The 38th National Veterans
Wheelchair Games motor rally at Gatorland capped the event that drew 650 competitors.
Don’t cheat Doris Merrill out of her hard-earned months.
When you tell her that you heard she was 94 years old, the World War II veteran puts her arms in an “X” shape, to make sure you get it right.
“And a half,” she says, emphatically, although good-naturedly. “Don’t cheat me.”
The age-related mischaracterization aside, Merrill was all smiles at Gatorland early Saturday morning, competing in the 38th National Veterans Wheelchair Games motor rally event.
The Games drew more than 650 competitors from across the country to compete in 21 events last week. Closing ceremonies were scheduled for Saturday night.
The rally at Gatorland took dozens of competitors through the wildlife-based theme park’s wooden walkways, stopping in five locations to answer questions.
Along the way, there were plenty of chances for competitors to stop and take a selfie with a reptilian friend.
“This kind of thing rejuvenates you,” said Merrill, who came to the competition from her home in Nanticoke, Pa. “You are looking at life out here. It is something you are not going to get in your backyard.”
That’s also what draws Wendy Griffin of Salt Lake City, to the competition.
The 58-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran said the experiences she gets bring her back to the Games.
“It’s really interesting to see the local area,” said Griffin, who suffered a spinal cord injury years ago, shortly after taking a picture with a small gator. “To see what Florida is known for.”
The Veterans Wheelchair Games, which switches locations each year, will take place in Louisville, Ky., in 2019.
The shifting locale of the competition allows different
VA groups to highlight their communities, said Heather Frebe, Orlando VA public affairs officer.
“When you come to Florida, there are different experiences that represent Florida,” she said. “Gatorland is one of those. Everybody tries to showcase where they are from.”
As he makes his way through a path that puts him face-to-face with the leucistic alligator Ferris Zombi, Willie Hendrickson talks about how his participation in the games saved his life.
Hendrickson, 52, earned his 13th straight gold medal in motorized slalom.
Shortly after breaking his neck in the U.S. Army, he says he turned to drugs because it was difficult for him to adjust and he felt he was having a “pity party.”
“The games saved my life,” he said. “They really turned my life around. I wanted to live again.”
Hendrickson paid homage to his friend Paul Jackson, who died in February, by wearing a shirt that resembled Great Britain’s flag, known as the Union Jack.
Some called Jackson the “British Bulldog.”
Hendrickson simply calls him “Jacko.”
“We are all trying to remember him in our hearts,” he said.
Hendrickson said Gatorland was a chance for the San Diego, Calif., native to experience a hidden part of Florida.
“They always take us to someplace cool,” Hendrickson said. “You can see things about that part of the country that you don’t normally see.”
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