I shook Will Groulx’s hand for the first time at an OPVA (Oregon Paralyzed Veterans of America) wheelchair trap shooting practice on June 16th at the Newberg Gun Club. Lonnie Morgan (T-12 Para) had met Will and asked him to try his hand at trap shooting. You could see the eagerness in Will’s smile as we prepared to enter the trap field and shoot at those elusive clay birds. Will broke his first clay bird of the day and the rest is history. Will joined the team and traveled to his first national trap shoot in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on September 7, 2001. He and six other Oregon competitors represented Oregon as a team in this final national trap shooting circuit of the year.

Will and I have both been paralyzed after we lost control of our motorcycles. Will’s accident happened last year at the young age of twenty-six. He was an electrician’s mate second class serving active duty in the U.S. Navy at Norfolk, Virginia. On a wet day, he was riding his motorcycle at 25 mph when he took an on-ramp to an interstate highway. The rear tire lost traction and he began to slide. He had practiced slides before and was okay until the tire gripped the road and flipped him over forward, causing him to do a face plant. He then slide head first under the guardrail, were his helmet became wedged between the guardrail and the road. His body continued over the guardrail and came to a stop. The bike came crashing into his already damaged body, leaving him paralyzed. His injury would become a T-7 (Para) on his left side and C-7 (Quad) on his right side. He spent 7 _ months in hospitals on the East Coast and a month in a spinal cord unit in Seattle. The doctors were straight with him from the start, telling him there was less than a 2 percent chance that he would walk again. Then he said to himself, “This is the way it’s going to be, I have to deal with it and roll with the punches”.

I know where Will is coming from, because I’ve already been dealing with the punches for thirty years. My goal is to reduce his learning curve on what is currently available for getting around other than a wheelchair in the great outdoors. The Cushman Trackster was to be his first all terrain to ride in since his accident. We adjusted the shoulder harness, gave him some operating instructions and pointed to the trail. Will’s grin would indicate how much fun he was having as he maneuvered down the trail. This machine was obviously not fast enough for Will as his head was soon looking intently at the Grizzly 600 Yamaha Quad. He placed himself behind the handlebars of one of the largest Quads made to date. I placed a weight lifting belt around his waist and the backrest that I have attached to the rear rack of this machine. This was for his safety only until he had found his balance and his ability to lean. I do not recommend being strapped to any quad. You need to be able to leave the machine quickly during a rollover situation. Will was definitely enjoying the power and speed of this awesome quad. He admitted the trackster was more stable, but he enjoyed the speed of the quad. His next outing was to enjoy the Argo, an amphibious eight wheeled all-terrain vehicle. He was a little nervous driving straight into the lake and it took a few attempts to figure out how to steer it in the water. I think he was relieved when the Argo made its way up the boat ramp and was on dry land again!

The winter weather is here and Will is busy competing with his local Quad Rugby Team. I look forward to sharing with Will, the excitement of the wave runners, boating, biking, fishing, crabbing and rafting, this summer.

I have really enjoyed working with Will and look forward to helping others to enjoy the great outdoors!

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