“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands
at times of challenge and controversy.”

I come from a family of gifted athletes where a fierce, competitive drive is almost a birthright. Like my older siblings, my life revolved around sports from little league to college; I craved competition. Still do.

Growing up it was all about baseball. Until high school, when football entered the mix. There was nothing I loved more back then than standing on the pitcher’s mound knowing that the batter was about to swing and miss at the curveball I was about to throw.

On the gridiron, I had that same salivating thought crouched behind my QB, ready to take the handoff and plow my way up the middle. On defense as a linebacker, I loved the task of stopping opposing backs like me, meeting them at full-speed, full-contact to see who wanted it more.

Being an athlete, for years and years, was my primary identity.

Eventually it led me to the NCAA’s Division-III level where I chose to play both baseball and football at a small Southern school in Virginia. At Randolph-Macon College I joined both programs, first as a fullback and then a pitcher come spring.

After a couple seasons, I made the decision to hang up my athlete identity to enjoy my time in college. A year later I was paralyzed.

After my accident, I used a positive attitude and competitive effort to approach rehab and recovery as just that: competition.

Another year later, after graduating, I was introduced to adaptive sports in 2008 and found passion, purpose, and a new goal: the Paralympics.

Handcycling was my first passion, and soon after, I transitioned to skiing.

I’ve been fortunate to find countless new friends and teammates in the world of adaptive sports. I’ve been to some amazing places and have done some pretty cool stuff that I’m proud of.

Such as:

• Racing and training with the Paralyzed Veterans of America Racing Team

• Racing in national championships and Paralympic trials for handcycling

• Placing Top 5 and Top 10 in events like the Marine Corps Marathon, the New York City Marathon, and Boston.

• Meeting, training, and racing with a whole new set of teammates as a sit-ski racing in Winter Park, CO at the National Sports Center for the Disabled

• Experiencing the thrill of downhill ski racing in Canada with world-class athletes

And I can’t forget the two Tough Mudder events and of course… Snow 2 Sand. A 7-day charity bike ride that took us—a group of mostly strangers—from Denver to Los Angeles for an important cause. (check out the hour-long documentary of our journey right here on this page!)

Anyway, enough about me as an athlete. If you want to learn more check out the videos and podcasts right here on my site.