The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were held this August and September a few weeks after the Olympics. The Paralympic Games are international sports competitions for athletes with disabilities. The word Paralympic comes from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word Olympic, an adjective, meaning relating to the ancient city of Olympia or the Olympic Games.

France didn’t hold any of the fanfare back from welcoming countries and athletes from all over the world. It was amazing to watch. One participant from Arizona, Josh Wheeler, was #10 on Team USA in wheelchair rugby and is my neighbor! When he returned home from this trip, he brought home a shiny new silver medal! I even got wear the medal! It was VERY heavy. It even has a sliver of the Eiffel Tower on it!

Wheelchair rugby is a sport that combines handball, basketball and rugby. It is an extremely competitive sport and very entertaining. The numbers on the back of an athlete specify their abilities and disabilities, you can only have a total of up to eight players on the court at one time— no more, no less.

Wheeler has been competing in wheelchair rugby for 12 years, and is one of the best players in the world! I asked him about the Paralympic Games. He said, “It was a wonderful experience in Paris competing. Being able to compete at the highest level is something pretty special that every athlete wants to achieve but not every athlete is able to achieve. It was pretty cool being in Paris [competing].”

When I asked him what was his favorite part, he made it clear that being able to play in front of his family was the most important part for him. Wheeler is a very kind and humble man. He has won three silver medals. He is a good friend of mine and deserves recognition. He wanted to be sure to let people know that playing sports is amazing, and it can take you a long way, but there’s so much more to life than sports.

“How you live your life, who you live your life with, is much more important,” says Wheeler. “I am lucky to have an amazing family (that) has supported me along the way and (that) has been able to be there for me in my ups and downs and in my wins and my losses. Sports are not all there is to life.”

At the end of our conversation, he had a question for me. “Who is your favorite superhero?” I replied, “Superman, because he is the Swiss Army Knife of all superheroes.” I asked him the same. His answer was, “Superman, because he has all the power he needs to take over the world, but instead, he uses it to help others.” Well said, Josh.

To see the complete rules about wheelchair rugby in the Paralympics, go to olympics.com/en/paris-2024/paralympic-games/sports/wheelchair-