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Challenged sports championship begins in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Medical Rehabilitation Center at Charleston Area Medical Center is serving the needs of people with physical disabilities during this week’s Mid-Atlantic Challenged Sports Championships that began on Wednesday.

Athletes nationwide will be in Charleston May 6-9 to compete in sporting events such as wheelchair racing, air rifle shooting, archery, weightlifting, and swimming.

According to CAMC’s website, the mission of the Rehabilitation Center is to offer challenged sports as a therapeutic intervention and to promote a lifetime investment in one’s health and well-being.

Jonathon Rook of Warren, Oh. was one of the participants in Wednesday’s air rifle shooting competition at Coonskin Park. Rook has been disabled his entire life with spina bifida, a birth defect in which a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly.

He said he uses a wheelchair and a cane to move around, but has faced challenges mostly through trial and error.

“If you can’t do it one way, try another way. That’s all,” said Rook.

Rook said he picked up an air rifle 15 years ago and has loved shooting ever since.

“I used to volunteer at a physical rehab place and they started doing air rifle, so I figured that was nice and something different, so I got into it,” he said.

Danny Riffle of Summersville in Nicholas County was also waiting in line for his turn at the shooting competition. Riffle has an artificial leg he can walk on, but chooses to use a wheelchair when he’s out and about. He lost his leg 11 years ago and had a stroke, which caused a loss of strength in his left arm, but he chose to continue his passion for racing.

“I race wheelchair five times and 100 meters through 1,500 meters,” he said, “I used to do the 5,000 and 10,000 and hope to be back to at least do the 5,000 next year.”

Riffle said he broke all three field records held at Laidley Field a few years ago, which happened the day after he got out of rehab. A month later, he finished second overall in the national field event championship.

“Every day is a new challenge. All you can do is be determined that you’re going to have a victorious day,” he said.

Riffle said he’s coped with his disability through the support of others. He said it’s a great feeling to find someone who knows and understands his situation and his needs.

“You have to accept your disability and do what you can and if you can’t do that, then have someone help you do it.”

Thursday’s events include the archery competition at 7:30 a.m. at Coonskin Driving Range and the weightlifting competition at the YMCA in downtown Charleston at 2:30 p.m. Track & field and swimming registration will also take place Thursday at Laidley Field from 3 to 6 p.m. A full schedule of events can be found at CAMC’s website.





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