Adam McDowell

Adam McDowell has traveled many miles due to his involvement with the U.S. Men's paralympic goalball team.

The 2011 Slippery Rock High graduate and current head athletic trainer at his alma mater is currently in Tokyo as the squad prepares to compete in the 2020 Paralympic Games, scheduled Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. Like the traditional Olympic event, they were pushed back from last summer due to COVID-19.

“I've never been to Japan and I'm eager to go,” said McDowell, prior to leaving on Tuesday. “Because of COVID, we won't be allowed to leave the Olympic Village, but from what I hear, it has just about everything we could want. It sounds really cool and I'm excited to see it.”

McDowell has been the athletic trainer for the national goalball team for five years. He has been to Europe and South America, the latter trip coming in 2019 when the U.S. placed second at the Parapan American Games in Peru, qualifying it for the Paralympics.

The team consists of six players, a head coach and an assistant coach.

“It was pretty much understood that if the team qualified, I would be going with them,” said McDowell. “I've established a good rapport with them. They refer to me as a third coach.”

Goalball originated in the 1940s as a form of rehabilitation for World War II veterans who returned home with vision impairments. It became a Paralympic sport in 1980.

Games consist of 3-on-3 and are played on a volleyball court, with goals spanning the width of the court on either end.

Players throw or roll a 2.8-pound ball from one end of the court to the other. No kicking is allowed.

Those who still have partial vision wear a blindfold. The sport requires players to develop very strong hand-ear coordination.

“I'm very excited to work at this level, something I can check off my bucket list,” said McDowell. “Our team will have a couple of warmup games before pool play starts next week.”

McDowell, 28, completed the athletic training program at Slippery Rock University and graduated in 2016, the same year he began working at Slippery Rock High School.

While he is no stranger to long trips, Tokyo is his farthest to date. It is 13 time zones ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, though McDowell said he didn't figure to be affected by it.

“Airplanes put me to sleep. It's like a lullaby for me,” he said. “I should be asleep for most of the plane ride and be wide awake when we arrive.”

The U.S. will have nearly 500 athletes competing at the Paralympic Games.