January 13, 2023 • 27 mins
The conclusion of our two-part Mike Schultz series! Mike 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. Listen to the final episode of Mike's conversation with us!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro (00:00):
Welcome back to Disability Talks, a podcast
produced by Abilities in Motion,a Center for Independent Living
located in Reading,Pennsylvania.
I'm your host, Ed Granger, andtoday is part two of our podcast
with the remarkable MikeSchultz, who shares more of his
journey from professionalsnowmobile racer to amputee to
gold medal winning Paralympian.
Ed (00:19):
I think, I think you said in 2014 in Sochi, in your book,
there were no other, or therewere no US team members that
were actually using, uh, theequipment that you designed.
I think you had some clients,but they were there for, you
know, competing for othernations.
And then that starts to changeover the year.
So as that's changing, you know,you are, what you're able to
contribute is actually becomingpart of someone else's dream.
(00:42):
So, you know, as competitive asyou are, you're contributing to
them getting to pursue theirdreams and goals.
And how important is that toyou?
Mike (00:48):
Uh, it's so big.
Winning medals is, it feelsgood, but when you can really
make a positive impact onsomebody else that goes, that
goes deeper at a differentlevel.
And when I go to the races, and,and so in 2018 in Pyeongchang,
when I won a gold and silver, Ithink there was 11 or 12
(01:10):
athletes or so using equipment,maybe it was a little bit higher
than that.
And then now here in Beijing2022, there was 26 athletes from
11 countries.
And so basically everybody I waspersonally racing against that
was an amputee, was wearingequipment I built in my shop and
the majority of all the otherclasses as well.
(01:32):
And so it, it's, it's so muchfun to be able to walk around
the staging area and chat withall these athletes and give'em
high fives.
You know, I gotta wear two hats.
I have my, my monster Mike hat,the competitor, and then I've
got my BioDapt business hat on.
So, you know, it's always like,I wanna try and separate those
two because, uh, you know, if itwas, if it was full monster Mike
(01:54):
, I wouldn't, you know, like,heck no, I'm not gonna help my
competitors get faster than Iam.
Um, so it's a fine line then I,I continually balance, but I,
and I, I wouldn't give it up foranything.
It's, uh, it's very rewarding atmultiple levels.
Ed (02:07):
And, and you did actually, uh, point to your knee after you
, uh, after your, your silvermedal.
So was that a monster or wasthat marketing Mike, at that
point?
Were you looking after yourbusiness interest?
What was your decision makingalong, along those lines?
You know, being the, the onlyathlete there where your
prosthesis was visible?
Mike (02:24):
Yeah, that, so that there's, there's a couple
reasons for that.
You know, the, the other guysthat I was raised for, like Ty
Turner, he was on our equipment,you know, he just uses the feet.
Um, so that's obviously notgonna be visible.
Yeah.
Who, uh, yeah, Ty Turner and,uh, Woo.
Yeah, he was ak, but you know,he didn't show up.
But for me personally, like I, Ilike showing my equipment
(02:45):
because it, it shows the viewerswhat they're, what they're
watching, you know, if they cansee that I have a prosthetic
leg, you know, from my kneedown, it, it changes their,
their thought processors ortheir perspective of what
they're watching if they, youknow, they see a guy who is
fully covered, they like, don'tknow what his disability is.
(03:06):
So when they watch me, they cansee, yeah, I'm, I'm an above
knee amputee, and wow, look athim, fly over those jumps and
those rollers and flying downthe course.
So it just helps our sport in mymind.
Uh, it helps the audienceunderstand what they're
watching.
And then of course, you know, mebeing the designer and builder
of this equipment, I'm like,yeah, I wanna, I wanna show it
(03:27):
off.
It's, it's cool stuff.
.
Ed (03:30):
Absolutely.
So, you know, we, you sort ofalready, you know, mentioned
that, uh, Pyeongchang 2018Olympics, but you know, you,
you, you decided you're gonnapursue this dream, but then you
hit 2015, you hit a little bitof a bump in the road.
So, you know, I, I think youwrote that you were kind of had
to make a decision, am I reallycommitted to going for the
higher Olympic dream or, or not.
(03:50):
So can you talk a little bitabout kind of how that went and
the setback and how you onceagain, you know, got your dreams
back on track?
Mike (03:57):
Yeah.
2015, I was, uh, racing bordercross at the Winter X Games, and
I ended up coming up short on abig 50 some foot double.
And I, I landed on the deck ofthe landing and shattered my
heel, my calcaneus into a, a 15pieces or so.
(04:18):
And, um, I had surgery on it andthey tried to put it back
together.
I had the best foot surgeon inthe world in my mind, trying to
put me back together.
And he's like, it's gonna be along road, but we're gonna do
everything we can to keep yougoing.
And, and I was in so much painfrom that injury.
I, I, every step I took for the,basically the entire year after
(04:38):
that, it, it was painful.
And so it took the fun right outof it.
I was barely able to snowboard.
I could get up on it a littlebit.
I continued with the race team,but I was not sure if, if it was
worth the effort cuz it was souncomfortable.
I ended up getting anothersurgery the following spring,
which, which helped out therange of motion I had, and it
relieved a lot of the pain.
(04:59):
And so then I decided, well, Icould still do it.
So this is, you know, the injurywas 15 and then, so we're going
into the 16, 17 year and like, Idon't know, this is, you know,
there, there's no money to bemade in Paralympic snowboarding,
not at the beginning anyways.
And it's like an enormous amountof time and effort time away
from my family.
I'm like, I just, I didn't knowif it was worth it, but man, I
(05:22):
am glad that, uh, Sarah and Idecided, you know, going into
the 17, 18 season that, yep,we're, we're on board.
We gotta make the most of it.
I had an amazing season thatyear going into the Pyeongchang
games.
I went undefeated in bordercross and then, uh, was one of
the top in, in banks slalom.
And I, I won the, the twooverall globes for border cross
(05:44):
and Bank slalom.
So going into Pyeongchang was,uh, I had a lot of momentum and
I was smiling and it was anincredible experience.
I, um, at that time it washead-to-head racing for our
class.
It was only two at a time.
I faced off against Netherlands,Chris Voss.
And, uh, yeah, he made a smallmistake in the, the, the first
stretch.
And I was able to take the leadand, uh, came home with a gold.
(06:06):
And I, I tell you what, crossingthat finish line was, wow, that
was a powerful moment.
It, it didn't have as much to dowith the sport of snowboarding
as it did about the entire bigpicture and the journey that I
went through to get to thatmoment.
