December 27, 2022 • 34 mins
Mike Schultz is a 2x Paralympic Medalist in Snowboard who also created his own brand of prosthetic sporting equipment called BioDapt. Competitors on the biggest world stages use Mike's BioDapt equipment to perform at the highest levels. Learn more about Mike's story in the first of a two-part podcast series!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro (00:02):
Welcome to Disability Talks, a podcast produced by
Abilities in Motion.
I'm your host Ed Granger.
Join us to encounter uniqueperspectives on accessibility
and independence, and to hearstories from everyday people
living their most independenteveryday lives where essential
conversations find their place.
Let's talk.
Ed (00:23):
When I first encountered today's guest, he was about to
launch himself down a mountainin the metal finals of the
snowboard cross event at the2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing
.
And this was in March.
So the announcer introduces Mikefrom St.
Cloud, Minnesota, the defendingchampion, and the graphic tells
us that Mike is 40 years old andthat the three men he will be
racing against for the Olympicmedal are 33, 26, and 24 years
(00:46):
old.
So the, the race starts andhalfway down the course, Mike's
in fourth place, and then all ofa sudden he makes an incredible
inside move on one turn thatsends him forward into second
place, which is where hefinishes behind the favorite
Tyler Turner of Canada, who thecommentator tells us partway
down the course is racing onprosthetic feet that Mike has
(01:06):
designed.
That's when I discovered thatMike Schultz is the kind of
person who has always found away to win, even while finishing
second.
So speaking as a genuine fan, itis my honor to welcome Mike
Schultz to the podcast.
Mike, welcome.
Mike (01:19):
Hey, how, how are we all doing?
Ed (01:21):
So, Mike, can you just take us back, you know, that moment
at the top of the hill whenyou're about to sort of launch
yourself, you're getting ready,you slap yourself in the head,
you know, to sort of wake upthere.
And, uh, you know, in many waysthis was the, the culmination of
a really remarkable journey,which of, of course, we're gonna
delve into.
So for you, did that feel likekind of a crossroads or a place
your life had been pointing, youknow, for a long time?
(01:42):
Or are you just so focused onthe race in front of you in that
moment that you're not sort ofdoing that kind of reflection?
Mike (01:47):
I, yeah, I mean, leading up into the, the gold medal
final or the big final for BoardCross, I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm
focused in the moment a hundredpercent.
But there is that, uh, that timebetween the qualifying and the
big, the big final when I'mthere is some reflection there
thinking about, wow, what, whatan incredible ride.
(02:10):
Here I am at my secondParalympics, you know,
surrounded by athletes fromaround the world, many of'em
using my equipment that I builtin my shop.
And no matter how this racefinishes, it's still gonna be an
amazing day.
And then that fades out into,alright, focus on my lines.
Let's, let's pull outta thisgate and go for the win.
Ed (02:31):
So when you're, when you're, uh, partway down the course and
you're in fourth place, what areyou sort of focused on then, and
what, how does your decisionmaking process as just a super
competitive racer, you know, howdoes that kick in there?
Mike (02:42):
Yeah, coming out of the, the first turn, I, I got, uh, a
little bit wide and ended up,you know, exiting the, the first
turn, going down the secondstraightaway in fourth place.
Everybody's ahead of me and I'mlike, oh man, I, I gotta do, do
some, I gotta do something,something here.
Definitely gotta find my line.
(03:03):
And, you know, I kind of getalmost, uh, tunnel vision at
that point in time to where I'mjust like so focused on finding
that opening to make a move.
Cuz you know, our, our races areabout a, you know, a minute,
minute, 20 seconds long.
I can't remember exactly whatthat race was, but it's, it's a
very short amount of time tomake a lot happen.
(03:24):
And, uh, I saw an opening andI'm like, all right, it's 50/50
if I'm gonna make it out of thisturn or not, because it was
getting pretty, pretty thin onmy way into turn two.
But, uh, you know, I found myline held, held my edge, and was
able to make a couple passes andexit in the second place and,
and, uh, follow it there all theway to the finish line.
Ed (03:47):
Yeah, it looked like one of those turns where there, you
know, three guys went in andprobably only two were coming
out, and fortunately you wereone of them.
Yeah,
Mike (03:53):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's like, all right, beready for anything, be stacked
over my snowboard and just holdmy line.
If I bump somebody or somebodybumps me, I, you know, mentally
I need to be prepared for thatso I can react.
So it's just like, hold strong.
Ed (04:08):
So at the end, you're, you're, you're down at the
bottom of the hill and you'vegot the silver medal, obviously
you're related and you're on thecamera.
And after, you know, whileyou're celebrating and you're on
the camera, you pointed towardthe lower limb prosthesis that
you had designed and built.
And unlike the other threeathletes with you, yours was not
covered by your, your pants leg.
And I believe all four of youwere using one or more of your
(04:29):
prosthetic devices, knees, feet.
And, and that story of thatmechanical equipment that you
designed and built is so closelyintertwined with your story as
both an athlete and a person.
Can you take our listeners backto kind of how that story of
that prosthesis started andbecame a part of your story?
Mike (04:46):
Yeah, so that, that, yeah, that goes a ways back and it's
actually, you know, theprosthetic equipment is the
reason I got into snowboardracing.
So, you know, backing it up, Iwas injured in 2008 while racing
snow cross, which is, uh,snowmobiles over basically a
motocross type course, you know,bumps and jumps and, uh, you
(05:07):
know, between eight and 12riders on course at a time, you
know, just jockeying for trackposition and intense racing.
And I ended up having, uh, anincident during a competition on
the national tour in northernMichigan.
I was thrown from my machine andlanded feet first, and on
impact, I ended uphyperextending my left leg 180
(05:31):
degrees in the wrong direction,which caused a compound fracture
and severed one of the mainarteries and the main nerve that
supplies my lower limb.
And, um, I was, uh, extremelylucky to make it through it.
fast forwarding through some ofthe gory stuff, but, um, yeah, I
got to the hospital and, youknow, the doctors did everything
(05:53):
they could to try and save itand regain circulation and nerve
function, but, you know, prettyquickly within the second and
third day realized that, youknow, they, they just couldn't,
they couldn't get it backtogether.
My kidneys started shutting downand my overall health was
deteriorating, uh, very rapidly.
So in that moment, they, uh,talked with me and my wife Sarah
(06:16):
, and the rest of my family, andjust kind of explained it that
in order for me to move forward,we're gonna have to amputate
your leg just above the knee.
And, um, yeah.
Wow.
To to hear that word amputationas a professional athlete was,
uh, was a gut punch for sure.
And, you know, at that point Iwas focused on survival, but
(06:37):
very quickly after it hit melike, my life is gonna change.
I'm not gonna be able to do thethings that I love most anymore,
or, you know, or, so I thoughtat that moment in time.
I spent 14 days in the hospitaland recovered fairly quickly
health-wise, uh, because I wasin, in really good physical
condition at that moment intime, you know, during my
(06:58):
professional career, got up onmy, my everyday walking
prosthesis about five and a halfweeks after the amputation, and
I'm like, okay, I got thiswalking, figured out what's
next?
I wanna get back to the funstuff.
And, uh, you know, I did a wholebunch of research on prosthetic
equipment that was available forsports, and it was very limited,
(07:19):
and especially for like,motocross and snowmobile riding.
And so that's when the wheelsstarted turning.
I mean, this is just, uh, youknow, a couple months after, you
know, getting outta the hospitaland I took this as well, there's
lots of room for improvement.
I need something to put my timeand effort and focus in on.
And I, I think I, I can buildsomething.
(07:41):
I think I can build somethingbetter than is available, you
know, utilizing my pastexperiences, working in the shop
on racing equipment andsuspension com components, and,
you know, just welding andfabricating.
I'm like, yep, I'm gonna, I'mgonna design my own.
Ed (07:56):
Going back even a little bit farther, you grew up as a motor
sports person and, and thosemechanical skills were, you
know, were something you grew uplearning and doing.
