(Top photo) Linda Hutchinson (seated second from left) shares a moment with several of her teammates and coaches during the closing ceremonies of the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Denver, Colo., held from July 4-9. (Bottom) Hutchinson takes aim at a target on the trapshooting range during the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Denver, Colo. She earned top honors in that competition and in two other events. For Blacksburg resident Linda Hutchinson, it was the vacation of a lifetime.

Stricken with a spinal cord injury that keeps her in a wheelchair and forced to make frequent visits to the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Facility in Augusta, Ga., the 48-year-old veteran of the U.S. Navy spent the Fourth of July holiday competing and getting acquainted with her peers who are dealing with similar injuries.

Attracting military service veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition due to spinal cord injuries, amputation and any of an array of neurological issues, Hutchinson was one of nearly 600 athletes making the trip to Denver, Colo., for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

Presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the purpose of the Games is to showcase the benefit of sports rehabilitative programs, athletic abilities and personal achievements made by the nation’s disabled veterans.

“It is quite a patriotic story of our nation’s veterans overcoming difficulties and having fun among those that understand exactly what they go through on a daily basis,” said Jeanne Stith of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Games took place during a 6-day span from July 4-9. It is the largest annual wheelchair event in the world.

Typically, 25 percent of all competitors have never participated in any type of organized wheelchair sports competition prior to the Games, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. One of those was Hutchinson, who took part in several events which led to her earning first place in trap shooting, the hand-controlled Power Chair 200-meter race and motorized wheelchair rally, competing in the novice division reserved for first-time participants.

She also took home second place for her performance in the event’s air gun competition. The local resident was one of five participants hailing from the Palmetto State.

“For my first time, it was quite amazing,” she said. “While we were competing against each other, we were cheering them on as if we were teammates. The sight would almost bring you to tears; I was so proud to be there and be able to participate.”

Athletes in the Games compete in three divisions — Masters (over the age of 40), Novice, and Open, a classification in which all athletes can compete. Each competitor is then grouped according to the level of his or her physical ability in one of eight classifications.

According to Hutchinson, one veteran from World War II proved there were no bounds to her talent or drive, despite her age.

“There was an 82-year old World War II veteran out there having as much fun as us, if not more,” she said. “In my opinion, that is the epitome of what this event is.”

While past events have produced national and world-class champions, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games has also provided fresh opportunities for newly disabled veterans to gain sports skills and be exposed to other wheelchair athletes. One of those willing to spread the good news is Hutchinson, who said it promotes activity among veterans and dispels the notion that those bound to wheelchairs also are destined to be sedentary for the rest of their lives.

“The more veterans we get active in sports and other activities, the better off we are,“ Hutchinson said. “The more disabled veterans, particularly females, that we get notified and can participate in these programs, the better off we will be.”

This year’s Games will not be the last for Hutchinson, who plans to be on the list of participants in next year’s event in Pittsburgh.

“Lord willing, I will be there,” she said. “But if I couldn’t participate again, it is an experience I would remember for the rest of my life. Being able to meet new friends and learning a lot of about myself is definitely worth it.”