Monster Mike Schultz - Part One

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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Transcript

Intro: 0:02

Welcome to Disability Talks, a podcast produced by Abilities in Motion. I'm your host Ed Granger. Join us to encounter unique perspectives on accessibility and independence, and to hear stories from everyday people living their most independent everyday lives where essential conversations find their place. Let's talk.

Ed: 0:23

When I first encountered today's guest, he was about to launch himself down a mountain in the metal finals of the snowboard cross event at the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing. And this was in March. So the announcer introduces Mike from St. Cloud, Minnesota, the defending champion, and the graphic tells us that Mike is 40 years old and that the three men he will be racing against for the Olympic medal are 33, 26, and 24 years old. So the, the race starts and halfway down the course, Mike's in fourth place, and then all of a sudden he makes an incredible inside move on one turn that sends him forward into second place, which is where he finishes behind the favorite Tyler Turner of Canada, who the commentator tells us partway down the course is racing on prosthetic feet that Mike has designed. That's when I discovered that Mike Schultz is the kind of person who has always found a way to win, even while finishing second. So speaking as a genuine fan, it is my honor to welcome Mike Schultz to the podcast. Mike, welcome.

Mike: 1:19

Hey, how, how are we all doing?

Ed: 1:21

So, Mike, can you just take us back, you know, that moment at the top of the hill when you're about to sort of launch yourself, you're getting ready, you slap yourself in the head, you know, to sort of wake up there. And, uh, you know, in many ways this was the, the culmination of a really remarkable journey, which of, of course, we're gonna delve into. So for you, did that feel like kind of a crossroads or a place your life had been pointing, you know, for a long time? Or are you just so focused on the race in front of you in that moment that you're not sort of doing that kind of reflection?

Mike: 1:47

I, yeah, I mean, leading up into the, the gold medal final or the big final for Board Cross, I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm focused in the moment a hundred percent. But there is that, uh, that time between the qualifying and the big, the big final when I'm there is some reflection there thinking about, wow, what, what an incredible ride. Here I am at my second Paralympics, you know, surrounded by athletes from around the world, many of'em using my equipment that I built in my shop. And no matter how this race finishes, 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 this gate and go for the win<laugh>.

Ed: 2:31

So when you're, when you're, uh, partway down the course and you're in fourth place, what are you sort of focused on then, and what, how does your decision making process as just a super competitive racer, you know, how does that kick in there?

Mike: 2:42

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 second straightaway in fourth place. Everybody's ahead of me and I'm like, oh man, I, I gotta do, do some, I gotta do something, something here. Definitely gotta find my line. And, you know, I kind of get almost, uh, tunnel vision at that point in time to where I'm just like so focused on finding that opening to make a move. Cuz you know, our, our races are about a, you know, a minute, minute, 20 seconds long. I can't remember exactly what that race was, but it's, it's a very short amount of time to make a lot happen. And, uh, I saw an opening and I'm like, all right, it's 50/50 if I'm gonna make it out of this turn or not, because it was getting pretty, pretty thin on my way into turn two. But, uh, you know, I found my line held, held my edge, and was able to make a couple passes and exit in the second place and, and, uh, follow it there all the way to the finish line.

Ed: 3:47

Yeah, it looked like one of those turns where there, you know, three guys went in and probably only two were coming out, and fortunately you were one of them. Yeah,

Mike: 3:53

Absolutely. Yeah, it's like, all right, be ready for anything, be stacked over my snowboard and just hold my line. If I bump somebody or somebody bumps me, I, you know, mentally I need to be prepared for that so I can react. So it's just like, hold strong<laugh>.

Ed: 4:08

So at the end, you're, you're, you're down at the bottom of the hill and you've got the silver medal, obviously you're related and you're on the camera. And after, you know, while you're celebrating and you're on the camera, you pointed toward the lower limb prosthesis that you had designed and built. And unlike the other three athletes with you, yours was not covered by your, your pants leg. And I believe all four of you were using one or more of your prosthetic devices, knees, feet. And, and that story of that mechanical equipment that you designed and built is so closely intertwined with your story as both an athlete and a person. Can you take our listeners back to kind of how that story of that prosthesis started and became a part of your story?