Um, you were, uh, you grew up ona farm, you know, you were doing
bmx, uh, you rode threewheelers, four wheelers.
You even, um, created your owngo-karts and, and you had a
motocross track of your own tolearn on.
So that motorsports piece andthe mechanical stuff was pretty
(08:18):
deeply ingrained by that point.
Mike (08:20):
Yeah, absolutely.
I, you know, as far back as Ican remember, I was always the
type of person that would alwaystry and figure out how something
worked and then try and make itbetter, faster, stronger, and,
uh, yeah.
So, you know, through my entireteenage years and adult life, I,
I'm always trying to, to buildand create and make things
(08:43):
better and faster.
And so it's just been a wholelifetime of experience of
solving problems, so to speak,in the mechanical sense.
Ed (08:51):
And if I remember correctly, reading your amazing book, which
obviously I, I highly recommendDriven to Ride, uh, which you
can talk more about later,there's a, a section in there
where you write that your momactually predicted when you had
made that difficult decisionthat amputation was the route to
go.
She predicted that you woulddesign a high tech prosthesis
that would be better than whatwas already out there.
What does it make you feel tolike, look back on that and look
(09:15):
where, what, what ultimatelyhappened?
Mike (09:17):
Yeah, that was, that was a pretty cool moment.
You know, that discussion orthat, that specific comment
definitely followed through.
And my mom knows that I'm ago-getter and I'm a, a problem
solver.
So, um, she could definitely seethat in me, you know, my entire
life.
So this would just be anotherproblem to solve.
Ed (09:37):
And I, I think when you were sort of in the recovery phase,
you write about getting back onyour race snowmobile just to go
and collect the mail, and that'ssort of giving you, just riding
up and down the driveway kind ofa sense of, uh, regaining, you
know, some of your independence.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat that moment meant to you?
Mike (09:53):
Yeah, so many people with disabilities, like the first or
most important thing is, uh, youknow, to try and become
independent, being able to moveand do the things that you want.
And so as soon as I wasphysically able to, it's like, I
gotta get out of this house, Igotta move around.
And, uh, yeah, of course mymotivation was I had to go down
(10:15):
and get the mail and I wasn'tgonna crutch through the snow.
So, you know, I go to my, mygarage and line up my snowmobile
to go out the door and end upgetting stuck on a patch of ice
right out the door.
And find myself in atough spot real quick.
And uh, you know, instead ofgetting ma I got mad there for,
you know, a few minutes and thenI'm like, dude, what are you
(10:38):
doing?
And then the mood lightened up,I'm like, I'm gonna go ride my
snowmobile.
And uh, you know, I worked ongetting it moved out off the ice
patch and, you know, probablyfell down a couple times as I'm
trying to, you know, yank this500 pound snowmobile around.
But as soon as I got going,riding that smile came instantly
and realized that, okay, maybe Idon't need to be flying through
(11:02):
the air doing 80 miles an houron it, but I need to be on it.
This is what I love to do and Ienjoy the challenge of it all.
So that was kind of a, I don'tknow if you call it a turning
point, but it was a big momentin realization that, uh, yeah,
maybe I don't have to race, butI wanna ride and I will be able
to ride.
I just have to figure out theright tools to help me do so.
Ed (11:25):
And you mentioned that, you know, the, the first prosthesis
that you had that you realizedwasn't gonna get you ultimately
where you wanted to go.
I mean, it sounds like at thebeginning the goal was just to
be upright again.
And then as you're sort offurther along in your recovery,
that starts not to be enough foryou anymore.
Like when did you decide thatthat's not enough, I want more
and I'm gonna figure out a wayto make it happen?
Mike (11:45):
Well, yeah, stuff
happened so fast the months
following, so after myamputation, I got, got
physically able to be up andmoving.
Um, I went back to work for myrace team as a riding coach and
eventually, you know, I ended upgetting on one of their
snowmobiles and taking some lapsaround the practice course and
(12:07):
I'm like, wow, this is so muchfun.
And it isn't about how fast I'mgoing, it's about the challenge
that I'm pursuing.
And I, I, I, as soon as I gotmy, my prosthesis, I started
riding, I was actually riding alittle bit before I had my
prosthesis, the original one,and then I got my new leg, my
walking leg, and it just kind offlopped around all over the
(12:29):
place cuz there was no likeresistance there to keep it from
flexing.
So when I'd be flying throughthe air, it would be bouncing
around, coming off the runningboard.
And yeah, so it was in March, itthe, you know, just three months
basically after my injuryhappened where I'm like, I need
something better.
And about that time I found outabout the Summer X Games was
(12:52):
hosting Adaptive Supercross,which is a motocross race for
amputees and paraplegics.
And once I heard of that, thenit was all over.
It was like, I am part of this,I need to be part of this, what
do I have to do?
Because that, that race was inJuly and so I had a short amount
of time to try and figure it allout and learn how to ride again,
(13:14):
end up, uh, you know, it's myleft side that I'm amputee on.
So that's my shifting side.
So I had to figure out theelectric shift system since I
couldn't move my ankle to shiftthe bike, the transmission.
So there's a lot of steps to theprocess to get back on my
motocross bike that spring.
It was the shifter, it was thefoot peg and the prosthesis.
(13:35):
And so I fully went madscientist in my shop and I'm
like, this is, this is somethingI wanna work on.
And at that, at that point intime, it was just for me to get
back into action.
And then over the course of thefollowing summer, you know, the
summer of 2009, I started tomeet up with a lot of other
amputees while I was pursuingthis adaptive X Games and, and
(13:58):
they're all using their everydayequipment for the most part.
And, uh, so then at that pointthe wheels started turning, I'm
like, well, maybe, maybe Ishould think bigger, but first I
gotta get figured out for mymyself.
Ed (14:11):
So you used, um, mountain bike shock, I think, and got the
idea for that.
And obviously that hadn'toccurred to anybody before, but
to hear you're drawing on sortof all your, your previous
experience with, with machinesand mechanical things, how did
that idea come to you?
Mike (14:26):
Well, so basically I, I look at things as simple as
possible, you know, to startwith.
And basically I am trying tocreate a suspension component
for my body.
Our legs and our quadricepmuscles, they act as shock
absorbers.
You know, when we go over roughterrain or we jump up and down,
they're basically shockabsorbers.
And so I'm very familiar withsuspension components on my
(14:48):
bikes and snowmobiles, and Iknew that I wanted to use, use
this fox mountain bike shock asthe shock absorber component.
And so I figured out the rangeof motion I needed for my knee
joint, which is about 130degrees.
And I wanted to build it around,this is about seven and a half
inch long mountain bike shockwith two inches stroke travel.
(15:10):
And the, the difficult part wascreating a linkage system that
would make it feel natural.
So I spent about five, six weekson the drawing board and then
another week in the shop tobuild the first prototype.
And when I got it all puttogether, you know, the
excitement was building so muchover that week in the shop and
to finally put the last nuts andbolts and components together, I
(15:33):
was like a little kid, you know,just giggling and my hands are
shaking and ended up, uh,putting it on my socket and then
walked over to my motocross bikeand took it for a ride for that
first time with this new leg.
And it was just the mostincredible feeling ever.
It was like, oh man, this thingis so awesome.
I'm, you know, riding down thetrail next to my property over
(15:55):
this whoop section.
It's all rough and rutted outand I'm able to stand up balance
side to side and just, justtwist the throttle and just have
an amazing time.
And I knew at that time it'slike, X Games, here we come, I'm
going.
Ed (16:10):
That's amazing.
I mean, you know, so the, theold actual competitive fires
coming back.
So first it's, it's one step ata time.
So it's, I wanna be able to, youknow, have this experience
again, now you kind of want togo win stuff and you're trying
to find a way to, to do thatbecause that co that competitive
fire is still in there.
And now it's sort of, uh, it'ssort of driving what's
following.
