2009 Extremity Games: Extreme Sports for Athletes with Disabilities

Hosting athletes from around the world and wounded warriors

Waterford, Michigan (July 12, 2009) - Extremity Games 4 (eX4) rocked Michigan as the extreme sports competition for athletes living with limb loss and limb difference came to town July 9-11, 2009. eX4 competitions included skateboarding, rock climbing, wakeboarding, kayaking, mountain biking and motocross. Talented athletes competed from all over the country, as well as a handful of competitors from far away places like France, Germany, and South Africa.

The Opening Ceremony welcomed athletes and officially kicked-off Extremity Games 4 on Wednesday, July 8 at the Holiday Inn Gateway Center in Flint, Michigan. On Thursday, the South Street Skate Park in Rochester hosted the skateboarding competition, followed by the wakeboard competition at Holloway Reservoir in Davison on Friday.

Despite early morning thunderstorms on Saturday, mountain bike and motocross racers were eager to get things started on Baja MX’s 85 acre facility in Millington, Michigan. Fans lined the fences as racer George Hammel charged all the way to the checkers for the win, closely followed by TJ Hiracheta in second and Sampie Erasmus of South Africa in third in the Motocross Lites competition. In the Motocross Premier class, Chris Ridgeway made it look easy as he raced his way into the lead, taking the win and the top step on the podium. Mike Schultz finished with a hard fought second, while Jason Woods rounded out the podium for third. Local Michigan favorite, Jim Wazny followed up in fourth after a crash in the heat race with bike troubles.

Once the dust settled and the racers had a chance to clean up, an awards ceremony followed, along with a special announcement from Motocross Coordinator Jim Wazny. “The Athletes with Disabilities Network, the organizers of Extremity Games, are excited to partner with Adaptive Action Sports, the official sports organizer for the Super X Adaptive Finals motocross competition at the ESPN X Games. This year, Extremity Games served as the pre-qualifier for the Super X Adaptive Finals motocross competition with the top six riders at Extremity Games being officially invited to compete in the X Games race. Twelve riders total will compete at the Super X Adaptive Finals, which will be televised live on Friday, July 31 at 8:30 EST on ESPN.”

Extremity Games is proud to work with Trijicon to welcome members of the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, where recovering wounded warriors can not only compete in extreme sports, but can also educate themselves on sports that they have never tried before. Extremity Games is an opportunity for our recovering wounded service members to help them get active again through sports.

This event was made possible by the generous sponsorships of Easter Seals - Michigan Trijicon, College Park Industries, Wright & Filippis, Mary Free Bed, Riverside Kayak Connection, Ossur, Aristo-Cast, Ohio Willow Wood, Onyx Embroidery, Adaptive Action Sports, Amputee Coalition of America, Adaptive Adventures, Michigan Adaptive Sports, among dozens of other sponsors and partners.

About the Extremity Games

Extremity Games is organized by Athletes with Disabilities Network (ADN), a subsidiary of Easter Seals – Michigan. Established in 2009, ADN’s mission is to promote a better quality of life by creating opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities. ADN organizes Extremity Games, as well as Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame, which recognizes and honors men and women who have overcome physical challenges to become elite athletes and superior role models.

For more information on Extremity Games or Athletes with Disabilities Network, please visit www.extremitygames.com or call 586.556.1761.