Mike: 4:46

Yeah, so that, that, yeah, that goes a ways back and it's actually, you know, the prosthetic equipment is the reason I got into snowboard racing. So, you know, backing it up, I was 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 know, between eight and 12 riders on course at a time, you know, just jockeying for track position and intense racing. And I ended up having, uh, an incident during a competition on the national tour in northern Michigan. I was thrown from my machine and landed feet first, and on impact, I ended up hyperextending my left leg 180 degrees in the wrong direction, which caused a compound fracture and severed one of the main arteries and the main nerve that supplies my lower limb. And, um, I was, uh, extremely lucky to make it through it. fast forwarding through some of the gory stuff, but, um, yeah, I got to the hospital and, you know, the doctors did everything they could to try and save it and regain circulation and nerve function, but, you know, pretty quickly within the second and third day realized that, you know, they, they just couldn't, they couldn't get it back together. My kidneys started shutting down and my overall health was deteriorating, uh, very rapidly. So in that moment, they, uh, talked with me and my wife Sarah, and the rest of my family, and just 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 amputation as a professional athlete was, uh, was a gut punch for sure. And, you know, at that point I was focused on survival, but very quickly after it hit me like, my life is gonna change. I'm not gonna be able to do the things that I love most anymore, or, you know, or, so I thought at that moment in time. I spent 14 days in the hospital and recovered fairly quickly health-wise, uh, because I was in, in really good physical condition at that moment in time, you know, during my professional career, got up on my, my everyday walking prosthesis about five and a half weeks after the amputation, and I'm like, okay, I got this walking, figured out what's next? I wanna get back to the fun stuff. And, uh, you know, I did a whole bunch of research on prosthetic equipment that was available for sports, and it was very limited, and especially for like, motocross and snowmobile riding. And so that's when the wheels started turning. I mean, this is just, uh, you know, a couple months after, you know, getting outta the hospital and I took this as well, there's lots of room for improvement. I need something to put my time and effort and focus in on. And I, I think I, I can build something. I think I can build something better than is available, you know, utilizing my past experiences, working in the shop on racing equipment and suspension com components, and, you know, just welding and fabricating. I'm like, yep, I'm gonna, I'm gonna design my own.

Ed: 7:56

Going back even a little bit farther, you grew up as a motor sports person and, and those mechanical skills were, you know, were something you grew up learning and doing. Um, you were, uh, you grew up on a farm, you know, you were doing bmx, uh, you rode three wheelers, four wheelers. You even, um, created your own go-karts and, and you had a motocross track of your own to learn on. So that motorsports piece and the mechanical stuff was pretty deeply ingrained by that point.

Mike: 8:20

Yeah, absolutely. I, you know, as far back as I can remember, I was always the type of person that would always try and figure out how something worked and then try and make it better, faster, stronger, and, uh, yeah. So, you know, through my entire teenage years and adult life, I, I'm always trying to, to build and create and make things better and faster. And so it's just been a whole lifetime of experience of solving problems, so to speak, in the mechanical sense.

Ed: 8:51

And if I remember correctly, reading your amazing book, which obviously I, I highly recommend Driven to Ride, uh, which you can talk more about later, there's a, a section in there where you write that your mom actually predicted when you had made that difficult decision that amputation was the route to go. She predicted that you would design a high tech prosthesis that would be better than what was already out there. What does it make you feel to like, look back on that and look where, what, what ultimately happened?

Mike: 9:17

Yeah, that was, that was a pretty cool moment. You know, that discussion or that, that specific comment definitely followed through. And my mom knows that I'm a go-getter and I'm a, a problem solver. So, um, she could definitely see that in me, you know, my entire life. So this would just be another problem to solve.

Ed: 9:37

And I, I think when you were sort of in the recovery phase, you write about getting back on your race snowmobile just to go and collect the mail, and that's sort of giving you, just riding up and down the driveway kind of a sense of, uh, regaining, you know, some of your independence. Can you talk a little bit about what that moment meant to you?