So I guess you had a, anexperience it sounds like, where
(16:32):
your, your moto knee that youdeveloped and you know, you have
this company BioDapt and this iskind of the, the seminal part of
that, um, that emerging.
But you figured you need a, abetter foot design.
So tell us about that part ofthe process.
Mike (16:46):
Yeah, originally for the first year, I just used one of
my everyday carbon fiber feet.
And so that summer I ended upqualifying to go to the summer X
Games.
And seven months after my injuryhappened, I'm racing on this
most incredible supercrosscourse that I've ever ridden on.
And I ended up finishing secondplace with a silver medal.
(17:09):
And during that race I came upshort on a big 90 foot jump and
the foot broke the carbon fiberin it just, just snapped on
impact.
And so I, um, I had some issuesthe last couple laps with my
foot sliding off the foot pegand I'm like, oh, hold together,
hold together and, and was ableto finish with, with the silver.
(17:29):
And then I'm like, man, I gottafigure out the next step here,
which is the foot, uh, foot tohold up to the impacts.
And then later on that year, gotback on my snowmobile again and
needed an ankle system thatwould flex while I'm standing up
and sitting down on the runningboard.
And so I started the Versa footproject.
It would've been in the, thefall, late fall of 2009, I
(17:52):
believe it was.
And so, so yeah, that was thestart of, you know, the complete
system, the moto knee in Versafoot.
And then, uh, the followingspring started my company
BioDapt, which was July, 2010.
And, you know, all, all along I,I've got this competitive fire.
I mean, when I was injured, youknow, I was at the peak of my
career.
I, I, uh, I had a bit of a roughseason leading into that, but I,
(18:15):
I knew there was, there was moreto come.
I knew, I knew if I had theright setup and the right team
and the right equipment and theright mindset, I, I definitely
the best was yet to come andthen got injured.
So I was still very much in thegame when my injury happened and
, uh, I, you know, I'm, I'm acompetitor through and through
and this was an opportunity forme to continue with being a
(18:39):
competitor, but also have theother side of it that would be a
little more longer term withcreating a business with the
intent of creating the highestperformance, lower limb
prosthetic equipment for actionsports.
So I was like, this whole newworld just opened up within the
last year, year and a half aftermy accident.
Ed (18:58):
So it seems like you have trouble, uh, winning a race
without some kind of drama goingon, or, or having something that
you, that like sets you off on anew problem solving course.
So first you have your, youknow, your second place on your,
you know, this new design thatyou've created and you realize
the foot's not quite working andthen you get to the Summer X
Games and it, that brings itsown share of drama.
So take us through kind of that2010 Summer X Games and, and the
(19:21):
what happened there?
Mike (19:22):
Yeah, like you said, drama, always drama happening.
Uh, so yeah, going into to mysecond year Summer X Games, like
I was, you know, the first yearI was like, excited to be there.
The second year in 2010 I'mlike, I want the gold.
I I want to go for gold thisyear.
And so my training program wasamped up.
(19:43):
I knew what to expect and I hadmy versa foot.
And um, I had the secondgeneration moto knee prototype
at that point yet.
And, uh, yeah, it was, it wasanother incredibly difficult
course, huge jumps.
And during, um, so we get intothe final and about, oh, I think
(20:03):
I was about two thirds or threequarters of the way, no, it was
the last lap.
It was going into the last lap.
I came up short on this big 80foot finish line jump and I bent
one of the components in theknee from the impact.
And so my knee wouldn't extendall the way.
It was flexed at 90 degrees.
And so, like, if you knowanything about motocross, the
(20:25):
riders are standing up themajority of the time, you know,
other than in the corners.
And so I had to go a wholenother lap around this course
with, with one leg basically,cuz the other one was, was
compressed.
And, and I couldn't put anyweight on it, so I'm like
limping it through literally thelast lap.
I had a good lead when I startedit, but by the end, by the end I
(20:47):
came across the finish line.
The second place guy was, wasonly like two bike lengths
behind me.
It was, uh,, it was anail biter.
I was, uh, I was pretty pumpedto be able to finish the, you
know, across the finish linewith the gold medal.
It was, I was a huge moment.
Ed (21:03):
So I think your first X Games that you were referring to
was, uh, the one in Carson,California when you got to
Silver, then you go to, uh, tothe Knicks and you, you finally
get that gold medal, but there'salready sort of percolating, it
sounds like some idea that maybethis thing that you've designed
can be, uh, adapted to othersports and benefit other
athletes.
How did that sort of all comeabout?
Mike (21:23):
Yeah, so the company started in 2010, and when I
realized I wanted to offer toother amputees, like I didn't
want it to be so niche thatwould only work for motocross or
snowmobile racing.
So I kind of looked at thesports that had similar
movements, you know, physicalmovements in'em, like mountain
biking and wakeboarding,snowboarding, skiing.
(21:45):
I'm like, okay, so how do Idevelop this to be versatile?
So that was, you know, rightfrom the beginning, that was the
thought process was versatility.
And the the cool part is it kindof forced me to learn and get
into other sports specificallyso I could test it out.
And, uh, you know, the biggestthe biggest storyline with that
(22:07):
was, uh, me learning how tosnowboard.
And in 2010, 2011, I think itwas January, 2011, I met a
veteran, he's a above kneeamputee, and he really wanted
one of my knees forsnowboarding.
And so he is like, Hey, how,how's it work for snowboarding?
And I'm like, well, I've donesome wakeboarding.
I haven't snowboarded at all,um, since I was like a young
(22:30):
kid, but uh, you know, let me,let me go test it out and I'll
get back to you and let youknow.
So following that X Games, thatwas Winter X Games, um, where he
saw me riding and I met him.
And so went home and learned howto snowboard and, you know, I
took some hard falls, let metell you to be honest.
I was like, wow, this is, uh,this is not easy.
(22:50):
But, uh, over the, you know, thefollowing few weeks learned
enough to understand that yeah,this for a person who already
knows how to snowboard Yeah,absolutely.
It, it's gonna work really well.
So that kind of opened the doorfor me to work with our veterans
through Walter Reed and BrookArm Medical Center.
And, um, and you know, they,those facilities at that time,
(23:12):
so we're looking at 2011, 1213,they really showed a high
interest in buying my equipmentfor our injured vets, which, uh,
you know, for me it was, it wasvery rewarding to be able to
create something that's, uh,helping out our, our injured
veterans.
Ed (23:28):
So you had your, your first two sales, I think your first
two moto knees, um, and madeyour first profit.
So now this thing is starting toactually maybe make some money
for you.
So, you know, at this point areyou thinking about this business
and, and building the business?
Is that where your focus is atthat point?
Mike (23:43):
Well, you think it should have been, huh?
but it was a, you know,I, yes, I was very much focused
on the business side of it, butat the same time I was getting
all this momentum with adaptivesports, uh, with the X Games,
hosting summer and winteradaptive events.
Um, in the summertime I wasdoing some, uh, wakeboard
(24:03):
competitions with anotherprogram.
So I was like, you know, Ithought my competitive days were
gonna be done and I'd have toget a real job and, you know,
things were gonna slow down andbe boring.
But it just amped up over those,those few years.
And, uh, the, the coolest partis, you know, both the, the
BioDapt business and my athleticcareer were so closely
(24:24):
intertwined.
So each one helped the other.
And, you know, I was justsmiling because I could continue
to do everything that I love todo.
I am, you know, making, startingto make a little bit of money
with my business and I'm, youknow, making a really good
positive impact on a lot ofothers.
So, you know, I'm, I'm lookingat it like this is truly a
win-win situation, somethingreally great that I was able to
(24:46):
create out of a horriblelife-changing event.
Ed (24:49):
So talk a little bit about how you built those snowboard
skills, because you didn't startout with those.
You, you said you'd snowboardeda few times, but what was that
process like to to kind of gofrom being a novice to being
basically a world-classsnowboarder?
Mike (25:02):
Yeah, that was, uh, unexpected, unexpected.
