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Inaugural Paralympic Military Summit comes to a close
By Marvin Olberding
// U.S. Paralympics
// September 27, 2005
The first-ever Paralympic Military Summit came to a close Saturday night after a closing reception and ceremony, but not before a second full day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The closing ceremony featured the presentation of the Commander's Cup to the Red Team, who was victorious over the Blue Team by a final count of 176-144. Time was also taken to recognize the efforts of the volunteer service members from Fort Carson, Colo. who assisted the summit attendees throughout the week. The ceremony concluded with a video highlights package of the week's activities, which drew cheers from the summit participants throughout its presentation.
The morning featured the table tennis and air pistol shooting competitions at the USOTC. Karl Dorman (Elkton, Md.) dominated the tables, going undefeated in his eight matches. Timothy Horton (Winfield, Kan.) had the second best record at 7-1.
At the shooting range, Jerry Ezell (Coweta, Okla.) finished with 254 points, which proved to be the top individual score. John Shannon (Kimberling, Mo.) took second with 249, and Lisa Bard (Golden Valley, Minn.), the top individual scorer in the air rifle competition, finished third in air pistol with a 245 score.
The final competition took the competitors out to the USAFA for the cycling event. The athletes were divided into two groups, one for amputees (Group A) and the other for those with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries (Group B). Both groups attacked a road course that was estimated at just short of three miles, with Jose Ramos coming through with the best overall time at 7 minutes, 19 seconds. Shannon had the best time from Group B at an even 8:00.
Joe Walsh, Managing Director for U.S. Paralympics, called the event a success and said he believed the Summit achieved what it had intended.
"The goal for this program was to open the door to sport for these service members, and it's clear we did that," Walsh said. "With the programs being organized at the military and VA medical centers, I am optimistic that this introduction has started some of these service members down the road to everyday activity in sport."
Paralympic Military Summit Event Results
Sitting volleyball - Won by red team
Wheelchair volleyball - Won by red team
Fencing
The following athletes went undefeated with a record of 3-0:
Jerry Ezell (Coweta, Okla.)
Steve Dassler (Lake Los Angeles, Calif.)
Oscar Olguin (La Puente, Calif.)
Dan Regan (St. Louis, Mo.)
Shooting
Air Rifle high scores:
Lisa Bard (Golden Valley, Minn.) - 282
Christopher Tschida (Elko, Nev.) - 271
Steve Dassler - 267
Air Pistol high scores:
Jerry Ezell - 254
John Shannon (Kimberling, Mo.) - 249
Lisa Bard - 245
Table Tennis
Karl Dorman (Elkton, Md.) went undefeated with a record of 8-0
Timothy Horton (Winfield, Kan.) went 7-1
Lisa Bard, Pat McDonald (Orangeville, Calif.), John Shannon and Jerry Ezell all went 6-1
Cycling
Group A (amputees):
Jose Ramos - 7:19
Anthony Smith (Armorel, Ark.) - 7:27
Timothy Horton - 7:48
Group B (SCI and TBI):
John Shannon - 8:00
Sean Halstead (Spokane, Wash.) - 8:37
Gerard Ah-Fook (Bothell, Wash.) - 9:29
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