The Future of US Para-Sport

The future is likely to be wounded veterans out of the wars in the middle east.  I'm not sure that the Cerebral Palsy classifications will see a large influx, but the amp, SCI, and maybe the Visually Impared classes could see a large increase in participation over the next few years.  Programs such as the Wounded Warrior Project are encouraging disabled veterans to get active and involved in sport and life.  I think it would serve US-Para well to encourage these types of programs, and I think they are.  An influx of veterans into the program could have significant impact on the visibility of Para-Sport in this country, visibility that is desperatly needed.  Heck, I've had Cerebral Palsy since I was 4 months old and didn't know about the Paralympic Team until I was 21.  It's not widely enough supported because it's not widely known about.  Take a country like Australia, population: 20.5 million, they won 10 golds in Cycling at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.  We, the US, has a population 15 times that of Australia and we came away with  3 golds.  The difference is that Australia's Para-athletes are very visible and well supported.  More visibility and support here in the US could go a long way in returning us to the top tier in Para-sport.