When Cameron signed up for his first National Veterans Wheelchair Games in 2025, he was unsure what to expect. But he surprised himself when he earned the high score of the day in his archery event, taking home a gold medal.
“I’m still pumped about it,” said the 59-year-old member of PVA’s Northwest chapter in Washington state, who scored 284 out of a possible 300 points. He also won gold medals in the air rifle and air pistol events.
Four years ago, while working at his civilian job, Cameron sustained a spinal cord injury when he fell out of a helicopter he was repairing. His recreational therapist at the Seattle VA encouraged him to consider competing in the 2025 Games.
He was hesitant at first, but enjoyed the experience so much he now wants to compete in adaptive archery locally. A Paralympian he met at the Games convinced him he has a future with the sport.
“I told my wife, ‘Guess what this means? I’m going to have to go out and spend some money on a bow’,” he said.
Cameron, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, is one of 179 first-time athletes who participated in the 2025 National Wheelchair Games. Nearly a third of the athletes in this year’s Games are novices.
Another novice is Amy Dotson, 48, a U.S. Air Force Veteran from Georgia. She participated in adaptive sports years ago and loved it but never signed up for the Wheelchair Games until now. Dotson, who has MS, said Veterans she met through an MS Facebook group encouraged her to compete.
“I’ve been watching their journey and seeing them come to the games every year. I’m like, ‘One of these years, I’m gonna make it’,” said Dotson, who competed in basketball and softball. “Hopefully I run into them and can actually meet them in person.”
First-time athlete Jeremy Wayne Trammell Jr., 21, a Navy Veteran, was paralyzed and sustained a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle crash. He said he was competing in the Games to show his younger brother, who has a rare disease, what is possible.
“He really looks up to me,” said Trammell, who came to the Games with his mother, Maria Trammell, and members of PVA’s Buckeye chapter. “He sees me and he’s like, ‘If he can do it, I can do it’.”