Mike: 9:53

Yeah, so many people with disabilities, like the first or most important thing is, uh, you know, to try and become independent, being able to move and do the things that you want. And so as soon as I was physically able to, it's like, I gotta get out of this house, I gotta move around. And, uh, yeah, of course my motivation was I had to go down and get the mail and I wasn't gonna crutch through the snow. So, you know, I go to my, my garage and line up my snowmobile to go out the door and end up getting stuck on a patch of ice right out the door. And<laugh> find myself in a tough spot real quick. And uh, you know, instead of getting ma I got mad there for, you know, a few minutes and then I'm like, dude, what are you doing? And then the mood lightened up, I'm like, I'm gonna go ride my snowmobile. And uh, you know, I worked on getting it moved out off the ice patch and, you know, probably fell down a couple times as I'm trying to, you know, yank this 500 pound snowmobile around. But as soon as I got going, riding that smile came instantly and realized that, okay, maybe I don't need to be flying through the air doing 80 miles an hour on it, but I need to be on it. This is what I love to do and I enjoy the challenge of it all. So that was kind of a, I don't know if you call it a turning point, but it was a big moment in realization that, uh, yeah, maybe I don't have to race, but I wanna ride and I will be able to ride. I just have to figure out the right tools to help me do so.

Ed: 11:25

And you mentioned that, you know, the, the first prosthesis that you had that you realized wasn't gonna get you ultimately where you wanted to go. I mean, it sounds like at the beginning the goal was just to be upright again. And then as you're sort of further along in your recovery, that starts not to be enough for you anymore. Like when did you decide that that's not enough, I want more and I'm gonna figure out a way to make it happen?

Mike: 11:45

<laugh> Well, yeah, stuff happened so fast the months following, so after my amputation, I got, got physically able to be up and moving. Um, I went back to work for my race team as a riding coach and eventually, you know, I ended up getting on one of their snowmobiles and taking some laps around the practice course and I'm like, wow, this is so much fun. And it isn't about how fast I'm going, it's about the challenge that I'm pursuing. And I, I, I, as soon as I got my, my prosthesis, I started riding, I was actually riding a little bit before I had my prosthesis, the original one, and then I got my new leg, my walking leg, and it just kind of flopped around all over the place cuz there was no like resistance there to keep it from flexing. So when I'd be flying through the air, it would be bouncing around, coming off the running board. And yeah, so it was in March, it the, you know, just three months basically after my injury happened where I'm like, I need something better. And about that time I found out about the Summer X Games was hosting Adaptive Supercross, which is a motocross race for amputees and paraplegics. And once I heard of that, then it 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 in July and so I had a short amount of time to try and figure it all out and learn how to ride again, end up, uh, you know, it's my left side that I'm amputee on. So that's my shifting side. So I had to figure out the electric shift system since I couldn't move my ankle to shift the bike, the transmission. So there's a lot of steps to the process to get back on my motocross bike that spring. It was the shifter, it was the foot peg and the prosthesis. And so I fully went mad scientist in my shop and I'm like, this is, this is something I wanna work on. And at that, at that point in time, it was just for me to get back into action. And then over the course of the following summer, you know, the summer of 2009, I started to meet up with a lot of other amputees while I was pursuing this adaptive X Games and, and they're all using their everyday equipment for the most part. And, uh, so then at that point the wheels started turning, I'm like, well, maybe, maybe I should think bigger, but first I gotta get figured out for my myself.

Ed: 14:11

So you used, um, mountain bike shock, I think, and got the idea for that. And obviously that hadn't occurred to anybody before, but to hear you're drawing on sort of all your, your previous experience with, with machines and 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 start with. And basically I am trying to create a suspension component for my body. Our legs and our quadricep muscles, they act as shock absorbers. You know, when we go over rough terrain or we jump up and down, they're basically shock absorbers. And so I'm very familiar with suspension components on my bikes and snowmobiles, and I knew that I wanted to use, use this fox mountain bike shock as the shock absorber component. And so I figured out the range of motion I needed for my knee joint, which is about 130 degrees. And I wanted to build it around, this is about seven and a half inch long mountain bike shock with two inches stroke travel. And the, the difficult part was creating a linkage system that would make it feel natural. So I spent about five, six weeks on the drawing board and then another week in the shop to build the first prototype. And when I got it all put together, you know, the excitement was building so much over that week in the shop and to finally put the last nuts and bolts and components together, I 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 bike and took it for a ride for that first time with this new leg. And it was just the most incredible feeling ever. It was like, oh man, this thing is so awesome. I'm, you know, riding down the trail next to my property over this whoop section. It's all rough and rutted out and I'm able to stand up balance side to side and just, just twist the throttle and just have an amazing time. And I knew at that time it's like, X Games, here we come, I'm going<laugh>.

