Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

Forest Lake is the home of a gold medalist. And for good measure he is also a proud holder of a bronze medal. Well, heíll take the bronze, but he knows he could have done better.

The two-time medalist is Jerry Klemm, and he recently took part in the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Anchorage, AK.

ìIf I would have been feeling good I would have come away with the gold,î Klemm says in regards to the Bowling - Ramp competition, in which the athletes use hand controls. ìNo problem.î

How does he know this?

ìLast year I got the gold.î

As baseball Hall-of-Famer Dizzy Dean said, ìIt ainít bragging if you can back it up.î

Considering that Klemmís bowling average hovers near 190 and he has even bowled a 227, his confidence seems justified.

It turned out that a leg infection and six hours in the emergency room proved to be Klemmís biggest obstacle, but the bronze medal still found a place around his neck.

So perhaps thereís a bit of revenge on his mind when Klemm happily states, ìIím looking forward to the 2007 games in Milwaukee because itís fun.î

Klemmís gold medal came as a result of being on the winning team in the power soccer tournament.

The games are presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and this year the action lasted from July 2 - July 8. All participants are military veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, certain neurological conditions, orthopedic amputations or other disabilities. Athletes from 46 states, Puerto Rico and Great Britain competed in what is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world.

The biggest accomplishment might be getting the competitors to gather in one place. On Klemmís plane out of Minnesota there were two connecting flights that also had members of the games making their way to Alaska. Imagine the look on the gate agentís face when they realized the airplane had nearly 90 athletes to help into their seats.

ìWe started loading 40 minutes early, and left the loading gate an hour and a half late,î Klemm shares with a chuckle. ìWe had 86 athletes on board; all wheelchair bound. That was an experience.î

Then and Now

Klemm and his wife Judy moved from Marshall to Forest Lake in 1999 so Jerry could be closer to the VA medical facility in Minneapolis. Klemm served in Vietnam and is a quadriplegic, but his injury occurred in a car accident in 1975.

ìI rolled a pick-up and broke my neck,î he says. ìSurvived Vietnam, but the South Dakota highway got me.î

According to Klemm his situation is not so unusual.

ìI would say about 50 percent of the veterans are paralyzed after the service.î

Klemm says the majority of the competitors at the games are Vietnam vets, but he did hear of an athlete who was 82 years-old. Itís this large group who play such a major role in what takes place beyond the actual competitions.

With young men and women returning from Iraq there are people who are barely out of their teens who are trying to adjust to their new world. When they look like they might quit, Klemm says the encouragement comes from the older veterans.

ìKeep going! Keep going!î Theyíll scream.

ìThe whole idea is just to give everybody a positive attitude,î he says. ìYou build that camaraderie all the way through.î

Klemm encourages all people with disabilities to get involved with different activities. Veterans or not he would love to see more people bowling in Chisago, or playing power soccer throughout the area.

As he says about the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, ìthe competition and opportunity to meet new people was so beneficial.î

Sounds like someone who knows what heís talking about. And he can certainly back it up.

Top of Page

Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605