I got talked into, uh, to doinga couple adaptive border cross
races with, uh, organizationthat I met out of Colorado, uh,
adaptive Action Sports, who'srun by Dan Gale and Amy Purdy.
And I be, I became really goodfriends with them and they, uh,
(25:24):
were really into the boardsports and they talked me into
come out out and riding withtheir, with their group and then
eventually competing at one ofthe national events in Copper
Mountain.
And, uh, right about this timewe're looking at like 2013,
2014, the Paralympics opened thedoor for Paralympics
snowboarding and, and, uh,adaptive action sports was a, a
(25:47):
large player in trying to pushthat and make it happen.
So I was very much aware of whatthe future was gonna be with
adaptive snowboarding, and I'mlike, I should, you know, I
should check this out and, youknow, if nothing else I know
I'll be working with a lot ofthe athletes that, uh, will be
competing.
So I was keeping track of it,but never figured I would be a
Paralympian at that point intime.
(26:09):
Cause it was just one class formen, one class for women, and
all the top athletes werebologna amputees.
And I just, you know, physicallyI can't do the same movements as
they can.
So I was like, wow, I wouldnever be a top contender.
And I'm here in Minnesota,flatland U usa, so I don't have
the, the tools or theenvironment to, you know, really
(26:31):
train for it.
But, uh, they ended up talkingme into going to another border
cross event after the inauguralparalympic snowboarding event in
Sochi, Russia.
And, uh, so a lot of the topathletes from the US team were
there.
Keith Gable, Evan Strong, uh,Amy Purdy and a couple others.
And, you know, I, I raced insome of'em and I did, well, I,
(26:53):
you know, I was far off theirpace, but I wasn't too, too far
out.
And the US team coach was thereduring the competition and
noticed me riding, and he, uh,reached out to me later that
summer and said, Hey, Mike, whatdo you think about, you know,
taking this to the Paralympicsin, in 2018?
And I'm like, ah, I, you know,I'm a motorsports guy.
(27:14):
Everything that I do revolvesaround bikes and snowmobiles and
handle bars.
I don't know, I don't know if Icould make that shift, but later
they told me that they addedmore classes in the snowboard,
paralympic snowboarding, and,you know, this would put me in a
good position if I wanted topursue it, you know, it would
take a while.
But, uh, they thought I had the,the drive and the skills to be
(27:37):
able to learn it.
And, um, I thought about it fora while with my wife Sarah, and
it's like, it would be a totalshift in our priority.
You know, I've travel around theUS all the time, but, uh, you
know, traveling internationallyis, is a lot different.
And originally I was, I wasgonna pass on it, but, uh, then
I started thinking about what itwould mean to represent team u s
(27:59):
A at the games and be able tocall myself a Paralympian.
And then we're like, we can'tpass up this opportunity.
We gotta see where it can takeus.
So, so I called him back, I'mlike, I'm in.
He's like, all right, pack yourbags.
We're going to Europe in twoweeks.
.
Ed (28:14):
Wow.
Mike (28:15):
I'm like, okay, okay,.
Ed (28:19):
So you're always looking for an opportunity, a fork in the
road, and sometimes they come upon you fast and, and you just
have to decide whether you'regonna grab'em or not.
And, and I know that, uh, youtalk in your book about your
relationship with your wifeSarah, and you know her support
of you throughout everythingwe've really talked about.
And, and somewhere you, alongthis line, I think 2013, there's
another addition to the picture,your daughter, who I believe you
(28:41):
referred to as a game changerwhen she arrived.
So talk a little bit about howthat family dynamic is shifting
through this whole process.
Mike (28:47):
Yeah, my, my wife Sarah has been by my side man.
We're, we're, we're high schoolsweethearts.
Uh, so we've been togetherthrough everything, through the
highs and lows, and so we have areally strong bond together.
And there was, uh, some heavyconversations when I decided to
start getting back into, toracing and competing after my
amputation.
(29:08):
You know, I almost, I almostlost my life due to it.
But we both absolutely love thelifestyle of training and
competing and traveling theworld with like-minded
individuals.
It's, uh, not many people get toexperience what that really
means.
And we didn't wanna give it up.
We didn't wanna walk away.
(29:28):
So, you know, we decided thatwe're gonna take it slow and,
uh, methodical, calculatedrisks.
So, we would do riskassessments before a lot of
these big decisions and youknow, what the positives and
negatives were about it.
And, you know, she, it's been sogood to have her by my side, not
only because she's a goodsupportive person, but she's a
(29:49):
nurse and I find myself injuredoccasionally.
So she's a really good person tohave by my side,, she's
patched me back together morethan, more than a few times.
We got married in'07, which wasthe year before I got injured.
And then by 2013, we're like, weshould, you know, we should
really think about the familyside and what we're, we're, you
(30:10):
know, what we're gonna, youknow, are we gonna have kids?
Well, yes, we are.
So now's the time to do it.
So then Lauren was born in 2013,and yeah, that was a game
changer for sure.
It, uh, all my, our free timewas all, all soaked up, uh, very
quickly.
So, but it was, you know,there's nothing better than than
(30:30):
bringing a life into this worldand, and seeing them grow and
being able to teach them thethings that, you know, and, and
just see, just, you know,they're like little sponges and
everything that happens around'em, they're like just soaking
it up and, uh, it's really funto be a parent.
And, you know, obviously it'svery challenging.
Probably the biggest challengein some cases, uh, compared to
(30:52):
anything I've been through,especially now she's getting
older, you know, she's eightyears old right now, and she's
her own little person and, youknow, she has her own little
ideas and thought process andYep.
Your parents out there, you knowexactly what I'm talking about
.
Ed (31:07):
So, is, is she someone who also likes to go fast?
Does she get that from you or isshe, uh, is she different?
Mike (31:13):
Well, she's, she has, it's so cool because I mean, she has
a lot of my traits and a lot ofher mom's traits where, where
Sarah, she's a little moreconservative and methodical
about, uh, you know, what shedoes.
And she's not a big sender, ifyou know what I mean.
Lauren's kind of halfwaybetween.
She, she has incredible workethic, like, uh, right now she's
(31:35):
really heavy into gymnastics andshe takes it incredibly serious.
So we definitely have a littleathlete in our, in our family.
So.
Ed (31:44):
So you kind of alluded to, you know, you're, you're here,
you are, you're, you're doingthis touring the world, uh,
thing that you've decided, yep,we're gonna go for this, uh, we
want to be at the Paralympics.
Uh, and you talked about sort ofthe community that travels
together, and I, I know thatcommunity theme kind of runs
through your story and yourbook, because you talk about the
fact that, you know, theprofessional snowmobile world
that you are part of is, is asmall world and it's a very
(32:06):
close knit community, and thatsupport is important.
And those people were there tosupport you after your accident.
How, how important is that, thatsort of sense of community, a
component in your sports journey, uh, especially given that
you're competing against thesesame people and yet it you're a
community at the same time?
Mike (32:21):
Yeah, that, I think that's one of the unique things about
the snowboard world compared toa lot of the other sports compe,
you know, competitive sportsworlds.
The camaraderie in snowboardinggroup specifically is really
tight.
And yes, we're definitely outthere to, to beat everybody else
that's in front of us, but whenthe, when the goggles come off,
(32:43):
we're all really good friendsand we all talk to each other,
no matter what team we're on,what part of the world we're
from, you know, we're allexcited to be there, being able
to follow our dreams.
And most of us, you know, we're,we're injured or had something
taken away from us.
So we appreciate that we cancontinue doing this kind of
(33:04):
stuff.
And, you know, the snowboardmentality is, is just like, you
know, just go send it and havesome fun.
You know, on the other side ofthat is extremely competitive,
but there's always, it seemslike there's so many really good
positive attitudes with thegroup that we're, we're
traveling with.
And that's one of the thingsthat, that keeps me coming back
is, uh, I don't wanna be donetraveling with all these rad
(33:26):
dudes and, and women.
It's, it's so much fun.
