2011 Local Athlete Profile
Robert Morris38 Years old Robert Morris has participated in 12 National Veterans Wheelchairs Games since 1996. Although Morris has many memories associated with the Games, his favorite to date was the Milwaukee Wheelchair Games. “I was playing nine-ball and the cameraman sat the camera on the side pocket, as I was about to shoot at it. Two of my buddies were watching, and one of them said ‘no pressure there’. I was concentrating really hard, although it wasn’t a difficult shot. I was trying to ignore the camera and all of a sudden I just cracked up laughing. The cameraman asked if he was bothering me, and I said, ‘no, but I guarantee I will miss the shot’ and I did. My shot made it into the Games’ video footage. Every time I think about that shot, I always smile and it brightens my day a little.” Having competed in the Games in 12 different cities, Morris has several favorite Games sites. San Antonio and Puerto Rico were great, but his favorite is Seattle where he first participated in the Games. Morris was an inpatient at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center - Wade Park Campus, when his recreational therapist suggested he join a team and participate in the Games. At that time he was learning to do new things from a wheelchair, like playing basketball and going up and down escalators. Being a competitive person he was eager to join, and it was an opportunity to get out of the hospital and meet other Veterans. It was also the start of a new and different chapter in his life, so Seattle will always be a special Games site to him. Morris will competes in are trapshooting, basketball, archery, and bowling. He trains for the events by shooting hoops, playing pool and lifting weights. A self-proclaimed “redneck,” Morris tries to shoot the bow and shotgun in his backyard as much as he can to train for the Games, and also for hunting season. Morris’s wife and children, who have grown up at the Games, will be cheering him on in Pittsburgh. |
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Reviewed/Updated Date: July 22, 2011