And then being able to performmy best when the pressure of the
(06:26):
world was on in that moment.
And yeah, it was, it was reallyincredible.
Ed (06:31):
And, and you obviously to that point, you've been part of
a lot of kind of big experience.
You've been a professionalathlete in motor sports, you'd
been to Winter X Games, you'vebeen to Summer X Games.
So at that point you've had allthese big experience.
How, how did, how was theParalympics just different from
those other experience?
Or was it?
Mike (06:47):
Uh, it was, it was incredibly different.
You know, the, the mindset, thecompetitive mindset was very
similar.
You know, I'm there to perform aspecific task, you know,
snowboarding at my best, so Ihave my routine, but the scope
of it, you know, representingthe red, white and blue, Team
USA in front of the world, thatwas so much bigger than than
(07:09):
anything else.
Uh, I mean, the X Games arehuge, don't get me wrong.
That is a huge event.
But when you bring the entireworld together to compete
against each other, there's somuch more weight involved with
it.
And just being at the venue, atthe games, the money and the
effort spent by everybody to getthere.
And we only got a shot at itonce in four years.
(07:32):
So that buildup puts it in anincredible amount of, of weight
to it.
You know, you're training forone, one specific event, one
outta four years.
And so it's like, you gotone shot, you gotta make it
happen, or it's a long wait forthe next one.
Ed (07:48):
Well, and it's especially, you know, I, for a lot of
Olympic athletes who are insports that aren't on TV every
day, that's the one timeeverybody else is watching and
that's what they're gonnaremember.
They're not gonna remember theWorld Cup victories and some of
these other things.
Everybody's focused on theOlympics.
So it is one of those thingswhere, you know, you know, your
country's watching you, whereasthey may not be at other times,
you know, and, and sort ofconnected to that, when did you
(08:10):
find out that you were inconsideration for being the Team
USA flag bearer at those games?
Mike (08:16):
?
Yeah, that was, that was, uh,another, uh, surprise, an
unbelievable experience.
So yeah, they, uh, basicallythe, the nations choose their,
their flag bearers for openingceremony, you know, like the
week ahead of time.
Uh, I think it was about a weekbefore.
And so each one of the sportsfrom the teams chooses one
(08:37):
person to represent'em, and thenthey vote, then the entire group
votes on who they think bestfits it.
And, there's a funnystory about it.
So I, you know, I was one of thenominees, I knew that for, you
know, a few days.
And so I was supposed toprepare, you know, kind of a, a
resume for it, why, why I shouldbe, be chosen as, you know, the
flag bearer.
(08:57):
And so I was supposed to discussthis with my teammate, who's our
team representative, Mike Shaa.
And, uh, you know, I got, I gottied up doing all this.
I totally forgot about it.
And I knew he was having ameeting and then all of a sudden
my teammate Keith Gable comes inand uh, he's like, yeah, I was
just at the, the nation'smeeting for the flag bearers.
And, um, well, I don't think itwent well cuz, you know, I was
(09:19):
discussing him about me being anominee and, and then I'm like,
oh crap, I was supposed to getall this information to Mike.
And, uh, so I just feltdeflated.
I felt like I totally droppedthe ball.
And then he is like, well,Mike's over in the room, across
the, across the hall, let's gotalk to'em, see how it went.
So I went in there, opened thedoor up, and our entire
(09:39):
snowboard team was in there andthey all announced that I was, I
was, uh, named flag bearer forTeam USA and.
My jaw just fell to the floorand I, I just felt so grateful.
And yeah, it was, because it'ssuch a big deal to represent
your team.
It it, it shows that they lookat you as, as a leader, as
(10:03):
someone they want to representthe rest of the team.
And so, I mean, it has anenormous weight behind it.
And, you know, for me, I'm verypatriotic.
I look at our, our red, whiteand blue and I love what it
stands for.
You know, so many times I lookat the flag and I think about
all the veterans that I'vehelped a along the way with my
company BioDapt and the trooptours that I went on and
(10:24):
visiting our troops around theworld at different military
bases.
And, you know, that's, that'swhat I think about when I, when
I look at the flag.
And to be able to carry itthrough in front of the world
was, uh, that was a verypowerful thing to be able to be
part of.
Ed (10:37):
So you mentioned that, you know, one of the, the cool
things about that games was youwere able to go into that games
feeling like you're kind of ontop of your game and, and then
compete your best, you know,under that, under that kind of
pressure.
So take us through thatsnowboard cross event and, and
kind of how that went.
Is it one of those things whereyou kind of remember every tiny
detail or is it kind of a blurwhen when you look back?
Mike (10:58):
It was, it was a bit of a blur.
I mean, it was such cutthroatcompetition cause it was bracket
racing and I had to line upagainst all my teammates and end
up winning and knocking him out.
Basically.
My teammate Noah, he wasprobably my biggest threat.
Um, I ended up passing him andbumped him down into the small
final and then the gold medalrun with me and Voss was, uh,
(11:21):
exciting, but, you know, itwasn't a close race cause he
made a mistake going down thefirst stretch.
So basically I just had to stayup and make it to the
finish line.
And, and man, that was the mostdifficult run I've ever had to
make down the course.
And I was, you know, I, I had,uh, a really big lead after he
fell and, I was like,just make it down.
Don't miss any gates.
(11:42):
Don't crash.
Just make it across the line.
Yeah.
And you know, it, it was kind ofa blur, but there's a couple
things that stand out.
We had, uh, you know, we wereabout three quarters of the way
through the qualifying and therewas a, a start gate malfunction
that basically paused our entireevent for like two hours.
And it's like, oh man.
(12:02):
And me being the Mr.
Fixit so to speak, I'm, I'mwatching him, you know, work on
this gate and I'm like, I justlet me gimme some tools.
I can fix this.
Let's keep this, let's keep thisrace going.
But they ended up, you know,changing the way they used the
start, they used bungee cordstart, which was a little janky,
but you know, it got the jobdone.
And I preferred doing that overlike canceling the race or
(12:22):
whatever they were talking aboutdoing.
Cuz it was like, they wereactually talking about taking
qualifying times as our finish.
And that would've been horriblefor me because I, I made a
mistake in my qualifying run.
But anyways, it all worked out.
There was, you know, there waslots of drama throughout the day
with the start gate malfunctionand, you know, just the
head-to-head competition.
But, uh, overall, you know,looking back at 2018, it was
(12:45):
like, it couldn't have went anybetter.
I took Silver in Banks Slalom.
Uh, it took silver behind myteammate Noah, who was wearing
my moto knee, which was a reallyspecial moment for me and my
company.
