BELLA VISTA -- Jason Long is hoping to retire as the gold medal holder in the bench press. He's planning to attend his last meet this summer when the games begin July 7.
Long first took part in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in 2017. He won his first gold in bench press that year. He returned in 2018 and 2019 and brought home two more golds. Each year, he also won a variety of silver and bronze medals in sports ranging from bocce ball to a variety of track events.
He was training for the games in early 2020, but like many other events, the Wheelchair Games were canceled that year due to covid. In 2021 he was busy having shoulder surgery and couldn't train or compete. So when he arrives in Tempe, Ariz., this summer, he will be coming back from a long absence, but he's ready for the challenge.
Long doesn't always use a wheelchair. He works out most mornings at Riordan Hall and uses crutches to get around. He lost a leg due to a medical accident when he was in the Army and is now on disability. For years he traveled regularly to Fort Smith to play on a wheelchair basketball team, and that eventually led him to the Wheelchair Games. Unfortunately, the basketball team disbanded, and he hasn't been able to find another one to join.
To make the Wheelchair Games fair, each participant is assigned a rating based on their disability. They are able to contest their rating if they don't agree, Long explained. There are also age categories, but he doesn't plan to ever compete in any of the older categories.
"As you age, you can move into masters class, but there aren't as many people, so there is less competition and it's not as much fun," he said.
For games like basketball, teams are assigned via computer to give everyone a fair chance. There are always a few athletes at the games that actually play wheelchair basketball competitively so they are spilt up.
He will play basketball this year along with softball, bocce ball and track events like javelin, shot put and discus.
"If you go you might as well do as many as you can," he said, but, except for basketball, he's careful to avoid sports where he might be injured. He plays bocce ball because it's a safe sport, but even though he doesn't understand all the rules, it's a lot of fun to play, he said.
But he's most interested in weightlifting -- specifically, bench press -- since he has those three gold medals in that event. He wants to retire undefeated.
He won in 2019 by pressing 200 pounds. In the gym he's pressed as much as 250 pounds, but pressing in the gym is different than in competition. In competition, form is vital.
"In competition both arms have to go up at the same time in one fluid motion without moving your leg or arching your back," he said. Each competitor does three lifts and there's some strategy involved, he explained. To win, a competitor only needs to press five pounds more than the previous competitor. A competitor needs to pay attention to what other people are doing.
Each year he trains specifically for the games, and it's a lot of work. He also has to watch his diet to make sure he's in the best weight class. Each year he promises that he will continue to work out, but he won't train for the Wheelchair Games again.
But then the next year comes around ... .