Paralympic Experience
- Two-time Paralympian (2012, 2016); Two-time medalist (1 bronze, 1 silver)
- London 2012 Paralympic Games, bronze
- Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, alternate
World Championship Experience
- Most recent: 2018 – bronze
- Years of participation: 2010, 2014, 2018
- Medals: 3 (1 gold, 2 bronze)
- Gold – 2010; Bronze – 2014, 2018
Joe Delagrave, who is a keynote speaker and coach of navy wounded warriors wheelchair rugby program, first learned about wheelchair rugby by searching for sports for quads. Then while watching the Beijing Paralympic Games, I realized it was a Paralympic sport. He decided then to make that his goal. Two years later he competed at the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Vancouver, Canada, where the U.S. won gold. Joe made his first Paralympic team at the 2012 Games in London.
How does an elite Paralympic athlete pack for competitions? We asked Joe Delagrave to share his tips for packing.
Joe Delagrave’s Pro tips for packing:
First, have your wife or significant other do it. Haha, just kidding.
For real though.
No. 1. I have a rectangular electronics bag that is small enough to fit in my backpack. I have all my cords and chargers in one spot, and it takes the headache out of forgetting to bring that one cord.
No. 2. I’m not a checklist guy, nope. However, I will run through my head what I have in three different areas. 1-My rugby gear, 2-My apparel for rugby, and 3-My clothes.
No. 3. I lay everything all out first before putting it into a suitcase. This way I can see everything I’ll put in there instead of being halfway through and thinking… ‘Did I actually put that in there?’
P.S. I always forget something
Check out more packing hacks and mistakes to avoid from these Travel + Leisure videos.