You know, him being able to beon top with me standing next to
him was, uh, it was great.
I, you know, I could have easilybeen content and rode away into
(13:08):
the sunset and hung up my raceboard, you know, cause at that
time I was 36 years old.
Like, yeah, I, you know, I'vecompeted for 20 years already,
or nearly 20 years.
I'm, this would be a great wayto, to put an ending to my
competitive career.
Ed (13:23):
So you, uh, I believe 2018 was when you won the ESPY award.
When did you find out aboutthat?
How did that whole process comeabout?
Mike (13:30):
Yeah, I got, I got an email in say it was June, you
know, it was about a monthbefore the sbs.
I, I was, I'm definitely awareof the sbs.
I watched'em occasionally.
And so yeah, I got an email frommy publicist and I found out
about a month ahead of time thatI was a nominee.
And they're like, how'd you liketo come join us down at the
ESPYs in in LA?
(13:50):
I'm like, yeah, yeah,absolutely.
So my wife and I, we ended upgoing there and what a great
experience.
I mean, they had the red carpetand all the best of the best
athletes from the US.
Uh, I mean, we're talking allsports, we're talking big
hitters and you know, baseballand football and basketball and
you know, all the mainstreamsports and so many other famous
(14:13):
people that, uh, and theirentourages that come there and,
you know, they get all dolled upand, you know, they're fine
suits.
And it was just a, a really neatthing to be part of, aside from
the fact that that I, I ended upwinning.
But you know, just being, to bethere and experience it with
that level of athletes andpeople was, uh, that was a wow
(14:34):
moment.
Ed (14:36):
So that that could have been your, your career capper right
there.
If you, if you let it, you couldhave just announced your
retirement and taken your ESPYand gone off into the
sunset.
And that's of course not whathappened.
So talk about the decision tocome back in 2022 and how that
came about.
Mike (14:50):
I, you know, the, that summer I was like, this, this
has been so great.
I don't want to diminish what Ijust did by hanging out and
continuing and, and not have theperformance, you know, ending on
a high note is worth a lot, butthen I'm a competitor.
Like I've got, I've got a fewboxes that I have to check in
(15:11):
order to pursue, you know,whatever I'm looking at, whether
it's business or or sportcompetition.
It's like, I've gotta be havingfun.
I've gotta be competitive andit's gotta be financially
worthwhile.
And I am like, it's stillchecking these boxes.
I'm still competitive, you know,at this time I'm, I've got some
momentum so I might as well takeadvantage of it as far as the
(15:33):
the sponsorship side and youknow, the financial side of it,
you know, after I did well atthe games.
And so I'm like, let's just keepriding it.
And I went full bore for thenext four years and uh, you
know, I took a little bit oftime off to get some things
sorted after, you know, thecrazy year of travel going into
the games.
But the longer I, I'm anathlete, the more I appreciate
(15:56):
what I'm able to do and if I'mstill enjoying myself.
It's such an amazing lifestyleto, to continue with and I'm
like, let's, let's do it.
And, I'm so thankful onceagain that I did it over the
next four years.
The level of competitiveness andall the athletes just grew
exponentially.
We ended up racing four wideinstead of head to head like we
(16:18):
did in 2018.
And there was a few moreathletes in all the classes and
you know, everybody just raisedthe bar so much.
So it was more difficult to beconsistent and competitive.
So yeah, we get to Beijing andit was like, I know I'm
competitive, but it's likeinstead of, you know, the
differences being a half asecond or a second, like the
(16:40):
last games, like we're we'recompeting for tenths or
hundredths of seconds in everyrace.
So it's so close and exciting.
And Beijing, you know, gettingthere and seeing the competition
venues, they were incredible.
They were fun to ride and it wasgame on.
It was, uh,.
Yeah, it was an incredibleexperience.
Ed (17:00):
So, uh, I think at your first games in 2018, I think
your daughter would've beenmaybe five or six.
So this time she was a littlebit older.
How much did her being able tosee you compete in the
Paralympics with, you know,maybe a little bit better chance
of actually having memories ofthat, uh, you know, how much was
that a part of your decision oryour enjoyment of that
experience?
Mike (17:21):
Well that was one of the motivators for me to continue
was because, yeah, she was fouryears old in 2018, so she's
eight this year.
And, you know, I wanted her tobe able to come to China and,
you know, be with Sarah andcheer me on and get to
experience it in person, cuzyeah, she would definitely
remember it.
And her being a little gymnastright now, she, you know, she's
(17:43):
such a big fan of all the TeamUSA gymnasts and so she has that
personal connection in her owneyes beyond me.
And so I, I was looking soforward to having them there
with me.
Uh, but obviously with, withCovid restrictions, you know,
nobody was able to to be a, aspectator there other than the
Chinese people.
(18:04):
So that was a major bummer.
But another, nevertheless, likeshe got to experience some
really cool things back herewith watch parties here at the
house with friends and family.
And then they ended up going toUtah for the Team USA watch
party where a bunch of the otherathletes families were hanging
out and watching.
So they definitely got toexperience it and she's, she's a
(18:24):
little Team USA super fan and Ithink she will be for life after
growing up, you know, aroundthis.
So that's one of the very proudthings that I get to share with
her, um, that she, you know,will, will, uh, impact her for
the rest of her life.
Ed (18:39):
That's amazing.
That's, that's great that she'skind of inherited some of that
same, you know, drive and, andcompetitive nature and maybe,
you know, balanced out with alittle bit of mom's more
cautious approach to things as acenter for independent living,
what Abilities in Motion.
One of the things we do is helppeople find what their dream is
and what their vision is forthemselves.
And then set goals, find a planto make those goals a reality
(19:02):
and, and follow that plan andfind the support to do it.
So I, I think maybe ourlisteners would be interested in
hearing a little bit about kindof what is your process for
doing that?
You've done that over and overand over again where you've had
a dream, an idea, a glimmerspark, and you've managed to
turn that into the reality in an, in an amazing competitive
career and amazing experiences.
So can you share a little bitabout what your process is?
(19:22):
Do you, are you one of thosepeople who sits down and writes
your goals down and puts'em onthe wall, you know, kind of what
is your process?
Mike (19:28):
Yeah, it's definitely process.
Um, it is much more nowthan it was in my previous
professional career.
You know, I look at it, I, I tryand simplify things as simple as
I can from the beginning.
You know, I, I establish what mygoal is, which isn't always
crystal clear, you know,depending on what you're trying
(19:48):
to accomplish.
You know, you really have tofigure out exactly what you
wanna accomplish short-term andlong-term.