Outro (33:30):
That concludes part one of our discussion with Monster
Mike Schultz.
Stay tuned to our socialchannels for information about
part two.
(33:51):
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of Disability Talks.
Want to be a part of the ongoingconversation?
Visit our website atabilitiesinmotion.org or connect
with us on social media.
Welcome to Disability Talks, a podcast produced by
Abilities in Motion.
I'm your host Ed Granger.
Join us to encounter uniqueperspectives on accessibility
and independence, and to hearstories from everyday people
living their most independenteveryday lives where essential
conversations find their place.
Let's talk.
Ed (00:23):
When I first encountered today's guest, he was about to
launch himself down a mountainin the metal finals of the
snowboard cross event at the2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing
.
And this was in March.
So the announcer introduces Mikefrom St.
Cloud, Minnesota, the defendingchampion, and the graphic tells
us that Mike is 40 years old andthat the three men he will be
racing against for the Olympicmedal are 33, 26, and 24 years
(00:46):
old.
So the, the race starts andhalfway down the course, Mike's
in fourth place, and then all ofa sudden he makes an incredible
inside move on one turn thatsends him forward into second
place, which is where hefinishes behind the favorite
Tyler Turner of Canada, who thecommentator tells us partway
down the course is racing onprosthetic feet that Mike has
(01:06):
designed.
That's when I discovered thatMike Schultz is the kind of
person who has always found away to win, even while finishing
second.
So speaking as a genuine fan, itis my honor to welcome Mike
Schultz to the podcast.
Mike, welcome.
Mike (01:19):
Hey, how, how are we all doing?
Ed (01:21):
So, Mike, can you just take us back, you know, that moment
at the top of the hill whenyou're about to sort of launch
yourself, you're getting ready,you slap yourself in the head,
you know, to sort of wake upthere.
And, uh, you know, in many waysthis was the, the culmination of
a really remarkable journey,which of, of course, we're gonna
delve into.
So for you, did that feel likekind of a crossroads or a place
your life had been pointing, youknow, for a long time?
(01:42):
Or are you just so focused onthe race in front of you in that
moment that you're not sort ofdoing that kind of reflection?
Mike (01:47):
I, yeah, I mean, leading up into the, the gold medal
final or the big final for BoardCross, I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm
focused in the moment a hundredpercent.
But there is that, uh, that timebetween the qualifying and the
big, the big final when I'mthere is some reflection there
thinking about, wow, what, whatan incredible ride.
(02:10):
Here I am at my secondParalympics, you know,
surrounded by athletes fromaround the world, many of'em
using my equipment that I builtin my shop.
And no matter how this racefinishes, it's still gonna be an
amazing day.
And then that fades out into,alright, focus on my lines.
Let's, let's pull outta thisgate and go for the win
Ed (02:31):
So when you're, when you're, uh, partway down the course and
you're in fourth place, what areyou sort of focused on then, and
what, how does your decisionmaking process as just a super
competitive racer, you know, howdoes that kick in there?
Mike (02:42):
Yeah, coming out of the, the first turn, I, I got, uh, a
little bit wide and ended up,you know, exiting the, the first
turn, going down the secondstraightaway in fourth place.
Everybody's ahead of me and I'mlike, oh man, I, I gotta do, do
some, I gotta do something,something here.
Definitely gotta find my line.
(03:03):
And, you know, I kind of getalmost, uh, tunnel vision at
that point in time to where I'mjust like so focused on finding
that opening to make a move.
Cuz you know, our, our races areabout a, you know, a minute,
minute, 20 seconds long.
I can't remember exactly whatthat race was, but it's, it's a
very short amount of time tomake a lot happen.
(03:24):
And, uh, I saw an opening andI'm like, all right, it's 50/50
if I'm gonna make it out of thisturn or not, because it was
getting pretty, pretty thin onmy way into turn two.
But, uh, you know, I found myline held, held my edge, and was
able to make a couple passes andexit in the second place and,
and, uh, follow it there all theway to the finish line.
Ed (03:47):
Yeah, it looked like one of those turns where there, you
know, three guys went in andprobably only two were coming
out, and fortunately you wereone of them.
Yeah,
Mike (03:53):
Absolutely.
Yeah, it's like, all right, beready for anything, be stacked
over my snowboard and just holdmy line.
If I bump somebody or somebodybumps me, I, you know, mentally
I need to be prepared for thatso I can react.
So it's just like, hold strong
Ed (04:08):
So at the end, you're, you're, you're down at the
bottom of the hill and you'vegot the silver medal, obviously
you're related and you're on thecamera.
And after, you know, whileyou're celebrating and you're on
the camera, you pointed towardthe lower limb prosthesis that
you had designed and built.
And unlike the other threeathletes with you, yours was not
covered by your, your pants leg.
And I believe all four of youwere using one or more of your
(04:29):
prosthetic devices, knees, feet.
And, and that story of thatmechanical equipment that you
designed and built is so closelyintertwined with your story as
both an athlete and a person.
Can you take our listeners backto kind of how that story of
that prosthesis started andbecame a part of your story?
Mike (04:46):
Yeah, so that, that, yeah, that goes a ways back and it's
actually, you know, theprosthetic equipment is the
reason I got into snowboardracing.
So, you know, backing it up, Iwas injured in 2008 while racing
snow cross, which is, uh,snowmobiles over basically a
motocross type course, you know,bumps and jumps and, uh, you
(05:07):
know, between eight and 12riders on course at a time, you
know, just jockeying for trackposition and intense racing.
And I ended up having, uh, anincident during a competition on
the national tour in northernMichigan.
I was thrown from my machine andlanded feet first, and on
impact, I ended uphyperextending my left leg 180
(05:31):
degrees in the wrong direction,which caused a compound fracture
and severed one of the mainarteries and the main nerve that
supplies my lower limb.
And, um, I was, uh, extremelylucky to make it through it.
fast forwarding through some ofthe gory stuff, but, um, yeah, I
got to the hospital and, youknow, the doctors did everything
(05:53):
they could to try and save itand regain circulation and nerve
function, but, you know, prettyquickly within the second and
third day realized that, youknow, they, they just couldn't,
they couldn't get it backtogether.
My kidneys started shutting downand my overall health was
deteriorating, uh, very rapidly.
So in that moment, they, uh,talked with me and my wife Sarah
(06:16):
, and the rest of my family, andjust kind of explained it that
in order for me to move forward,we're gonna have to amputate
your leg just above the knee.
And, um, yeah.
Wow.
To to hear that word amputationas a professional athlete was,
uh, was a gut punch for sure.
And, you know, at that point Iwas focused on survival, but
(06:37):
very quickly after it hit melike, my life is gonna change.
I'm not gonna be able to do thethings that I love most anymore,
or, you know, or, so I thoughtat that moment in time.
I spent 14 days in the hospitaland recovered fairly quickly
health-wise, uh, because I wasin, in really good physical
condition at that moment intime, you know, during my
(06:58):
professional career, got up onmy, my everyday walking
prosthesis about five and a halfweeks after the amputation, and
I'm like, okay, I got thiswalking, figured out what's
next?
I wanna get back to the funstuff.
And, uh, you know, I did a wholebunch of research on prosthetic
equipment that was available forsports, and it was very limited,
(07:19):
and especially for like,motocross and snowmobile riding.
And so that's when the wheelsstarted turning.
I mean, this is just, uh, youknow, a couple months after, you
know, getting outta the hospitaland I took this as well, there's
lots of room for improvement.
I need something to put my timeand effort and focus in on.
And I, I think I, I can buildsomething.
(07:41):
I think I can build somethingbetter than is available, you
know, utilizing my pastexperiences, working in the shop
on racing equipment andsuspension com components, and,
you know, just welding andfabricating.
I'm like, yep, I'm gonna, I'mgonna design my own.
Ed (07:56):
Going back even a little bit farther, you grew up as a motor
sports person and, and thosemechanical skills were, you
know, were something you grew uplearning and doing.
