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Competitors, near and far, love coming to Grand Rapids for Midwest Wheelchair Championship

Posted at 11:00 PM, Jul 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-11 23:00:28-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Athletes from all over the world are in Grand Rapids this week to take part in the Midwest Wheelchair Championship.

"They really try to make the tournament fun and enjoyable," men's quad open division top seed Rob Shaw said.  "A lot of tournaments are more structured and want you to play at 7 in the morning and a lot more strict. Here they allow you to have more time in the morning to relax, get to court on time. The volunteers are amazing."

Shaw is from Canada, but there are several local players in the field, including Grand Haven native Chris Kelley.

"It's awesome to have such a big tournament right here in my home state," Kelley said. "It is great to see everybody come out, all the support. I've got some teammates with Team USA who are out here, so it is always great to be able to see them and see them do really well at this tournament."

Tournament play started Thursday and runs through Sunday, with 80 competitors playing for $15,000 in prize money.