Phoenix's Joe Jackson Makes Team USA Wheelchair Rugby Roster

PHOENIX, AZ — Phoenix's Joe Jackson has spent the better part of the last decade preparing for this moment.

Jackson, who was paralyzed from the waist down while trying to make a tackle in a high school football game in 2005, will make his first-ever appearance in the Paralympics this summer, after qualifying for Team USA's wheelchair rugby squad last month.

It's a feat that Jackson has spent years preparing for, trekking back and forth to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee's complex in Colorado, as well as the committee's training site in Birmingham, Ala.

The 31-year-old, who grew up in Chandler before moving with his wife, Sarah, to Maricopa, called making the team a blessing.

"I feel like I'll finally be able to compete for something that's bigger than myself," Jackson told Patch.

Jackson's road to the Tokyo Paralympic games began 14 years ago, when he picked up the sport of wheelchair rugby and started training at Phoenix's Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center.

He called the process of learning the sport, which he first heard of through the 2005 film, Murderball, and realizing that he could continue playing the sports he loved prior to his accident.

"I knew that I still wanted to be the athlete that I was before," Jackson said. "And one of the stars of the documentary was the coach of the team (Joe Soares). And I watched it and it really got me excited to be able to compete and play sports again.

"And I made it one of my goals to actually get a wheelchair and be able to go out and try the sport, and I just fell in love with it."

Jackson did just that, picking up the sport in 2007 and earning one of 12 roster spots to join the U.S. team at the Tokyo games 14 years later.

He described the moment when he and his family learned he'd be going to Tokyo over a Zoom call as surreal, as he and Sarah got to soak up a moment more than a decade in the making.

"[My family] found out when I found out, which was really cool," Jackson said. "And they unmuted the line for families after your name was announced and they're shouting and screaming and everything. So it was very cool and really special."

Jackson's inclusion on the Team USA roster was a point of pride for those at Ability360, who have seen his transformation from novice to world-class athlete up close and personal.

“All of us at Ability360 are very proud of Joe,” said Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center General Manager Gus LaZear in a statement. “We knew he’d put in the work and was at the top of his game, but there are a lot of really talented guys at his level, so we were crossing our fingers. We can’t wait for the matches to begin.”

Now, the focus for Jackson shifts toward making sure he's ready to take the court when the Paralympics kick off on Aug. 25.

The wheelchair rugby tournament consists of an eight-team field, with the U.S. squaring off against the likes of Team Australia, which is the two-time defending gold medalist.

Jackson and his teammates will make the trek across the Pacific on Aug. 17, though he won't be allowed to bring his wife or family members, due to travel restrictions in Japan.

He said not having Sarah and his friends and family there cheering him on in August is unfortunate, but that he'll carry on in their honor, knowing that they'll be watching to the stream of the tournament in the States.

“She’s extremely sad that she won’t be there because they’re not letting in any foreign spectators, but she’ll be able to watch the games on TV,” Jackson said.

The prospect of sporting the red, white and blue and carrying the support of a nation is more than enough for Jackson.

He said his feelings right now are a mixture of excitement with a tinge of nervousness, though Jackson is ready to compete on the sport's biggest stage.

"It's extremely exciting, because I've been preparing for this for a while, and I'm going to try to take in every moment because who knows if I'll be back or whatnot," Jackson said. "So I'm just going to enjoy it, soak it up, and go out there and focus and compete."

Above all, Jackson hopes that his story can serve as motivation for others, as we all face adversity at some point.

He wants others to see his long climb to the top echelon of the sport as a story of perseverance, and a reminder that anyone can achieve great things if they keep grinding each day.

"Sometimes people are on top, some people have to start from the bottom or somewhere in between, you just have to keep working hard," Jackson said. "It's about perseverance. Keep pushing, keep grinding. Eventually, your hard work will get noticed and get that validation and if feels really good once it is."