And then I figure out the stepsrequired in order to achieve
that.
For example, you know, my goalwas Summer X Game super cost.
Well, what did I have to do?
I had to get my equipment set upright so I could, you know,
(20:08):
actually ride the bike andfigure out the steps of
qualifying and practice andtraining.
You know, like just you kind of,you start at your goal and then
you, you work backward fromthere and the steps.
And then, you know, the thirdstep is creating a plan of
action to accomplish those stepsneeded.
And then the fourth piece isjust to do it, put the work in
(20:31):
and be relentless with, uh, youknow, your pursuit of that goal
and, and know that no, it, it'snot always gonna work out
perfectly.
And the thing is, is when youfail, there's, there's lots to
be learned from it from that,those failures or those, those
hiccups or those, uh, momentsthat send you backward again,
(20:51):
it's like you can't get upsetwith it.
You have to process it andfigure out what you did wrong or
what you needed to do differentor in addition to, and then
start over.
And so once you go through thatprocess a few times, you start
to get the hang of it and you,it, it starts to change your
perspective in how you approacha challenge in front of you.
(21:12):
And you know, when you put thatamount of work and effort into
it trying to achieve something,and then you finally achieve it,
that's a moment you'll neverforget.
And I tell you what, the harderyou work for something, the more
impressive it is and the betterthe feeling when you finally get
there.
Ed (21:28):
Yeah.
I, I feel like sometimes the,the things that come with the
problems that you have toovercome, when you are able to
overcome them, it feels evenbetter.
And sometimes it's hard toappreciate those problems when
they, when they crop up untilyou've done it a few times and
you're like, okay, I, I knowwhat's going on here.
I've been down this road before.
Mike (21:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
And, and it's the, I probablythe biggest thing out of, you
know, that whole process ispaying attention to the details,
whether they're positive ornegative, pay attention to'em
and just learn what you can from'em.
And, um, and there it is.
That's, that's the,that's the secret sauce.
Ed (22:02):
So if people wanna learn more about the secret sauce,
they can open the pages of your,of your book, which came out
right before the Olympics.
So you did one of those thingswhere you left some chapters out
that you were able to experienceand live and add to the book for
later.
So we'll have to wait for likethe sequel or the second volume.
But the book is Driven to Ride,the full title is Driven to
Ride (22:22):
The True Story of an Elite Athlete Who Rebuilt His Leg, His
Life and His Career.
So that came out, you know,right before the Beijing,
Beijing Olympics.
And so how was it, you know,having all that going on as
you're trying to prepare for, tocompete at a top level in the
Olympic Games?
Mike (22:36):
Oh, that was a whirlwind.
Lemme tell you,, therewas so many things happening in
that moment, and it's, uh, I hada, a window of launching the
book with my publishing company.
I knew I wanted to do itsometime between the Olympics
and Paralympics.
And, uh, it ended up, you know,being that we had to do it in
(22:56):
late January, right in my primecompetitive timeframe.
And so I was actually in, uh,what was it, Norway, when the
book launched.
And, uh, it was pretty fun.
I got to do a morning show toannounce it and share it with
the, you know, on national tv.
So that was, uh, that was a lotof fun.
But it, yeah, it, I mean sincethen it's been such a whirlwind
(23:18):
with the games and, you know,post games, different media ops
and sponsor obligations and thebook side of things.
So it's just, uh, you know, wedidn't hit it as hard as I, I
would've liked to as far asmarketing the book and getting
it out to people.
But, you know, it's, uh, notenough time in the day, but
we're gonna, we we'recontinually trying to push it
(23:38):
out and, uh, you know, gettingsome great feedback from
everybody who's been reading itand, you know, I'm obviously
biased, but, uh, you know, it's,it's a, it's an adventure.
It's a true page turner, and itwas, uh, you know, one of the
highlights of of mine to be ableto accomplish that book and
share my story with everybody.
So I, I really appreciate youguys checking it out.
(23:59):
You can go to Amazon and get itoff there, or Barnes and Noble
Target, and then there's,there's a few bookstores
scattered around the countrythat has it.
But, uh, online's your best bet.
Ed (24:09):
I I, I'd love to tell you that I'm an unbiased, uh,
reviewer who will tell you it,it's a terrific read and I
highly recommend it.
And I did read it.
I'm not quite done with it yet,but I'm most of the way through
and looking forward to readingthe rest and also looking
forward to reading the nextchapters that are coming ahead.
So do you have any idea yet whatthose, what those additional
chapters that eventually you'regonna have to write and add to
(24:29):
the book might be, and, and howdoes kind of, um, monster Mike
the competitor figure into that?
Mike (24:34):
Well, the door has been left open once again, I just,
uh, signed with the US ParaSnowboard team for another
season.
So, um, not hanging up the, therace boots yet beyond this year,
you know, who knows.
But, uh, you know, I, I've, I'vetaken this summer some extra
time to, to myself and with myfamily this summer to, uh, you
(24:55):
know, catch up on a lot of lotof things like that, you know,
um, at home here with thehorses.
And we're gonna continue to pushwith BioDapt.
We've got a lot of stuff on thedrawing board for the future
components and, and projects and, uh, yeah, we'll, we'll see.
I'll definitely be at, on theWorld Cup tour at some level
this year with Team USA on mysnowboard.
(25:16):
So, um, yeah, if you wanna tagalong, check out my, uh, social
media sites monster, MikeSchultz on Instagram and
Facebook, and you can keep up onthe, you know, where I'm at in
the world.
Ed (25:28):
Please check out Mike's story and, and have a look at
his book.
It's, it's fantastic.
Mike Schultz, is there anythingelse you'd like people to know
before we wrap this up?
Mike (25:37):
Yeah, I, I just appreciate the opportunity to get here and
chat with you guys andhopefully, you know, uh, shared
some insight on some, somestoryline stuff and motivation
and yeah, it's, uh, just wishingyou all the best and be go
getters out there.
Challenge yourself to somethingnew and, uh, if you enjoy doing
it, it's worth doing.
So, um, yeah, thanks again, Edand Abilities in Motion
(25:59):
appreciate what you guys aredoing and, and helping other
people with disabilities to, toget out and about and experience
more and better things.
And yeah, it's an awesomeprogram that you guys have and I
appreciate being part of ittoday.
Ed (26:11):
Thanks, Mike.
I, I feel like we're the, thefortunate ones to get to talk to
you and, and share your storywith our listeners, so wish you
the, the best at with whateverthe next thing is and look
forward to, to hearing orreading about it down the road.
