eXG8, Regional Games, and Adult Nationals

eXG8: Dirt-Fueled Fun Amidst a full day of racing at Baja Acres motocross track in Millington, Michigan, on May 25, Race 4 saw 16 Extremity Games 8 (eXG8) contenders line up at the starting gate. This year, there were new racers, new winners, and a new division for individuals with an upper-limb amputation. "Harold Glissen was the driving force behind adding the upper-limb division," said Beth Geno, executive director of the Athletes with Disabilities Network (ADN), the Extremity Games (eXG) organizer. First off the gate was the Amputee Lower-Limb division, then the Amputee Upper-Limb division, followed by the Sit-Down division. The track was fast, sandy, and a little bit wet. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="350"] Gomez, number 494, came from behind in the first moto to pass Schultz, number 5. Photograph by Sara Schultz.[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="350"] Howe, number 38, had a great start off the gate. Photograph courtesy of Steve Howe.[/caption] Among the new faces at the race and on the podium were Steve Howe and Max Gomez. They both went 1-1 in their motos to win first place in the upper-limb and lower-limb division, respectively. Howe, who traveled all the way from California to compete, took the holeshot in both upper-limb division motos and maintained his lead throughout the race. "I put my head down and charged as fast as I could," he said. Drake Smeltz and Glissen, a long-time racer, claimed the second- and third-place spots in the upper-limb division. Gomez faced fierce competition from returning racer Mike "Monster" Schultz to claim the top podium position. Schultz netted the holeshot in the first moto of the lower-limb division; he battled from start to finish with Gomez, ending up a close second. Although he crashed during the first lap of the second moto, Schultz managed to advance through the field to again take second-making for a strong 2-2 win. Jason Jackson joined Gomez and Schultz on the podium with his third-place win. "This was my fifth year racing at the Extremity Games, and every year I look forward to coming back and meeting up with great friends, exciting competition, and an epic race course," Schultz said. "I won the last two years in a row and really wanted to keep the momentum rolling, but I knew I'd have my work cut out for me this year with the addition of some new riders." In the Sit-Down Division, Doug Henry, a three-time Amercian Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Motocross national champion in the 1990s, took first with a 1-1 win. Returning racers Tyler Frye and John Harris took second and third, respectively. 2013 Great Lakes Regional Games and Adult National Championships [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="250"] Participants of all ages competed in the events. Photograph by Darwin Coligado, courtesy of GLASA.[/caption] The combined Great Lakes Regional Games (GLRG) and the Adult National Championships (ANC) were held on May 3-5, at event sites in Skokie and Des Plaines, Illinois. More than 200 athletes with physical or visual impairments, including wounded veterans, competed in swimming, track and field, archery, table tennis, power lifting, boccia, and handcycling, and participated in educational clinics and social events. The GLRG is open to athletes under 24 years old. It is one of the main regional qualifying events for the National Junior Disability Championships, scheduled for July 6-13, in Rochester, New York. However, the events are open to anyone who meets Paralympic classification criteria, such as Alyssia Crook who qualified in the under-16 female division for discus, javelin, and shot put. Crook underwent a transtibial amputation of her right leg in 2011 due to a congenital disorder. The ANC provides adults with disabilities and injured service members who meet Paralympic eligibility the opportunity to excel through sports competition. Both events were hosted by the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA), which is a Paralympic Sport Club, and the Disabled Sports USA's Illinois chapter.

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eXG8, Regional Games, and Adult Nationals

eXG8: Dirt-Fueled Fun

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