2011 Local Athlete Profile
Tino Yaccich44 years old The 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Pittsburgh will be the first time that Tino Yaccich participates in the Games. Yaccich, who heard about the Games from a coach, will compete in ramp bowling and air rifles. As a quadriplegic, he felt as though he lost out on many activities in his life. When he found out that the air rifles shoot small pellets of lead, unlike a gun, using compressed air which is triggered by blowing air into the gun, he was blown away. The pellet can be shot at a length of about 10 yards to a target. Yaccich has since taken up using an air gun and has been practicing for the Games at his clinic where he finds that the camaraderie and support is amazing. Whether he wins or not, Yaccich is just so happy that he has made so many friends. “Everyone is so willing to help and their friendliness is amazing.” Due to an immunization gone awry, the retired Army police officer spent the last two decades watching his mobility diminish. Yaccich—who doctors have diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—has lost the use of his legs and right arm. As a result, “I am completely, totally dependent on my wife to do everything.” The married father of two teenage girls now spends his days in a motorized wheelchair. He is thankful for his wife and two daughters support. They are his whole life and have been a huge encouragement for him. Yaccich has been in the VA system for more than 20 years, and he is thankful to all of the people he has met and who have helped him through the years. |
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Reviewed/Updated Date: July 22, 2011