Making strides
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
When he was born, doctors said Deondre Murry would be lucky if he ever walked. Thirteen years later, with seven gold medals hanging around his neck, Murry has proven he can do so much more.
Deondre, who was born with Cerebral Palsy affecting the entire left side of his body, has been involved for many years with Dreams in Motion, an organization that provides sports programs for children and teens with disabilities. This summer, a representative of Dreams in Motion asked Murry if he would be willing to try out for the national paralympic track and field competition.
“We had to see if he would qualify,” Deondre’s mother, April, said.
To qualify, Deondre had to run a 100-meter dash in 41 seconds. He did it in 14.
“I was shocked,” Deondre said, joking that he didn’t expect much when he was asked to try out. But suddenly, the Wilton teen was on his way to Middleton, Wisc., to compete with teens from around the country.
It was the first time in 59 years that North Dakota was represented at the Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals, and Deondre was motivated to represent his state to the best of his ability. And at his first sanctioned meet, up against dozens of nationally-qualifying athletes, Deondre did the state proud.