Um, you were, uh, you grew up ona farm, you know, you were doing
bmx, uh, you rode threewheelers, four wheelers.
You even, um, created your owngo-karts and, and you had a
motocross track of your own tolearn on.
So that motorsports piece andthe mechanical stuff was pretty
(08:18):
deeply ingrained by that point.
Mike (08:20):
Yeah, absolutely.
I, you know, as far back as Ican remember, I was always the
type of person that would alwaystry and figure out how something
worked and then try and make itbetter, faster, stronger, and,
uh, yeah.
So, you know, through my entireteenage years and adult life, I,
I'm always trying to, to buildand create and make things
(08:43):
better and faster.
And so it's just been a wholelifetime of experience of
solving problems, so to speak,in the mechanical sense.
Ed (08:51):
And if I remember correctly, reading your amazing book, which
obviously I, I highly recommendDriven to Ride, uh, which you
can talk more about later,there's a, a section in there
where you write that your momactually predicted when you had
made that difficult decisionthat amputation was the route to
go.
She predicted that you woulddesign a high tech prosthesis
that would be better than whatwas already out there.
What does it make you feel tolike, look back on that and look
(09:15):
where, what, what ultimatelyhappened?
Mike (09:17):
Yeah, that was, that was a pretty cool moment.
You know, that discussion orthat, that specific comment
definitely followed through.
And my mom knows that I'm ago-getter and I'm a, a problem
solver.
So, um, she could definitely seethat in me, you know, my entire
life.
So this would just be anotherproblem to solve.
Ed (09:37):
And I, I think when you were sort of in the recovery phase,
you write about getting back onyour race snowmobile just to go
and collect the mail, and that'ssort of giving you, just riding
up and down the driveway kind ofa sense of, uh, regaining, you
know, some of your independence.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat that moment meant to you?
Mike (09:53):
Yeah, so many people with disabilities, like the first or
most important thing is, uh, youknow, to try and become
independent, being able to moveand do the things that you want.
And so as soon as I wasphysically able to, it's like, I
gotta get out of this house, Igotta move around.
And, uh, yeah, of course mymotivation was I had to go down
(10:15):
and get the mail and I wasn'tgonna crutch through the snow.
So, you know, I go to my, mygarage and line up my snowmobile
to go out the door and end upgetting stuck on a patch of ice
right out the door.
And
And uh, you know, instead ofgetting ma I got mad there for,
you know, a few minutes and thenI'm like, dude, what are you
(10:38):
doing?
And then the mood lightened up,I'm like, I'm gonna go ride my
snowmobile.
And uh, you know, I worked ongetting it moved out off the ice
patch and, you know, probablyfell down a couple times as I'm
trying to, you know, yank this500 pound snowmobile around.
But as soon as I got going,riding that smile came instantly
and realized that, okay, maybe Idon't need to be flying through
(11:02):
the air doing 80 miles an houron it, but I need to be on it.
This is what I love to do and Ienjoy the challenge of it all.
So that was kind of a, I don'tknow if you call it a turning
point, but it was a big momentin realization that, uh, yeah,
maybe I don't have to race, butI wanna ride and I will be able
to ride.
I just have to figure out theright tools to help me do so.
Ed (11:25):
And you mentioned that, you know, the, the first prosthesis
that you had that you realizedwasn't gonna get you ultimately
where you wanted to go.
I mean, it sounds like at thebeginning the goal was just to
be upright again.
And then as you're sort offurther along in your recovery,
that starts not to be enough foryou anymore.
Like when did you decide thatthat's not enough, I want more
and I'm gonna figure out a wayto make it happen?
Mike (11:45):
following, so after myamputation, I got, got
physically able to be up andmoving.
Um, I went back to work for myrace team as a riding coach and
eventually, you know, I ended upgetting on one of their
snowmobiles and taking some lapsaround the practice course and
(12:07):
I'm like, wow, this is so muchfun.
And it isn't about how fast I'mgoing, it's about the challenge
that I'm pursuing.
And I, I, I, as soon as I gotmy, my prosthesis, I started
riding, I was actually riding alittle bit before I had my
prosthesis, the original one,and then I got my new leg, my
walking leg, and it just kind offlopped around all over the
(12:29):
place cuz there was no likeresistance there to keep it from
flexing.
So when I'd be flying throughthe air, it would be bouncing
around, coming off the runningboard.
And yeah, so it was in March, itthe, you know, just three months
basically after my injuryhappened where I'm like, I need
something better.
And about that time I found outabout the Summer X Games was
(12:52):
hosting Adaptive Supercross,which is a motocross race for
amputees and paraplegics.
And once I heard of that, thenit was all over.
It was like, I am part of this,I need to be part of this, what
do I have to do?
Because that, that race was inJuly and so I had a short amount
of time to try and figure it allout and learn how to ride again,
(13:14):
end up, uh, you know, it's myleft side that I'm amputee on.
So that's my shifting side.
So I had to figure out theelectric shift system since I
couldn't move my ankle to shiftthe bike, the transmission.
So there's a lot of steps to theprocess to get back on my
motocross bike that spring.
It was the shifter, it was thefoot peg and the prosthesis.
(13:35):
And so I fully went madscientist in my shop and I'm
like, this is, this is somethingI wanna work on.
And at that, at that point intime, it was just for me to get
back into action.
And then over the course of thefollowing summer, you know, the
summer of 2009, I started tomeet up with a lot of other
amputees while I was pursuingthis adaptive X Games and, and
(13:58):
they're all using their everydayequipment for the most part.
And, uh, so then at that pointthe wheels started turning, I'm
like, well, maybe, maybe Ishould think bigger, but first I
gotta get figured out for mymyself.
Ed (14:11):
So you used, um, mountain bike shock, I think, and got the
idea for that.
And obviously that hadn'toccurred to anybody before, but
to hear you're drawing on sortof all your, your previous
experience with, with machinesand mechanical things, how did
that idea come to you?
Mike (14:26):
Well, so basically I, I look at things as simple as
possible, you know, to startwith.
And basically I am trying tocreate a suspension component
for my body.
Our legs and our quadricepmuscles, they act as shock
absorbers.
You know, when we go over roughterrain or we jump up and down,
they're basically shockabsorbers.
And so I'm very familiar withsuspension components on my
(14:48):
bikes and snowmobiles, and Iknew that I wanted to use, use
this fox mountain bike shock asthe shock absorber component.
And so I figured out the rangeof motion I needed for my knee
joint, which is about 130degrees.
And I wanted to build it around,this is about seven and a half
inch long mountain bike shockwith two inches stroke travel.
(15:10):
And the, the difficult part wascreating a linkage system that
would make it feel natural.
So I spent about five, six weekson the drawing board and then
another week in the shop tobuild the first prototype.
And when I got it all puttogether, you know, the
excitement was building so muchover that week in the shop and
to finally put the last nuts andbolts and components together, I
(15:33):
was like a little kid, you know,just giggling and my hands are
shaking and ended up, uh,putting it on my socket and then
walked over to my motocross bikeand took it for a ride for that
first time with this new leg.
And it was just the mostincredible feeling ever.
It was like, oh man, this thingis so awesome.
I'm, you know, riding down thetrail next to my property over
(15:55):
this whoop section.
It's all rough and rutted outand I'm able to stand up balance
side to side and just, justtwist the throttle and just have
an amazing time.
And I knew at that time it'slike, X Games, here we come, I'm
going
Ed (16:10):
That's amazing.
I mean, you know, so the, theold actual competitive fires
coming back.
So first it's, it's one step ata time.
So it's, I wanna be able to, youknow, have this experience
again, now you kind of want togo win stuff and you're trying
to find a way to, to do thatbecause that co that competitive
fire is still in there.
And now it's sort of, uh, it'ssort of driving what's
following.
So I guess you had a, anexperience it sounds like, where
(16:32):
your, your moto knee that youdeveloped and you know, you have
this company BioDapt and this iskind of the, the seminal part of
that, um, that emerging.