Ed: 16:10

That's amazing. I mean, you know, so the, the old actual competitive fires coming back. So first it's, it's one step at a time. So it's, I wanna be able to, you know, have this experience again, now you kind of want to go win stuff and you're trying to find a way to, to do that because that co that competitive fire is still in there. And now it's sort of, uh, it's sort of driving what's following. So I guess you had a, an experience it sounds like, where your, your moto knee that you developed and you know, you have this company BioDapt and this is kind of the, the seminal part of that, um, that emerging. But you figured you need a, a better foot design. So tell us about that part of the 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 up qualifying to go to the summer X Games. And seven months after my injury happened, I'm racing on this most incredible supercross course that I've ever ridden on. And I ended up finishing second place with a silver medal. And during that race I came up short on a big 90 foot jump and the foot broke the carbon fiber in it just, just snapped on impact. And so I, um, I had some issues the last couple laps with my foot sliding off the foot peg and I'm like, oh, hold together, hold together and, and was able to finish with, with the silver. And then I'm like, man, I gotta figure out the next step here, which is the foot, uh, foot to hold up to the impacts. And then later on that year, got back on my snowmobile again and needed an ankle system that would flex while I'm standing up and sitting down on the running board. And so I started the Versa foot project. It would've been in the, the fall, late fall of 2009, I believe it was. And so, so yeah, that was the start of, you know, the complete system, the moto knee in Versa foot. And then, uh, the following spring 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, you know, I was at the peak of my career. I, I, uh, I had a bit of a rough season leading into that, but I, I knew there was, there was more to come. I knew, I knew if I had the right setup and the right team and the right equipment and the right mindset, I, I definitely the best was yet to come and then got injured. So I was still very much in the game when my injury happened and, uh, I, you know, I'm, I'm a competitor through and through and this was an opportunity for me to continue with being a competitor, but also have the other side of it that would be a little more longer term with creating a business with the intent of creating the highest performance, lower limb prosthetic equipment for action sports. So I was like, this whole new world just opened up within the last year, year and a half after my accident.

Ed: 18:58

So it seems like you have trouble, uh, winning a race without some kind of drama going on, or, or having something that you, that like sets you off on a new problem solving course. So first you have your, you know, your second place on your, you know, this new design that you've created and you realize the foot's not quite working and then you get to the Summer X Games and it, that brings its own share of drama. So take us through kind of that 2010 Summer X Games and, and the what happened there?

Mike: 19:22

Yeah, like you said, drama<laugh>, always drama happening. Uh, so yeah, going into to my second year Summer X Games, like I was, you know, the first year I was like, excited to be there. The second year in 2010 I'm like, I want the gold. I I want to go for gold this year. And so my training program was amped up. I knew what to expect and I had my versa foot. And um, I had the second generation moto knee prototype at that point yet. And, uh, yeah, it was, it was another incredibly difficult course, huge jumps. And during, um, so we get into the final and about, oh, I think I was about two thirds or three quarters of the way, no, it was the last lap. It was going into the last lap. I came up short on this big 80 foot finish line jump and I bent one of the components in the knee from the impact. And so my knee wouldn't extend all the way. It was flexed at 90 degrees. And so, like, if you know anything about motocross, the riders are standing up the majority of the time, you know, other than in the corners<laugh>. And so I had to go a whole nother lap around this course with, with one leg basically, cuz the other one was, was compressed. And, and I couldn't put any weight on it, so I'm like limping it through literally the last lap. I had a good lead when I started it, but by the end, by the end I came across the finish line. The second place guy was, was only like two bike lengths behind me. It was, uh,<laugh>, it was a nail biter. I was, uh, I was pretty pumped to be able to finish the, you know, across the finish line with 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, to the Knicks and you, you finally get that gold medal, but there's already sort of percolating, it sounds like some idea that maybe this thing that you've designed can be, uh, adapted to other sports and benefit other athletes. How did that sort of all come about?

