Paralympic Snowboarder Mike Schultz On The Greatest Life Lesson He’s Learned [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

In 2008, Mike Schultz was faced with a life-changing moment when he was in a snowmobile accident that cost him his left leg. He had been an able-bodied snowmobile racer up until then, and thought that his athletic career had ended with his amputation. His determination and love of competition, however, brought him to his garage where he forged his own prosthetic leg. Now, he is vying to compete as a Paralympic snowboarder on Team USA.

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“My biggest life lesson through all this is probably perspective and how you look at things,” Shultz told uInterview exclusively. “I’m choosing to look at my physical disability as a challenge instead of a disability, and that goes through to everything, whether it’s building my own prosthetic leg to get me back in action, or working my butt off in the gym and training so I can be as prepared as possible.”

The Paralympian founded his own company, BioDapt, that creates specially made prosthetics for below and above-knee amputations. He developed his own, the Moto Knee, in his garage using a mountain bike shock and had it patented. Today, more than 100 athletes in the games use his company’s equipment.

“There are days when it’s 10-below zero outside and I’d rather not be snowboarding, but I’m going after this big challenge and I’ve gotta work hard for it, and that means snowboarding in sub-zero weather sometimes,” Schultz continued. “But it’s all worth it because it’s going after that challenge and after that goal.”