But you figured you need a, abetter foot design.
So tell us about that part ofthe process.
Mike (16:46):
Yeah, originally for the first year, I just used one of
my everyday carbon fiber feet.
And so that summer I ended upqualifying to go to the summer X
Games.
And seven months after my injuryhappened, I'm racing on this
most incredible supercrosscourse that I've ever ridden on.
And I ended up finishing secondplace with a silver medal.
(17:09):
And during that race I came upshort on a big 90 foot jump and
the foot broke the carbon fiberin it just, just snapped on
impact.
And so I, um, I had some issuesthe last couple laps with my
foot sliding off the foot pegand I'm like, oh, hold together,
hold together and, and was ableto finish with, with the silver.
(17:29):
And then I'm like, man, I gottafigure out the next step here,
which is the foot, uh, foot tohold up to the impacts.
And then later on that year, gotback on my snowmobile again and
needed an ankle system thatwould flex while I'm standing up
and sitting down on the runningboard.
And so I started the Versa footproject.
It would've been in the, thefall, late fall of 2009, I
(17:52):
believe it was.
And so, so yeah, that was thestart of, you know, the complete
system, the moto knee in Versafoot.
And then, uh, the followingspring started my company
BioDapt, which was July, 2010.
And, you know, all, all along I,I've got this competitive fire.
I mean, when I was injured, youknow, I was at the peak of my
career.
I, I, uh, I had a bit of a roughseason leading into that, but I,
(18:15):
I knew there was, there was moreto come.
I knew, I knew if I had theright setup and the right team
and the right equipment and theright mindset, I, I definitely
the best was yet to come andthen got injured.
So I was still very much in thegame when my injury happened and
, uh, I, you know, I'm, I'm acompetitor through and through
and this was an opportunity forme to continue with being a
(18:39):
competitor, but also have theother side of it that would be a
little more longer term withcreating a business with the
intent of creating the highestperformance, lower limb
prosthetic equipment for actionsports.
So I was like, this whole newworld just opened up within the
last year, year and a half aftermy accident.
Ed (18:58):
So it seems like you have trouble, uh, winning a race
without some kind of drama goingon, or, or having something that
you, that like sets you off on anew problem solving course.
So first you have your, youknow, your second place on your,
you know, this new design thatyou've created and you realize
the foot's not quite working andthen you get to the Summer X
Games and it, that brings itsown share of drama.
So take us through kind of that2010 Summer X Games and, and the
(19:21):
what happened there?
Mike (19:22):
Yeah, like you said, drama
Uh, so yeah, going into to mysecond year Summer X Games, like
I was, you know, the first yearI was like, excited to be there.
The second year in 2010 I'mlike, I want the gold.
I I want to go for gold thisyear.
And so my training program wasamped up.
(19:43):
I knew what to expect and I hadmy versa foot.
And um, I had the secondgeneration moto knee prototype
at that point yet.
And, uh, yeah, it was, it wasanother incredibly difficult
course, huge jumps.
And during, um, so we get intothe final and about, oh, I think
(20:03):
I was about two thirds or threequarters of the way, no, it was
the last lap.
It was going into the last lap.
I came up short on this big 80foot finish line jump and I bent
one of the components in theknee from the impact.
And so my knee wouldn't extendall the way.
It was flexed at 90 degrees.
And so, like, if you knowanything about motocross, the
(20:25):
riders are standing up themajority of the time, you know,
other than in the corners
And so I had to go a wholenother lap around this course
with, with one leg basically,cuz the other one was, was
compressed.
And, and I couldn't put anyweight on it, so I'm like
limping it through literally thelast lap.
I had a good lead when I startedit, but by the end, by the end I
(20:47):
came across the finish line.
The second place guy was, wasonly like two bike lengths
behind me.
It was, uh,
I was, uh, I was pretty pumpedto be able to finish the, you
know, across the finish linewith the gold medal.
It was, I was a huge moment.
Ed (21:03):
So I think your first X Games that you were referring to
was, uh, the one in Carson,California when you got to
Silver, then you go to, uh, tothe Knicks and you, you finally
get that gold medal, but there'salready sort of percolating, it
sounds like some idea that maybethis thing that you've designed
can be, uh, adapted to othersports and benefit other
athletes.
How did that sort of all comeabout?
Mike (21:23):
Yeah, so the company started in 2010, and when I
realized I wanted to offer toother amputees, like I didn't
want it to be so niche thatwould only work for motocross or
snowmobile racing.
So I kind of looked at thesports that had similar
movements, you know, physicalmovements in'em, like mountain
biking and wakeboarding,snowboarding, skiing.
(21:45):
I'm like, okay, so how do Idevelop this to be versatile?
So that was, you know, rightfrom the beginning, that was the
thought process was versatility.
And the the cool part is it kindof forced me to learn and get
into other sports specificallyso I could test it out.
And, uh, you know, the biggestthe biggest storyline with that
(22:07):
was, uh, me learning how tosnowboard.
And in 2010, 2011, I think itwas January, 2011, I met a
veteran, he's a above kneeamputee, and he really wanted
one of my knees forsnowboarding.
And so he is like, Hey, how,how's it work for snowboarding?
And I'm like, well, I've donesome wakeboarding.
I haven't snowboarded at all,um, since I was like a young
(22:30):
kid, but uh, you know, let me,let me go test it out and I'll
get back to you and let youknow.
So following that X Games, thatwas Winter X Games, um, where he
saw me riding and I met him.
And so went home and learned howto snowboard and, you know, I
took some hard falls, let metell you to be honest.
I was like, wow, this is, uh,this is not easy.
(22:50):
But, uh, over the, you know, thefollowing few weeks learned
enough to understand that yeah,this for a person who already
knows how to snowboard Yeah,absolutely.
It, it's gonna work really well.
So that kind of opened the doorfor me to work with our veterans
through Walter Reed and BrookArm Medical Center.
And, um, and you know, they,those facilities at that time,
(23:12):
so we're looking at 2011, 1213,they really showed a high
interest in buying my equipmentfor our injured vets, which, uh,
you know, for me it was, it wasvery rewarding to be able to
create something that's, uh,helping out our, our injured
veterans.
Ed (23:28):
So you had your, your first two sales, I think your first
two moto knees, um, and madeyour first profit.
So now this thing is starting toactually maybe make some money
for you.
So, you know, at this point areyou thinking about this business
and, and building the business?
Is that where your focus is atthat point?
Mike (23:43):
Well, you think it should have been, huh?
on the business side of it, butat the same time I was getting
all this momentum with adaptivesports, uh, with the X Games,
hosting summer and winteradaptive events.
Um, in the summertime I wasdoing some, uh, wakeboard
(24:03):
competitions with anotherprogram.
So I was like, you know, Ithought my competitive days were
gonna be done and I'd have toget a real job and, you know,
things were gonna slow down andbe boring.
But it just amped up over those,those few years.
And, uh, the, the coolest partis, you know, both the, the
BioDapt business and my athleticcareer were so closely
(24:24):
intertwined.
So each one helped the other.
And, you know, I was justsmiling because I could continue
to do everything that I love todo.
I am, you know, making, startingto make a little bit of money
with my business and I'm, youknow, making a really good
positive impact on a lot ofothers.
So, you know, I'm, I'm lookingat it like this is truly a
win-win situation, somethingreally great that I was able to
(24:46):
create out of a horriblelife-changing event.
Ed (24:49):
So talk a little bit about how you built those snowboard
skills, because you didn't startout with those.
You, you said you'd snowboardeda few times, but what was that
process like to to kind of gofrom being a novice to being
basically a world-classsnowboarder?
Mike (25:02):
Yeah, that was, uh, unexpected,
I got talked into, uh, to doinga couple adaptive border cross
races with, uh, organizationthat I met out of Colorado, uh,
adaptive Action Sports, who'srun by Dan Gale and Amy Purdy.