Mike: 21:23

Yeah, so the company started in 2010, and when I realized I wanted to offer to other amputees, like I didn't want it to be so niche that would only work for motocross or snowmobile racing. So I kind of looked at the sports that had similar movements, you know, physical movements in'em, like mountain biking and wakeboarding, snowboarding, skiing. I'm like, okay, so how do I develop this to be versatile? So that was, you know, right from the beginning, that was the thought process was versatility. And the the cool part is it kind of forced me to learn and get into other sports specifically so I could test it out. And, uh, you know, the biggest the biggest storyline with that was, uh, me learning how to snowboard. And in 2010, 2011, I think it was January, 2011, I met a veteran, he's a above knee amputee, and he really wanted one of my knees for snowboarding. And so he is like, Hey, how, how's it work for snowboarding? And I'm like, well, I've done some wakeboarding. I haven't snowboarded at all, um, since I was like a young kid, but uh, you know, let me, let me go test it out and I'll get back to you and let you know. So following that X Games, that was Winter X Games, um, where he saw me riding and I met him. And so went home and learned how to snowboard and, you know, I took some hard falls, let me tell you to be honest. I was like, wow, this is, uh, this is not easy. But, uh, over the, you know, the following 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 door for me to work with our veterans through Walter Reed and Brook Arm Medical Center. And, um, and you know, they, those facilities at that time, so we're looking at 2011, 1213, they really showed a high interest in buying my equipment for our injured vets, which, uh, you know, for me it was, it was very 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 made your first profit. So now this thing is starting to actually maybe make some money for you. So, you know, at this point are you thinking about this business and, and building the business? Is that where your focus is at that point?

Mike: 23:43

Well, you think it should have been, huh?<laugh> but it was a, you know, I, yes, I was very much focused on the business side of it, but at the same time I was getting all this momentum with adaptive sports, uh, with the X Games, hosting summer and winter adaptive events. Um, in the summertime I was doing some, uh, wakeboard competitions with another program. So I was like, you know, I thought my competitive days were gonna be done and I'd have to get a real job and, you know, things were gonna slow down and be boring. But it just amped up over those, those few years. And, uh, the, the coolest part is, you know, both the, the BioDapt business and my athletic career were so closely intertwined. So each one helped the other. And, you know, I was just smiling because I could continue to do everything that I love to do. I am, you know, making, starting to make a little bit of money with my business and I'm, you know, making a really good positive impact on a lot of others. So, you know, I'm, I'm looking at it like this is truly a win-win situation, something really great that I was able to create out of a horrible life-changing event.

Ed: 24:49

So talk a little bit about how you built those snowboard skills, because you didn't start out with those. You, you said you'd snowboarded a few times, but what was that process like to to kind of go from being a novice to being basically a world-class snowboarder?

Mike: 25:02

Yeah, that was, uh, unexpected,<laugh> unexpected. I got talked into, uh, to doing a couple adaptive border cross races with, uh, organization that I met out of Colorado, uh, adaptive Action Sports, who's run by Dan Gale and Amy Purdy. And I be, I became really good friends with them and they, uh, were really into the board sports and they talked me into come out out and riding with their, with their group and then eventually competing at one of the national events in Copper Mountain. And, uh, right about this time we're looking at like 2013, 2014, the Paralympics opened the door for Paralympics snowboarding and, and, uh, adaptive action sports was a, a large player in trying to push that and make it happen. So I was very much aware of what the future was gonna be with adaptive snowboarding, and I'm like, I should, you know, I should check this out and, you know, if nothing else I know I'll be working with a lot of the athletes that, uh, will be competing. So I was keeping track of it, but never figured I would be a Paralympian at that point in time. Cause it was just one class for men, one class for women, and all the top athletes were bologna amputees. And I just, you know, physically I can't do the same movements as they can. So I was like, wow, I would never be a top contender. And I'm here in Minnesota, flatland U usa, so I don't have the, the tools or the environment to, you know, really train for it. But, uh, they ended up talking me into going to another border cross event after the inaugural paralympic snowboarding event in Sochi, Russia. And, uh, so a lot of the top athletes from the US team were there. Keith Gable, Evan Strong, uh, Amy Purdy and a couple others. And, you know, I, I raced in some of'em and I did, well, I, you know, I was far off their pace, but I wasn't too, too far out. And the US team coach was there during the competition and noticed me riding, and he, uh, reached out to me later that summer and said, Hey, Mike, what do you think about, you know, taking this to the Paralympics in, in 2018? And I'm like, ah, I, you know, I'm a motorsports guy. Everything that I do revolves around bikes and snowmobiles and handle bars. I don't know, I don't know if I could make that shift, but later they told me that they added more classes in the snowboard, paralympic snowboarding, and, you know, this would put me in a good position if I wanted to pursue it, you know, it would take a while. But, uh, they thought I had the, the drive and the skills to be able to learn it. And, um, I thought about it for a while with my wife Sarah, and it's like, it would be a total shift in our priority. You know, I've travel around the US all the time, but, uh, you know, traveling internationally is, is a lot different. And originally I was, I was gonna pass on it, but, uh, then I started thinking about what it would mean to represent team u s A at the games and be able to call myself a Paralympian. And then we're like, we can't pass up this opportunity. We gotta see where it can take us. So, so I called him back, I'm like, I'm in. He's like, all right, pack your bags. We're going to Europe in two weeks.<laugh>.

