CLIFTON, Idaho (KIFI) — An Idaho veteran represented the Gem State at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games and will be bringing home a gold medal for his trivia knowledge.
U.S. Navy veteran Joseph Moscynski of Clifton competed in a wide range of events, including bocce ball, table tennis, disc golf, bowling, cycling, shooting and trivia.
The entire competition took place in Detroit, Michigan, which helped Moscynski ace the trivia competition since he grew up in Michigan for part of his childhood.
“Trivia was at the Henry Ford Museum, which I used to visit as a kid,” Moscynski said. One question asked competitors to identify Lake Gitche Gumee, another name for Lake Superior. For Moscynski, questions like that came naturally because of his connection to the state. “Over half the questions were easy because I grew up here.”
However, Moscynski said bringing home a gold medal was not his only victory. One of the most memorable parts of the competition was the friendship and camaraderie he shared with fellow veterans from across the country.
“Basically, no matter how old we were or when we served, we all got basically the same experiences, just from a different view,” Moscynski said.
When he returns to Idaho, Moscynski hopes his experience will encourage more Idaho veterans who use wheelchairs to get involved in adaptive sports and participate in future competitions.
“Hopefully we can kick-start and get more people involved,” Moscynski said. “I know there’s more people that I’ve met in Idaho that would be great. So we just got to get them interested in the games.”
The 2027 National Veterans Wheelchair Games are set to take place in Orlando, Florida, where Moscynski plans to return and defend his trivia title.
For more information about the games check out the link to their website.
