SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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Coming Full Circle

In the 1980s, Judy Einbinder was the driving force behind one of the most prolific athletic programs in the country, while helping change the way the world viewed wheelchair sports.

Wheelchair sports in the 1980s witnessed some historic milestones. Technology saw racing chairs move from four wheels to three, use elaborate steering devices, and birth innovative companies like Shadow and Top End. There were also sport-specific breakthroughs as wheelchair basketball moved from five to four seconds in the lane, and track experienced the sub four-minute 1,500 meters. And incredible athletes like Sharon (Rahn) Hedrick, who not only won everything she participated in but also dominated the competition, were indelibly burned into mental archives.

Along with great performances came a litany of superstar coaches who made the statement—through their athletes' performances—that their ability to coach was scientific, effective, and professional. In fact, these performances pushed these athletes and their coaches into the public eye as they transcended the competition venues, boldly stating, "We are making a difference." Even the Olympics, the world's most visible sports platform, was no longer immune. Many contributed but perhaps none made more of a difference than Judy Einbinder.

As many of the athletes in the Houston area will testify, competitors went from practicing on a chalked-out track in the parking lot outside the University of Houston track to racing in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. And Einbinder was there every step of the way. She was the driving force behind one of the most prolific athletic programs in the country and helped change the way wheelchair sports was viewed.

Each year from 1978 to 1994, Einbinder took a Texas team to a national event. She organized the 1987 National Wheelchair Games in Houston and directed the Wheels Across America tour, benefiting The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Over the years, Einbinder worked with racers like Mustapha Badid, Deanna Sodoma, Kenny Carnes, Dr. Abu Yilla, Dr. Don Rogers, Jim Hayes, Vern Achenbach, Patty Durkin, Robert Courtney, and me.

Einbinder was the U.S. head track coach for the 1988 Seoul Paralympics and director of sport for Team USA at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games. In fact, she chaired, directed, and taught or steered committees for The Athletic Congress (TAC), the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), Wheelchair Sports USA (WSUSA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF), and Houston 2012.


Randy Snow recently caught up with Judy Einbinder to find out how she got involved in wheelchair sports and what she is doing today.

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