Mike (26:23):
Alright.
Thanks a lot guys.
Have a good day.
Ed (26:25):
Take care.
Outro (26:49):
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Disability
Talks.
Want to be a part of the ongoingconversation?
Visit our website atabilitiesinmotion.org or connect
with us on social media.
Welcome back to Disability Talks, a podcast
produced by Abilities in Motion,a Center for Independent Living
located in Reading,Pennsylvania.
I'm your host, Ed Granger, andtoday is part two of our podcast
with the remarkable MikeSchultz, who shares more of his
journey from professionalsnowmobile racer to amputee to
gold medal winning Paralympian.
Ed (00:19):
I think, I think you said in 2014 in Sochi, in your book,
there were no other, or therewere no US team members that
were actually using, uh, theequipment that you designed.
I think you had some clients,but they were there for, you
know, competing for othernations.
And then that starts to changeover the year.
So as that's changing, you know,you are, what you're able to
contribute is actually becomingpart of someone else's dream.
(00:42):
So, you know, as competitive asyou are, you're contributing to
them getting to pursue theirdreams and goals.
And how important is that toyou?
Mike (00:48):
Uh, it's so big.
Winning medals is, it feelsgood, but when you can really
make a positive impact onsomebody else that goes, that
goes deeper at a differentlevel.
And when I go to the races, and,and so in 2018 in Pyeongchang,
when I won a gold and silver, Ithink there was 11 or 12
(01:10):
athletes or so using equipment,maybe it was a little bit higher
than that.
And then now here in Beijing2022, there was 26 athletes from
11 countries.
And so basically everybody I waspersonally racing against that
was an amputee, was wearingequipment I built in my shop and
the majority of all the otherclasses as well.
(01:32):
And so it, it's, it's so muchfun to be able to walk around
the staging area and chat withall these athletes and give'em
high fives.
You know, I gotta wear two hats.
I have my, my monster Mike hat,the competitor, and then I've
got my BioDapt business hat on.
So, you know, it's always like,I wanna try and separate those
two because, uh, you know, if itwas, if it was full monster Mike
(01:54):
, I wouldn't, you know, like,heck no, I'm not gonna help my
competitors get faster than Iam.
Um, so it's a fine line then I,I continually balance, but I,
and I, I wouldn't give it up foranything.
It's, uh, it's very rewarding atmultiple levels.
Ed (02:07):
And, and you did actually, uh, point to your knee after you
, uh, after your, your silvermedal.
So was that a monster or wasthat marketing Mike, at that
point?
Were you looking after yourbusiness interest?
What was your decision makingalong, along those lines?
You know, being the, the onlyathlete there where your
prosthesis was visible?
Mike (02:24):
Yeah, that, so that there's, there's a couple
reasons for that.
You know, the, the other guysthat I was raised for, like Ty
Turner, he was on our equipment,you know, he just uses the feet.
Um, so that's obviously notgonna be visible.
Yeah.
Who, uh, yeah, Ty Turner and,uh, Woo.
Yeah, he was ak, but you know,he didn't show up.
But for me personally, like I, Ilike showing my equipment
(02:45):
because it, it shows the viewerswhat they're, what they're
watching, you know, if they cansee that I have a prosthetic
leg, you know, from my kneedown, it, it changes their,
their thought processors ortheir perspective of what
they're watching if they, youknow, they see a guy who is
fully covered, they like, don'tknow what his disability is.
(03:06):
So when they watch me, they cansee, yeah, I'm, I'm an above
knee amputee, and wow, look athim, fly over those jumps and
those rollers and flying downthe course.
So it just helps our sport in mymind.
Uh, it helps the audienceunderstand what they're
watching.
And then of course, you know, mebeing the designer and builder
of this equipment, I'm like,yeah, I wanna, I wanna show it
(03:27):
off.
It's, it's cool stuff.
Ed (03:30):
Absolutely.
So, you know, we, you sort ofalready, you know, mentioned
that, uh, Pyeongchang 2018Olympics, but you know, you,
you, you decided you're gonnapursue this dream, but then you
hit 2015, you hit a little bitof a bump in the road.
So, you know, I, I think youwrote that you were kind of had
to make a decision, am I reallycommitted to going for the
higher Olympic dream or, or not.
(03:50):
So can you talk a little bitabout kind of how that went and
the setback and how you onceagain, you know, got your dreams
back on track?
Mike (03:57):
Yeah.
2015, I was, uh, racing bordercross at the Winter X Games, and
I ended up coming up short on abig 50 some foot double.
And I, I landed on the deck ofthe landing and shattered my
heel, my calcaneus into a, a 15pieces or so.
(04:18):
And, um, I had surgery on it andthey tried to put it back
together.
I had the best foot surgeon inthe world in my mind, trying to
put me back together.
And he's like, it's gonna be along road, but we're gonna do
everything we can to keep yougoing.
And, and I was in so much painfrom that injury.
I, I, every step I took for the,basically the entire year after
(04:38):
that, it, it was painful.
And so it took the fun right outof it.
I was barely able to snowboard.
I could get up on it a littlebit.
I continued with the race team,but I was not sure if, if it was
worth the effort cuz it was souncomfortable.
I ended up getting anothersurgery the following spring,
which, which helped out therange of motion I had, and it
relieved a lot of the pain.
(04:59):
And so then I decided, well, Icould still do it.
So this is, you know, the injurywas 15 and then, so we're going
into the 16, 17 year and like, Idon't know, this is, you know,
there, there's no money to bemade in Paralympic snowboarding,
not at the beginning anyways.
And it's like an enormous amountof time and effort time away
from my family.
I'm like, I just, I didn't knowif it was worth it, but man, I
(05:22):
am glad that, uh, Sarah and Idecided, you know, going into
the 17, 18 season that, yep,we're, we're on board.
We gotta make the most of it.
I had an amazing season thatyear going into the Pyeongchang
games.
I went undefeated in bordercross and then, uh, was one of
the top in, in banks slalom.
And I, I won the, the twooverall globes for border cross
(05:44):
and Bank slalom.
So going into Pyeongchang was,uh, I had a lot of momentum and
I was smiling and it was anincredible experience.
I, um, at that time it washead-to-head racing for our
class.
It was only two at a time.
I faced off against Netherlands,Chris Voss.
And, uh, yeah, he made a smallmistake in the, the, the first
stretch.
And I was able to take the leadand, uh, came home with a gold.
(06:06):
And I, I tell you what, crossingthat finish line was, wow, that
was a powerful moment.