Ed: 28:14

Wow.

Mike: 28:15

I'm like, okay, okay,<laugh>.

Ed: 28:19

So you're always looking for an opportunity, a fork in the road, and sometimes they come up on you fast and, and you just have to decide whether you're gonna grab'em or not. And, and I know that, uh, you talk in your book about your relationship with your wife Sarah, and you know her support of you throughout everything we've really talked about. And, and somewhere you, along this line, I think 2013, there's another addition to the picture, your daughter, who I believe you referred to as a game changer when she arrived. So talk a little bit about how that 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 school sweethearts. Uh, so we've been together through everything, through the highs and lows, and so we have a really strong bond together. And there was, uh, some heavy conversations when I decided to start getting back into, to racing and competing after my amputation. You know, I almost, I almost lost my life due to it. But we both absolutely love the lifestyle of training and competing and traveling the world with like-minded individuals. It's, uh, not many people get to experience what that really means. And we didn't wanna give it up. We didn't wanna walk away. So, you know, we decided that we're gonna take it slow and, uh, methodical, calculated risks. So<laugh>, we would do risk assessments before a lot of these big decisions and you know, what the positives and negatives were about it. And, you know, she, it's been so good to have her by my side, not only because she's a good supportive person, but she's a nurse and I find myself injured occasionally. So she's a really good person to have by my side,<laugh>, she's patched me back together more than, more than a few times. We got married in'07, which was the year before I got injured. And then by 2013, we're like, we should, you know, we should really think about the family side and what we're, we're, you know, what we're gonna, you know, 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 time was all, all soaked up, uh, very quickly. So, but it was, you know, there's nothing better than than bringing a life into this world and, and seeing them grow and being able to teach them the things 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 fun to be a parent. And, you know, obviously it's very challenging. Probably the biggest challenge in some cases, uh, compared to anything I've been through, especially now she's getting older, you know, she's eight years old right now, and she's her own little person and, you know, she has her own little ideas and thought process and Yep. Your parents out there, you know exactly what I'm talking about<laugh>.

Ed: 31:07

So, is, is she someone who also likes to go fast? Does she get that from you or is she, 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 of her mom's traits where, where Sarah, she's a little more conservative and methodical about, uh, you know, what she does. And she's not a big sender, if you know what I mean. Lauren's kind of halfway between. She, she has incredible work ethic, like, uh, right now she's really heavy into gymnastics and she takes it incredibly serious. So we definitely have a little athlete 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 doing this 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 of the community that travels together, and I, I know that community theme kind of runs through your story and your book, because you talk about the fact that, you know, the professional snowmobile world that you are part of is, is a small world and it's a very close knit community, and that support is important. And those people were there to support you after your accident. How, how important is that, that sort of sense of community, a component in your sports journey, uh, especially given that you're competing against these same 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 to a lot of the other sports compe, you know, competitive sports worlds. The camaraderie in snowboarding group specifically is really tight. And yes, we're definitely out there to, to beat everybody else that's in front of us, but when the, when the goggles come off, we're all really good friends and 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 all excited 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 can continue doing this kind of stuff. And, you know, the snowboard mentality is, is just like, you know, just go send it and have some fun. You know, on the other side of that is extremely competitive, but there's always, it seems like there's so many really good positive attitudes with the group that we're, we're traveling with. And that's one of the things that, that keeps me coming back is, uh, I don't wanna be done traveling with all these rad 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 social channels for information about part two. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Disability Talks. Want to be a part of the ongoing conversation? Visit our website at abilitiesinmotion.org or connect with us on social media.