Aaron Cross (born in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

, on June 28, 1975) is a

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...

American archer.

Education and sport

He graduated from

Augsburg College Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminarium. Today, the u ...

in 1997. He competed in the

1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympic Games, Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million. It was the first Paralympic Games ...

and in the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

, but did not medal either time. He went on to compete in the 2002 Wheelchair Archery World Championships in

Nymburk Nymburk (; german: Nimburg, Neuenburg an der Elbe) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

. Finally as a member of the American team he won bronze in

Archery at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Archery at the 2004 Summer Paralympics took place at the Olympic Baseball Centre (Athens), Olympic Baseball Centre in Athens. There were three categories: *W1 Quadriplegia, quadriplegic archers, or comparable disability, in wheelchairs *W2 parap ...

. Aaron is currently working on his Masters in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling at

Saint Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximate ...

. Aaron has been featured in nationally syndicated magazines such as, Sport' N Spokes, Paraplegic News, Target and Spirit Magazine along with being featured on local, regional and national print and electronic media such as ABC and NBC. Assistance in accomplishing personal goals, sports goals, business goals, whatever they may be; yes even assistance in writing resumes, organization, building self-confidence and daily living skills. SCSU advance delegation to assess accessibility for Beijing, China U.S. Team Captain for the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Archery Team Team Bronze 2004 Paralympic Medal Winner — archery Athlete Representative to the U.S. Olympic Committee for archery, 1996-2003 Paralympic Committee (USOC, USPC) for archery, 2000–02 Governor to the Minnesota State Archery Association, 2000–02 Target VP to the Minnesota State Archery Association, 2002–04 President of the St. Cloud Archery Association, 2000-2004 Technical Delegate to International Paralympic Committee, 1996-2000 Safari Club International Pathfinder Award, 2013 Judd Jacobson Award for Success in Community and Professional, 2011 Augsburg College Decade Award for Excellence in Profession and Community, 2005 Paralympic Athlete • Three-time Paralympic team member, 1996, 2000, 2004 • Team Bronze in 2004, fifth in 2000, fourth in 1996, • Member of U.S. World Archery Team o Team Silver 2002 o Bronze 1994 o Gold 1993 SEAL Adventure Challenge (SAC) • Completed Navy SEAL STA for a second time, 2009 • First person in a wheelchair ever to attempt and finish a Navy SEAL (SAC) training course 2005 Toastmasters International of District Six, Speaker of the Year for Communication and Leadership in Community, State and Profession 2000 Augsburg College, Key Maker Award Recognition for Academic Achievement, Personal Growth, in College and Career 1997 Technical High School Commencement Speaker, St. Cloud, MN, 1993 The accident that paralyzed him occurred when he was training for the Olympics. Lake Benton Valley Journal
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References

External links

Motivation on Wheels site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Aaron 1975 births American male archers Archers at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Archers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Archers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States Augsburg University alumni Sportspeople from Waterloo, Iowa Living people People with tetraplegia Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in archery Paralympic archers for the United States