With the Paralympic Games about to get underway, we asked a number of athletes how they found the sport they love. USA TODAY Sports
In the lead-up to the Pyeongchang Paralympics, U.S. snowboarder Mike Schultz had to put his business on hold and focus on the task at hand.
The task now is to compete in his first Paralympics in snowboard events that he's proven to be the best in the world in the last few months.
On the business side, Schultz is the founder of BioDapt Inc., which has designed the special prosthetic knee and foot that more than two dozen snowboarders will be wearing in competition at the Paralympics.
The 36-year-old from St. Cloud, Minn., will carry the U.S. flag into Friday night's opening ceremonies in Pyeongchang. He was told this week that he was elected by fellow athletes for the honor.
"It means a lot. It means I've made a positive influence on a lot of the athletes one way or another. That feels really good," Schultz said in phone interview Friday morning from Pyeongchang.
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His influence is evident in the prosthetics he designs. His U.S. snowboard teammates will be wearing them to train and race on the mountain.
Schultz founded BioDapt in 2010 when he realized there was a need for better prosthetics for action sports athletes. In 2008 he suffered injuries in a snowmobile race that resulted in having his left leg amputated above the knee. After the accident, he created his own prosthetic knee using a mountain bike shock and other equipment he had in his garage.
He runs the business with his wife Sara, who arrived in South Korea on Friday morning. There's been increased interest in BioDapt as more people have learned about Schutlz's prosthetics.
It's been tricky to balance running the business with qualifying for the U.S. team.
"Both of them can definitely be a full-time job," Schultz said. "My focus has definitely shifted these last few months to being an athlete and just trying to stay status quo on my business until after the Games. And then I’ve got a pile of work to do when I get home."
Schultz enters the Paralympics as one of the top snowboarders in the world having won a silver medal in banked slalom at the 2017 world championships.
At the final World Cup in February at Big White in British Columbia, Schultz wrapped up season titles in snowboard-cross and banked slalom.
As a supporter and friend of teammates wearing prosthetics from his company, there's a little added responsibility that Schultz shoulders.
"The whole reason I got into snowboarding was through my company and developing this equipment," he said. "I feel that is part of my purpose for being here. I definitely put time and effort into that. I don't feel guilty about it as an athlete because it's the reason I'm here."
Men's and women's snowboard-cross will be held Monday and the banked slalom event, new to this year's Paralympics, will be held March 16. But first Schultz will embrace the moment of leading his teammates into the Olympic Stadium on Friday night.
His 4-year-old daughter, Lauren, will be watching from home. Schultz says she's a big fan of Team USA.
"I take a ton of pride in what our flag and our anthem stands for," he added. "For me to be chosen to carry the flag, nothing better could be happening in this point in time. It’s a huge honor."