It, it didn't have as much to dowith the sport of snowboarding
as it did about the entire bigpicture and the journey that I
went through to get to thatmoment.
And then being able to performmy best when the pressure of the
(06:26):
world was on in that moment.
And yeah, it was, it was reallyincredible.
Ed (06:31):
And, and you obviously to that point, you've been part of
a lot of kind of big experience.
You've been a professionalathlete in motor sports, you'd
been to Winter X Games, you'vebeen to Summer X Games.
So at that point you've had allthese big experience.
How, how did, how was theParalympics just different from
those other experience?
Or was it?
Mike (06:47):
Uh, it was, it was incredibly different.
You know, the, the mindset, thecompetitive mindset was very
similar.
You know, I'm there to perform aspecific task, you know,
snowboarding at my best, so Ihave my routine, but the scope
of it, you know, representingthe red, white and blue, Team
USA in front of the world, thatwas so much bigger than than
(07:09):
anything else.
Uh, I mean, the X Games arehuge, don't get me wrong.
That is a huge event.
But when you bring the entireworld together to compete
against each other, there's somuch more weight involved with
it.
And just being at the venue, atthe games, the money and the
effort spent by everybody to getthere.
And we only got a shot at itonce in four years.
(07:32):
So that buildup puts it in anincredible amount of, of weight
to it.
You know, you're training forone, one specific event, one
outta four years.
And so
happen, or it's a long wait forthe next one.
Ed (07:48):
Well, and it's especially, you know, I, for a lot of
Olympic athletes who are insports that aren't on TV every
day, that's the one timeeverybody else is watching and
that's what they're gonnaremember.
They're not gonna remember theWorld Cup victories and some of
these other things.
Everybody's focused on theOlympics.
So it is one of those thingswhere, you know, you know, your
country's watching you, whereasthey may not be at other times,
you know, and, and sort ofconnected to that, when did you
(08:10):
find out that you were inconsideration for being the Team
USA flag bearer at those games?
Mike (08:16):
Yeah, that was, that was, uh,another, uh, surprise, an
unbelievable experience.
So yeah, they, uh, basicallythe, the nations choose their,
their flag bearers for openingceremony, you know, like the
week ahead of time.
Uh, I think it was about a weekbefore.
And so each one of the sportsfrom the teams chooses one
(08:37):
person to represent'em, and thenthey vote, then the entire group
votes on who they think bestfits it.
And
So I, you know, I was one of thenominees, I knew that for, you
know, a few days.
And so I was supposed toprepare, you know, kind of a, a
resume for it, why, why I shouldbe, be chosen as, you know, the
flag bearer.
(08:57):
And so I was supposed to discussthis with my teammate, who's our
team representative, Mike Shaa.
And, uh, you know, I got, I gottied up doing all this.
I totally forgot about it.
And I knew he was having ameeting and then all of a sudden
my teammate Keith Gable comes inand uh, he's like, yeah, I was
just at the, the nation'smeeting for the flag bearers.
And, um, well, I don't think itwent well cuz, you know, I was
(09:19):
discussing him about me being anominee and, and then I'm like,
oh crap, I was supposed to getall this information to Mike.
And, uh, so I just feltdeflated.
I felt like I totally droppedthe ball.
And then he is like, well,Mike's over in the room, across
the, across the hall, let's gotalk to'em, see how it went.
So I went in there, opened thedoor up, and our entire
(09:39):
snowboard team was in there andthey all announced that I was, I
was, uh, named flag bearer forTeam USA and
My jaw just fell to the floorand I, I just felt so grateful.
And yeah, it was, because it'ssuch a big deal to represent
your team.
It it, it shows that they lookat you as, as a leader, as
(10:03):
someone they want to representthe rest of the team.
And so, I mean, it has anenormous weight behind it.
And, you know, for me, I'm verypatriotic.
I look at our, our red, whiteand blue and I love what it
stands for.
You know, so many times I lookat the flag and I think about
all the veterans that I'vehelped a along the way with my
company BioDapt and the trooptours that I went on and
(10:24):
visiting our troops around theworld at different military
bases.
And, you know, that's, that'swhat I think about when I, when
I look at the flag.
And to be able to carry itthrough in front of the world
was, uh, that was a verypowerful thing to be able to be
part of.
Ed (10:37):
So you mentioned that, you know, one of the, the cool
things about that games was youwere able to go into that games
feeling like you're kind of ontop of your game and, and then
compete your best, you know,under that, under that kind of
pressure.
So take us through thatsnowboard cross event and, and
kind of how that went.
Is it one of those things whereyou kind of remember every tiny
detail or is it kind of a blurwhen when you look back?
Mike (10:58):
It was, it was a bit of a blur.
I mean, it was such cutthroatcompetition cause it was bracket
racing and I had to line upagainst all my teammates and end
up winning and knocking him out.
Basically.
My teammate Noah, he wasprobably my biggest threat.
Um, I ended up passing him andbumped him down into the small
final and then the gold medalrun with me and Voss was, uh,
(11:21):
exciting, but, you know, itwasn't a close race cause he
made a mistake going down thefirst stretch.
So basically I just had to stayup
finish line.
And, and man, that was the mostdifficult run I've ever had to
make down the course.
And I was, you know, I, I had,uh, a really big lead after he
fell and
Don't miss any gates.
(11:42):
Don't crash.
Just make it across the line.
Yeah.
And you know, it, it was kind ofa blur, but there's a couple
things that stand out.
We had, uh, you know, we wereabout three quarters of the way
through the qualifying and therewas a, a start gate malfunction
that basically paused our entireevent for like two hours.
And it's like, oh man.
(12:02):
And me being the Mr.
Fixit so to speak, I'm, I'mwatching him, you know, work on
this gate and I'm like, I justlet me gimme some tools.
I can fix this.
Let's keep this, let's keep thisrace going.
But they ended up, you know,changing the way they used the
start, they used bungee cordstart, which was a little janky,
but you know, it got the jobdone.
And I preferred doing that overlike canceling the race or
(12:22):
whatever they were talking aboutdoing.
Cuz it was like, they wereactually talking about taking
qualifying times as our finish.
And that would've been horriblefor me because I, I made a
mistake in my qualifying run.
But anyways, it all worked out.
There was, you know, there waslots of drama throughout the day
with the start gate malfunctionand, you know, just the
head-to-head competition.
But, uh, overall, you know,looking back at 2018, it was
(12:45):
like, it couldn't have went anybetter.
I took Silver in Banks Slalom.
Uh, it took silver behind myteammate Noah, who was wearing
my moto knee, which was a reallyspecial moment for me and my
company.
