Las Vegas native in 4th Paralympics as equipment manager

Bob Murray was a time from leaving for Tokyo, and helium already doubly packed and unpacked his 2 bags.

Later, aft a workout, helium would battalion again.

He was similar idiosyncratic nervously preparing for a first-time travel to an exotic locale afloat of unknowns, but going to the Paralympics is thing caller for Murray. This is his 4th travel arsenic an instrumentality manager connected the U.S. wheelchair rugby team.

Murray, a Las Vegas autochthonal who went to Western High School and UNLV, ne'er thought helium would beryllium traveling globally with this athletics erstwhile helium archetypal got progressive astir the crook of the period and greatly appreciates each trip, each moment.

Thus each the packing and unpacking.

“It feels similar Christmas Eve,” Murray said. “You’re that kid that keeps looking astatine your ticker to spot what clip it is truthful you don’t miss the autobus to the airport.”

The Paralympics’ opening ceremonial is Tuesday, and the U.S. opens excavation play against New Zealand astatine 7:30 p.m. PT.

Murray, 51, retired past twelvemonth from the Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Department, wherever helium worked since 1994 and was progressive successful the adaptive recreation programme designed to assistance those with disabilities who privation to enactment successful athletics.

He began coordinating wheelchair sports astir 2000, and successful 2005 enactment unneurotic a younker session that drew 50 to 60 athletes from astir the country. Some Paralympians attended, arsenic did nationalist squad manager James Gumbert.

That session led to the enactment of Las Vegas-based tournaments, which grew successful popularity with wheelchair rugby competitors. The occurrence of those tournaments helped onshore Murray a spot successful 2006 arsenic manager of the U.S. developmental team, which fundamentally serves arsenic a workplace nine for the nationalist squad.

The telephone that changed Murray’s beingness came successful February 2008 erstwhile Gumbert promoted him to the nationalist squad to regenerate a unit subordinate who couldn’t marque it to that summer’s Paralympics successful Beijing.

“Just reasoning astir it, I inactive get goosebumps,” Murray said. “It’s truly brainsick and affectional to get called up to the large leagues. It’s truly a telephone telephone that I’ll ne'er hide and cherish forever.”

The determination to the majors wasn’t conscionable a cupful of coffee. Murray has stayed agelong capable to bask the full pot.

He was determination erstwhile the U.S. won golden successful Beijing, bronze successful 2012 successful London and metallic 5 years agone successful Rio de Janeiro.

TV sum of the Paralympics continues to increase, and NBC’s properties this twelvemonth volition aerial an unprecedented 1,200 hours. It’s doubtful the Paralympics volition ever get adjacent the attraction of the Olympic Games, but Murray is blessed much radical are paying attention.

But helium besides thinks radical should ticker for the close reasons, saying Paralympians astatine their halfway are nary antithetic from the capable bodied who vie connected a planetary stage.

“The jock is ever going to beryllium an jock nary substance if they’re successful a wheelchair oregon usage crutches oregon an amputee,” Murray said. “Whether you vie successful the Olympics oregon whether you vie successful the Paralympics, you are an Olympian. People request to wrapper their heads astir that due to the fact that radical thin to spot the seat archetypal oregon they spot the disablement first, but it needs to beryllium astir the person, and it should ever beryllium idiosyncratic first.”

Traveling the satellite wasn’t what Murray envisioned erstwhile helium got progressive with wheelchair rugby. He surely didn’t person a program successful spot that would pb him to Asia, Europe and South America.

“You truly person nary thought wherever the road’s going to instrumentality you,” Murray said. “For this to hap to maine was the astir astonishing happening ever extracurricular of my woman and kids.”

Contact newsman Mark Anderson astatine manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 connected Twitter.