Meyer to represent Team USA in first Paralympic games
Jeromie Meyer, a 2015 Woodbine graduate, will make his first-ever appearance on the
U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, starting August 29 in Dubai, Paris.
Jeromie came to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ specialized pediatric spinal cord injury program in 2007 at just 10 years old, following a life-changing accident involving a drunk driver who struck Jeromie while he was riding his bike. The impact resulted in a complete spinal cord injury.
During his 46-day recovery at Madonna, Recreational Therapist Kristin Luethke introduced him to wheelchair basketball, sparking his passion for adaptive sports. Jeromie continued to excel in athletics, playing at the collegiate level for both the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, all while earning a degree in physical education. He is also a current graduate student in the higher education leadership program at UW-Whitewater.
“Jeromie always had a great attitude, even after his injury,” Kristin Luethke, CTRS, recreational therapist, said. “He was willing to try anything thrown at him. He fell in love with wheelchair basketball and would [spend] most of his recreational therapy sessions shooting baskets.”
For Jeromie, representing his country at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games is an honor.
“Being part of the Paralympic team and getting the privilege to represent my country on the world stage is a great achievement,” Jeromie said. “Playing for Team USA has been a dream of mine ever since I was injured and started playing wheelchair basketball.”
Jeromie represented the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games, helping the team win a gold medal. He was a member of the U.S. Men’s team that secured gold medals at the 2022 World Championships and Americas Cup. He earned his first national team roster spots at the IWBF U-23 America’s Zonal Qualifier and IWBF U-23 World Championships in 2017.
