‘You should try, because you never know where you’ll land’: Rogers’ Becca Murray to compete in Paralympics for gold – again
08/15/24 01:00:pm
Becca, a clinic support coordinator with Rogers, is heading to Paris to compete in the Paralympic Games, which run directly after the Olympics every two years. Part of Team USA, she is a seasoned wheelchair basketball player who already knows what it’s like to win first place at the highest level.
Born with spina bifida, Becca began playing wheelchair basketball at six years old, continued throughout high school, and while at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, helped start the university’s women’s team. At age 17, she made her first USA Team, which competed in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, earning the gold medal.
“It was that young, awed, wide-open eyes feeling, like ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m here and that this is happening,’” Becca says. “It was awesome to learn from the veteran players.”
Since then, Becca has become a veteran player herself. In the 2012 Paralympics, she and the rest of Team USA took fourth place. In 2016, that same team competed in Rio de Janeiro and came out on top, securing gold again.
“Wheelchair basketball has taken me all over the world,” Becca says. “I love the competitiveness of the sport. I have that drive, but I also really like the team chemistry of wheelchair basketball, with everyone working toward that same goal. An individual sport is still exciting, but when you win as a team, you have others to really celebrate with.”
After 2016, Becca says she thought she was done with the competition, but she came back in 2019. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Becca went back into retirement – only to come back once more, heading to the Paris games eight years after her last time competing at this level.
“I’m really excited to be back there on the biggest stage,” Becca says. “I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the crowd. I’m already seeing that play out at the Olympics. People are having a lot of fun. It’s a lot of positive energy. A lot of times we have all these political divides, but at the Paralympics, it just feels like the world comes together and everyone puts all that aside. It’s really cool to feel that.”
While the world comes together, so do Becca and her 11 teammates.
Becca says she’s grateful for the support she has – both from her teammates on the court and on the job.
“I appreciate Rogers being so supportive and accommodating,” she says. “They understand how remarkable this opportunity is.”
That opportunity is quickly approaching; opening ceremonies for the Paralympic games begin August 28, and Becca and teammates have their first game on August 30 against Germany – part of a journey that’s a prize in and of itself.
“I always say follow your dreams, because it seems so far out of reach to be an Olympian or Paralympian, and I couldn’t have imagined it when I was a child,” Becca says. “You should try, because you never know where you’ll land. Your one dream could lead you to a whole different dream.”
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