2009 Extremity Games Draw Elites, Warriors, Beginners, and Fans

Jim Comer demonstrates vertical moves. Photographs courtesy of Extremity Games.

The contest that put the “extremities” into extreme sports rocked across Michigan again this year on July 9-11. The 2009 Extremity Games brought together competitors with amputations or limb differences from as far away as Germany, France, and South Africa to join members of the Wounded Warriors Project and other athletes from across the United States for contests in six sports: kayaking, motocross, mountain biking, rock climbing, skateboarding, and wakeboarding. Competitors and supporters alike were also welcomed in free instructional clinics in kayaking, mixed martial arts, mountain biking, rock climbing, skateboarding, and wakeboarding over the course of the weekend. Competitions, which were held in four Michigan towns, were limited to experts, but beginners joined elites in the clinics. Live music, exhibits, and demonstration sports rounded out the weekend.