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North Jersey Navigators Set New Records at National & World Championships

 The Navigators adaptive sports team wrapped up their best season in years at the 2009 National Junior Disability Championships in St. Louis, Missouri and the 2009 International Wheelchair and Ampute

November 23, 2009

At the 2009 National Junior DisabilityChampionships (NJDC), all the athletes obtained new personal best records and the team netted a total of 123 medals (77 Gold, 30 Silver, 16 Bronze), set 16 new national records, and once again placed FIRST in the large team category (teams with 9-23 athletes). The Navigators team competed in track, field, swimming, archery and table tennis events. The team averaged 22.98 points per athlete while the team that placed second averaged 13 points per athlete.

In addition, 4 members of the Navigators competed on the Junior USA Team that participated at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Junior World Championships in Switzerland. These Navigators netted a total of 11 medals (7 Gold, 3 Silver, and1 Bronze) and broke the 100-meter junior world record in the T52 (under 16 years-old) class.

The NJDC and the IWAS Junior World Championship games give young athletes with disabilities an opportunity to participate in an encouraging venue, and to compete against the top athletes from the US and the rest of the world while preparing them for participation in future Paralympics Games.

"The coaching staff is extremely pleased with the way our team continues to improve and excel in adaptive/wheelchair sports," said Coach Jimmy Cuevas. "Kessler Foundation has played a tremendous role in the success of our adaptive sports program. We couldn't have done it without you!"