worshiped and fawned over by the masses. Next to Rich Pugh, they're all court jesters The Court Jesters are a professional improv company founded in 1989 and based in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Court Jesters are a subsidiary of the Court Theatre professional theatre company, acting as a second company within the theatre. . At 61, this guy is a rolling billboard for what it takes to be a real pro when you haven't been lucky enough to be born with God-given talent and a strong body. When you're sitting in a wheelchair with a javelin across your lap, rolling out to the lawn next to the gym of a VA hospital to train hard every day for a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize at the annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Train hard to throw a stick 15 feet. ``The difference between throwing the javelin 12 feet and 15 feet at his disability level is the difference between being an also-ran or a gold-medal winner,'' Gates says, looking out the gym window Wednesday as Pugh works to add inches to his throws. The story of this paraplegic paraplegic /para·ple·gic/ (-ple´jik) 1. pertaining to or of the nature of paraplegia. 2. an individual with paraplegia. Army veteran mirrors the story of many of the wheelchair veterans who will be representing the Sepulveda VA at the games July 5-10 in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . Representing the Valley, and every one of us. They're all our guys, and they should be recognized and cheered on because when you cut through all the hype and ``show me the money'' sports jokes, these are the men who are the real role models. Men with more guts, willpower and faith in their little pinky than a ham like Dennis Rodman has in his whole body. The proof's right here, in the gym and out on the lawn. ``For a lot of years, Richard never won anything at the games,'' Gates says, as members of his team begin showing up in the gym to train. ``But he never gave up. He'd come back after the games without a medal and just work harder. I'd get here in the morning and he'd already be out on the lawn waiting for me. ``Pretty soon the additional inches came, then the feet. And last year, he finally did it. He won his first javelin medal in a heavily competed event. ``This year he's going for the gold,'' Gates says, pausing as Pugh gets off a long throw, then wheels himself over to pick up the javelin and start all over again. It's been 20 years since the soft-spoken, former Bakersfield chiropractor chiropractor a practitioner in chiropractic. chiropractor A health professional trained in chiropractic; chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs; of 50,000 licensed chiropractors in the US, many practice 'straight' chiropractic, ie lost the use of his legs due to a spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. - 20 years living here in this nursing home at the Sepulveda VA. ``Life in a VA nursing home can be pretty boring and frustrating,'' Pugh says later, taking a break. ``Sports gives me a chance to get out and do something special. These games are the big event of the year around here. Everyone looks forward to them.'' With that, he grabbed his javelin and went back to work. There's a gold medal out there up for grabs, and hundreds of wheelchair vets in his disability category from all across the country want it. Richard Pugh wants to bring it home to the Valley. In addition to Pugh, other members of the Sepulveda VA wheelchair team are John Catuna, archery and air rifle; and Carl Cortright, Rory Franklin and Scott Zemer, all competing in air rifle. Also, Joey Hamilton Joseph Hamilton (born September 9, 1970 in Statesboro, Georgia), is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1994-2005. Teams
Wilson was a talented amateur who grew up in the same town, Tredegar, as his friend and rival Ray Reardon. , both shot-putting and weightlifting. Real sports role models, competing in the 17th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Richard Pugh trains for the javelin throw javelin throw Track-and-field sport of throwing a wooden or metal spear for distance. It is hurled after a short run and must land point-first. The men's javelin is 8.5 ft (260 cm) long, the women's 7.2 ft (220 cm). as coach Steve Gates supervises. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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