You know, him being able to beon top with me standing next to
him was, uh, it was great.
I, you know, I could have easilybeen content and rode away into
(13:08):
the sunset and hung up my raceboard, you know, cause at that
time I was 36 years old.
Like, yeah, I, you know, I'vecompeted for 20 years already,
or nearly 20 years.
I'm, this would be a great wayto, to put an ending to my
competitive career.
Ed (13:23):
So you, uh, I believe 2018 was when you won the ESPY award.
When did you find out aboutthat?
How did that whole process comeabout?
Mike (13:30):
Yeah, I got, I got an email in say it was June, you
know, it was about a monthbefore the sbs.
I, I was, I'm definitely awareof the sbs.
I watched'em occasionally.
And so yeah, I got an email frommy publicist and I found out
about a month ahead of time thatI was a nominee.
And they're like, how'd you liketo come join us down at the
ESPYs in in LA?
(13:50):
I'm like, yeah, yeah,absolutely.
So my wife and I, we ended upgoing there and what a great
experience.
I mean, they had the red carpetand all the best of the best
athletes from the US.
Uh, I mean, we're talking allsports, we're talking big
hitters and you know, baseballand football and basketball and
you know, all the mainstreamsports and so many other famous
(14:13):
people that, uh, and theirentourages that come there and,
you know, they get all dolled upand, you know, they're fine
suits.
And it was just a, a really neatthing to be part of, aside from
the fact that that I, I ended upwinning.
But you know, just being, to bethere and experience it with
that level of athletes andpeople was, uh, that was a wow
(14:34):
moment
Ed (14:36):
So that that could have been your, your career capper right
there.
If you, if you let it, you couldhave just announced your
retirement and taken your ESPYand
sunset.
And that's of course not whathappened.
So talk about the decision tocome back in 2022 and how that
came about.
Mike (14:50):
I, you know, the, that summer I was like, this, this
has been so great.
I don't want to diminish what Ijust did by hanging out and
continuing and, and not have theperformance, you know, ending on
a high note is worth a lot, butthen I'm a competitor.
Like I've got, I've got a fewboxes that I have to check in
(15:11):
order to pursue, you know,whatever I'm looking at, whether
it's business or or sportcompetition.
It's like, I've gotta be havingfun.
I've gotta be competitive andit's gotta be financially
worthwhile.
And I am like, it's stillchecking these boxes.
I'm still competitive, you know,at this time I'm, I've got some
momentum so I might as well takeadvantage of it as far as the
(15:33):
the sponsorship side and youknow, the financial side of it,
you know, after I did well atthe games.
And so I'm like, let's just keepriding it.
And I went full bore for thenext four years and uh, you
know, I took a little bit oftime off to get some things
sorted after, you know, thecrazy year of travel going into
the games.
But the longer I, I'm anathlete, the more I appreciate
(15:56):
what I'm able to do and if I'mstill enjoying myself.
It's such an amazing lifestyleto, to continue with and I'm
like, let's, let's do it.
And
next four years.
The level of competitiveness andall the athletes just grew
exponentially.
We ended up racing four wideinstead of head to head like we
(16:18):
did in 2018.
And there was a few moreathletes in all the classes and
you know, everybody just raisedthe bar so much.
So it was more difficult to beconsistent and competitive.
So yeah, we get to Beijing andit was like, I know I'm
competitive, but it's likeinstead of, you know, the
differences being a half asecond or a second, like the
(16:40):
last games, like we're we'recompeting for tenths or
hundredths of seconds in everyrace.
So it's so close and exciting.
And Beijing, you know, gettingthere and seeing the competition
venues, they were incredible.
They were fun to ride and it wasgame on.
It was, uh,
Yeah, it was an incredibleexperience.
Ed (17:00):
So, uh, I think at your first games in 2018, I think
your daughter would've beenmaybe five or six.
So this time she was a littlebit older.
How much did her being able tosee you compete in the
Paralympics with, you know,maybe a little bit better chance
of actually having memories ofthat, uh, you know, how much was
that a part of your decision oryour enjoyment of that
experience?
Mike (17:21):
Well that was one of the motivators for me to continue
was because, yeah, she was fouryears old in 2018, so she's
eight this year.
And, you know, I wanted her tobe able to come to China and,
you know, be with Sarah andcheer me on and get to
experience it in person, cuzyeah, she would definitely
remember it.
And her being a little gymnastright now, she, you know, she's
(17:43):
such a big fan of all the TeamUSA gymnasts and so she has that
personal connection in her owneyes beyond me.
And so I, I was looking soforward to having them there
with me.
Uh, but obviously with, withCovid restrictions, you know,
nobody was able to to be a, aspectator there other than the
Chinese people.
(18:04):
So that was a major bummer.
But another, nevertheless, likeshe got to experience some
really cool things back herewith watch parties here at the
house with friends and family.
And then they ended up going toUtah for the Team USA watch
party where a bunch of the otherathletes families were hanging
out and watching.
So they definitely got toexperience it and she's, she's a
(18:24):
little Team USA super fan and Ithink she will be for life after
growing up, you know, aroundthis.
So that's one of the very proudthings that I get to share with
her, um, that she, you know,will, will, uh, impact her for
the rest of her life.
Ed (18:39):
That's amazing.
That's, that's great that she'skind of inherited some of that
same, you know, drive and, andcompetitive nature and maybe,
you know, balanced out with alittle bit of mom's more
cautious approach to things as acenter for independent living,
what Abilities in Motion.
One of the things we do is helppeople find what their dream is
and what their vision is forthemselves.
And then set goals, find a planto make those goals a reality
(19:02):
and, and follow that plan andfind the support to do it.
So I, I think maybe ourlisteners would be interested in
hearing a little bit about kindof what is your process for
doing that?
You've done that over and overand over again where you've had
a dream, an idea, a glimmerspark, and you've managed to
turn that into the reality in an, in an amazing competitive
career and amazing experiences.
So can you share a little bitabout what your process is?
(19:22):
Do you, are you one of thosepeople who sits down and writes
your goals down and puts'em onthe wall, you know, kind of what
is your process?
Mike (19:28):
Yeah, it's definitely process.
Um,
professional career.
You know, I look at it, I, I tryand simplify things as simple as
I can from the beginning.
You know, I, I establish what mygoal is, which isn't always
crystal clear, you know,depending on what you're trying
(19:48):
to accomplish.
You know, you really have tofigure out exactly what you
wanna accomplish short-term andlong-term.
And then I figure out the stepsrequired in order to achieve
that.
For example, you know, my goalwas Summer X Game super cost.