And I be, I became really goodfriends with them and they, uh,
(25:24):
were really into the boardsports and they talked me into
come out out and riding withtheir, with their group and then
eventually competing at one ofthe national events in Copper
Mountain.
And, uh, right about this timewe're looking at like 2013,
2014, the Paralympics opened thedoor for Paralympics
snowboarding and, and, uh,adaptive action sports was a, a
(25:47):
large player in trying to pushthat and make it happen.
So I was very much aware of whatthe future was gonna be with
adaptive snowboarding, and I'mlike, I should, you know, I
should check this out and, youknow, if nothing else I know
I'll be working with a lot ofthe athletes that, uh, will be
competing.
So I was keeping track of it,but never figured I would be a
Paralympian at that point intime.
(26:09):
Cause it was just one class formen, one class for women, and
all the top athletes werebologna amputees.
And I just, you know, physicallyI can't do the same movements as
they can.
So I was like, wow, I wouldnever be a top contender.
And I'm here in Minnesota,flatland U usa, so I don't have
the, the tools or theenvironment to, you know, really
(26:31):
train for it.
But, uh, they ended up talkingme into going to another border
cross event after the inauguralparalympic snowboarding event in
Sochi, Russia.
And, uh, so a lot of the topathletes from the US team were
there.
Keith Gable, Evan Strong, uh,Amy Purdy and a couple others.
And, you know, I, I raced insome of'em and I did, well, I,
(26:53):
you know, I was far off theirpace, but I wasn't too, too far
out.
And the US team coach was thereduring the competition and
noticed me riding, and he, uh,reached out to me later that
summer and said, Hey, Mike, whatdo you think about, you know,
taking this to the Paralympicsin, in 2018?
And I'm like, ah, I, you know,I'm a motorsports guy.
(27:14):
Everything that I do revolvesaround bikes and snowmobiles and
handle bars.
I don't know, I don't know if Icould make that shift, but later
they told me that they addedmore classes in the snowboard,
paralympic snowboarding, and,you know, this would put me in a
good position if I wanted topursue it, you know, it would
take a while.
But, uh, they thought I had the,the drive and the skills to be
(27:37):
able to learn it.
And, um, I thought about it fora while with my wife Sarah, and
it's like, it would be a totalshift in our priority.
You know, I've travel around theUS all the time, but, uh, you
know, traveling internationallyis, is a lot different.
And originally I was, I wasgonna pass on it, but, uh, then
I started thinking about what itwould mean to represent team u s
(27:59):
A at the games and be able tocall myself a Paralympian.
And then we're like, we can'tpass up this opportunity.
We gotta see where it can takeus.
So, so I called him back, I'mlike, I'm in.
He's like, all right, pack yourbags.
We're going to Europe in twoweeks.
Ed (28:14):
Wow.
Mike (28:15):
I'm like, okay, okay,
Ed (28:19):
So you're always looking for an opportunity, a fork in the
road, and sometimes they come upon you fast and, and you just
have to decide whether you'regonna grab'em or not.
And, and I know that, uh, youtalk in your book about your
relationship with your wifeSarah, and you know her support
of you throughout everythingwe've really talked about.
And, and somewhere you, alongthis line, I think 2013, there's
another addition to the picture,your daughter, who I believe you
(28:41):
referred to as a game changerwhen she arrived.
So talk a little bit about howthat family dynamic is shifting
through this whole process.
Mike (28:47):
Yeah, my, my wife Sarah has been by my side man.
We're, we're, we're high schoolsweethearts.
Uh, so we've been togetherthrough everything, through the
highs and lows, and so we have areally strong bond together.
And there was, uh, some heavyconversations when I decided to
start getting back into, toracing and competing after my
amputation.
(29:08):
You know, I almost, I almostlost my life due to it.
But we both absolutely love thelifestyle of training and
competing and traveling theworld with like-minded
individuals.
It's, uh, not many people get toexperience what that really
means.
And we didn't wanna give it up.
We didn't wanna walk away.
(29:28):
So, you know, we decided thatwe're gonna take it slow and,
uh, methodical, calculatedrisks.
So
these big decisions and youknow, what the positives and
negatives were about it.
And, you know, she, it's been sogood to have her by my side, not
only because she's a goodsupportive person, but she's a
(29:49):
nurse and I find myself injuredoccasionally.
So she's a really good person tohave by my side,
patched me back together morethan, more than a few times.
We got married in'07, which wasthe year before I got injured.
And then by 2013, we're like, weshould, you know, we should
really think about the familyside and what we're, we're, you
(30:10):
know, what we're gonna, youknow, are we gonna have kids?
Well, yes, we are.
So now's the time to do it.
So then Lauren was born in 2013,and yeah, that was a game
changer for sure.
It, uh, all my, our free timewas all, all soaked up, uh, very
quickly.
So, but it was, you know,there's nothing better than than
(30:30):
bringing a life into this worldand, and seeing them grow and
being able to teach them thethings that, you know, and, and
just see, just, you know,they're like little sponges and
everything that happens around'em, they're like just soaking
it up and, uh, it's really funto be a parent.
And, you know, obviously it'svery challenging.
Probably the biggest challengein some cases, uh, compared to
(30:52):
anything I've been through,especially now she's getting
older, you know, she's eightyears old right now, and she's
her own little person and, youknow, she has her own little
ideas and thought process andYep.
Your parents out there, you knowexactly what I'm talking about
Ed (31:07):
So, is, is she someone who also likes to go fast?
Does she get that from you or isshe, uh, is she different?
Mike (31:13):
Well, she's, she has, it's so cool because I mean, she has
a lot of my traits and a lot ofher mom's traits where, where
Sarah, she's a little moreconservative and methodical
about, uh, you know, what shedoes.
And she's not a big sender, ifyou know what I mean.
Lauren's kind of halfwaybetween.
She, she has incredible workethic, like, uh, right now she's
(31:35):
really heavy into gymnastics andshe takes it incredibly serious.
So we definitely have a littleathlete in our, in our family.
So.
Ed (31:44):
So you kind of alluded to, you know, you're, you're here,
you are, you're, you're doingthis touring the world, uh,
thing that you've decided, yep,we're gonna go for this, uh, we
want to be at the Paralympics.
Uh, and you talked about sort ofthe community that travels
together, and I, I know thatcommunity theme kind of runs
through your story and yourbook, because you talk about the
fact that, you know, theprofessional snowmobile world
that you are part of is, is asmall world and it's a very
(32:06):
close knit community, and thatsupport is important.
And those people were there tosupport you after your accident.
How, how important is that, thatsort of sense of community, a
component in your sports journey, uh, especially given that
you're competing against thesesame people and yet it you're a
community at the same time?
Mike (32:21):
Yeah, that, I think that's one of the unique things about
the snowboard world compared toa lot of the other sports compe,
you know, competitive sportsworlds.
The camaraderie in snowboardinggroup specifically is really
tight.
And yes, we're definitely outthere to, to beat everybody else
that's in front of us, but whenthe, when the goggles come off,
(32:43):
we're all really good friendsand we all talk to each other,
no matter what team we're on,what part of the world we're
from, you know, we're allexcited to be there, being able
to follow our dreams.
And most of us, you know, we're,we're injured or had something
taken away from us.
So we appreciate that we cancontinue doing this kind of
(33:04):
stuff.
And, you know, the snowboardmentality is, is just like, you
know, just go send it and havesome fun.
You know, on the other side ofthat is extremely competitive,
but there's always, it seemslike there's so many really good
positive attitudes with thegroup that we're, we're
traveling with.
And that's one of the thingsthat, that keeps me coming back
is, uh, I don't wanna be donetraveling with all these rad
(33:26):
dudes and, and women.
It's, it's so much fun.
Outro (33:30):
That concludes part one of our discussion with Monster
Mike Schultz.
Stay tuned to our socialchannels for information about
part two.
(33:51):
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of Disability Talks.
Want to be a part of the ongoingconversation?
Visit our website atabilitiesinmotion.org or connect
with us on social media.
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