Veteran wheelchair athlete Bill Watson of North Chicago is congratulated by Dick Hocking of Highland Park Friday during the Lovell Legends team's send-off party in North Chicago. The team is representing the Lovell Federal Health Care Center at the 36th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Salt Lake City next week. To see video of the send-off party, go to dailyherald.com/more
Morgan Timms/mtimms@dailyherald.com
Eight military veterans representing the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago will compete in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games next week.
Calling themselves the Lovell Legends, the veterans will compete in Salt Lake City from June 27 through July 2. Events include softball, bowling, table tennis, nine ball, archery, trapshooting and weightlifting.
Teams from across the United States will participate, along with one from Great Britain.
All eight Lovell Legends members are veterans who receive medical services at Lovell. They are: Ramon Calderon; Daniel Dorsch; William Watson; Steve Aoyagi; Edward Tolliver; Joel Van Cleve; Babette Peyton; and Karen Van Benschoten.
They got together Friday at the center for a send-off party.
Aoyagi, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Des Plaines, will make his eighth appearance at the competition.
"By doing this, I often surpass what I thought I could do," Aoyagi said in a news release. "And if I couldn't, I will know I gave it my best."
The Wheelchair Games event is organized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
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Veteran wheelchair athlete Karen Van Benschoten's applauds fellow athletes Friday during the Lovell Legends team's send-off party at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.
Morgan Timms/mtimms@dailyherald.com
Veteran wheelchair athletes Daniel Dorsch of Evanston and Bill Watson of North Chicago chat before the start of the Lovell Legends team's send-off party Friday at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.
Morgan Timms/mtimms@dailyherald.com
A gatorade is fixed to the side of veteran wheelchair athlete Karen Van Benschoten's chair Friday during the Lovell Legends team's send-off party at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.
Morgan Timms/mtimms@dailyherald.com