Well, what did I have to do?
I had to get my equipment set upright so I could, you know,
(20:08):
actually ride the bike andfigure out the steps of
qualifying and practice andtraining.
You know, like just you kind of,you start at your goal and then
you, you work backward fromthere and the steps.
And then, you know, the thirdstep is creating a plan of
action to accomplish those stepsneeded.
And then the fourth piece isjust to do it, put the work in
(20:31):
and be relentless with, uh, youknow, your pursuit of that goal
and, and know that no, it, it'snot always gonna work out
perfectly.
And the thing is, is when youfail, there's, there's lots to
be learned from it from that,those failures or those, those
hiccups or those, uh, momentsthat send you backward again,
(20:51):
it's like you can't get upsetwith it.
You have to process it andfigure out what you did wrong or
what you needed to do differentor in addition to, and then
start over.
And so once you go through thatprocess a few times, you start
to get the hang of it and you,it, it starts to change your
perspective in how you approacha challenge in front of you.
(21:12):
And you know, when you put thatamount of work and effort into
it trying to achieve something,and then you finally achieve it,
that's a moment you'll neverforget.
And I tell you what, the harderyou work for something, the more
impressive it is and the betterthe feeling when you finally get
there.
Ed (21:28):
Yeah.
I, I feel like sometimes the,the things that come with the
problems that you have toovercome, when you are able to
overcome them, it feels evenbetter.
And sometimes it's hard toappreciate those problems when
they, when they crop up untilyou've done it a few times and
you're like, okay, I, I knowwhat's going on here.
I've been down this road before.
Mike (21:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
And, and it's the, I probablythe biggest thing out of, you
know, that whole process ispaying attention to the details,
whether they're positive ornegative, pay attention to'em
and just learn what you can from'em.
And, um, and there it is.
That's, that's the
Ed (22:02):
So if people wanna learn more about the secret sauce,
they can open the pages of your,of your book, which came out
right before the Olympics.
So you did one of those thingswhere you left some chapters out
that you were able to experienceand live and add to the book for
later.
So we'll have to wait for likethe sequel or the second volume.
But the book is Driven to Ride,the full title is Driven to
Ride (22:22):
The True Story of an Elite Athlete Who Rebuilt His Leg, His
Life and His Career.
So that came out, you know,right before the Beijing,
Beijing Olympics.
And so how was it, you know,having all that going on as
you're trying to prepare for, tocompete at a top level in the
Olympic Games?
Mike (22:36):
Oh, that was a whirlwind.
Lemme tell you,
that moment, and it's, uh, I hada, a window of launching the
book with my publishing company.
I knew I wanted to do itsometime between the Olympics
and Paralympics.
And, uh, it ended up, you know,being that we had to do it in
(22:56):
late January, right in my primecompetitive timeframe.
And so I was actually in, uh,what was it, Norway, when the
book launched.
And, uh, it was pretty fun.
I got to do a morning show toannounce it and share it with
the, you know, on national tv.
So that was, uh, that was a lotof fun.
But it, yeah, it, I mean sincethen it's been such a whirlwind
(23:18):
with the games and, you know,post games, different media ops
and sponsor obligations and thebook side of things.
So it's just, uh, you know, wedidn't hit it as hard as I, I
would've liked to as far asmarketing the book and getting
it out to people.
But, you know, it's, uh, notenough time in the day, but
we're gonna, we we'recontinually trying to push it
(23:38):
out and, uh, you know, gettingsome great feedback from
everybody who's been reading itand, you know, I'm obviously
biased, but, uh, you know, it's,it's a, it's an adventure.
It's a true page turner, and itwas, uh, you know, one of the
highlights of of mine to be ableto accomplish that book and
share my story with everybody.
So I, I really appreciate youguys checking it out.
(23:59):
You can go to Amazon and get itoff there, or Barnes and Noble
Target, and then there's,there's a few bookstores
scattered around the countrythat has it.
But, uh, online's your best bet.
Ed (24:09):
I I, I'd love to tell you that I'm an unbiased, uh,
reviewer who will tell you it,it's a terrific read and I
highly recommend it.
And I did read it.
I'm not quite done with it yet,but I'm most of the way through
and looking forward to readingthe rest and also looking
forward to reading the nextchapters that are coming ahead.
So do you have any idea yet whatthose, what those additional
chapters that eventually you'regonna have to write and add to
(24:29):
the book might be, and, and howdoes kind of, um, monster Mike
the competitor figure into that?
Mike (24:34):
Well, the door has been left open once again, I just,
uh, signed with the US ParaSnowboard team for another
season.
So, um, not hanging up the, therace boots yet beyond this year,
you know, who knows.
But, uh, you know, I, I've, I'vetaken this summer some extra
time to, to myself and with myfamily this summer to, uh, you
(24:55):
know, catch up on a lot of lotof things like that, you know,
um, at home here with thehorses.
And we're gonna continue to pushwith BioDapt.
We've got a lot of stuff on thedrawing board for the future
components and, and projects and, uh, yeah, we'll, we'll see.
I'll definitely be at, on theWorld Cup tour at some level
this year with Team USA on mysnowboard.
(25:16):
So, um, yeah, if you wanna tagalong, check out my, uh, social
media sites monster, MikeSchultz on Instagram and
Facebook, and you can keep up onthe, you know, where I'm at in
the world.
Ed (25:28):
Please check out Mike's story and, and have a look at
his book.
It's, it's fantastic.
Mike Schultz, is there anythingelse you'd like people to know
before we wrap this up?
Mike (25:37):
Yeah, I, I just appreciate the opportunity to get here and
chat with you guys andhopefully, you know, uh, shared
some insight on some, somestoryline stuff and motivation
and yeah, it's, uh, just wishingyou all the best and be go
getters out there.
Challenge yourself to somethingnew and, uh, if you enjoy doing
it, it's worth doing.
So, um, yeah, thanks again, Edand Abilities in Motion
(25:59):
appreciate what you guys aredoing and, and helping other
people with disabilities to, toget out and about and experience
more and better things.
And yeah, it's an awesomeprogram that you guys have and I
appreciate being part of ittoday.
Ed (26:11):
Thanks, Mike.
I, I feel like we're the, thefortunate ones to get to talk to
you and, and share your storywith our listeners, so wish you
the, the best at with whateverthe next thing is and look
forward to, to hearing orreading about it down the road.
Mike (26:23):
Alright.
Thanks a lot guys.
Have a good day.
Ed (26:25):
Take care.
Outro (26:49):
Thanks for tuning in to this episode 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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