Paralympic Air Rifle

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

Offered through Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department (MCPRD) Therapeutic Recreation Section’s Paralympic Sport Club Metrolina, Paralympic Air Rifle is a new program offered to disabled Veterans and injured service personnel with a physical disability. The program focuses on the fundamentals of safe gun handling and air riflery while offering participants the opportunity to improve concentration, hand-eye coordination and social interaction. Paralympic Air Rifle targets the Veteran population and strives to provide more opportunities for “Wounded Warriors”. Athletes demonstrate a variety of physical disabilities including spinal cord injuries (SCI) including paraplegia and paralysis, Gulf War Illness, anoxic brain injury, traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, multiple sclerosis, amputee and Transverse Myelitis. Paralympic Air Rifle adapts to the specific needs of the athletes and offers a new sport to the Veteran population in Mecklenburg County and surrounding communities. North Carolina statistics indicate that 21.3% of Veterans in North Carolina have a Service-Connected Disability and confirm the need for additional opportunities for Veterans.