?ÄúMonster?Äù Mike Schultz went into last week?Äôs race with five gold medals from the Winter XGames. He earned another Thursday, winning the Snocross final by more than a full lap, in the Snowcross Adaptive race. That?Äôs a grand total of eight XGames gold medals for Schultz, with two from the summer games in Motocross.
Schultz has competed in the XGames in Snocross, Boardercross (snowboard), and Motocross (dirt bike).
While at Aspen, Schultz connected with Christy Wise, sister of Olympian skier David Wise. Christy is a C-130 pilot and Air Force Academy graduate who has served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Africa. She lost her leg in 2015 in a boating hit-and-run accident.
Schultz and his company BioDapt Inc. built her a new leg, and he spent two days helping her learn to ski on the BioDapt MotoKnee and ski foot. She hopes compete in the 2018 Paralympics in Pyeongchang.
She fought her way to get certified to return to a C-130 cockpit, achieved in October. Compared to all her other challenges, making it to Korea seems fairly certain. Her ?Äúnew leg?Äù from BioDapt, her sixth prosthetic, lets her do the hard work to meet her newest goal.
Schultz knows hard work and challenges, too. He was working his way up the snowmobile racing circuit when, during a race, his sled flipped over with his foot wedged in it. In bad weather, he was driven from UP Michigan to a hospital in Duluth, with no pain relief. Days later he and his doctors made the decision to remove his irreparably damaged left leg, above the knee.
He thought racing was surely over for him, probably even snowmobiling. But it wasn?Äôt long before he was up and walking with a prosthetic, and not long after that he was on a sled again.
He quickly realized that prosthetic legs available at the time were woefully inadequate for his active lifestyle. He found them clumsy and frustrating to even walk with. So, with no formal training and only a lifetime of tinkering as experience, he set about designing and building his own.
The MotoKnee utilizes shock absorbers from Fox bikes. He can adjust the tension for various sports, and he later designed the VersaFoot to further customize the prosthetic leg.
Today, Schultz works with other amputees, athletes and war veterans who want to stay active.
?ÄúMore rewarding than earning this sixth gold medal here in Aspen, is the fact that two of my competitors in today?Äôs final wear my equipment ?Äì the ?Äúmoto knee?Äù and ?Äúversa foot?Äù ?Äì and are enjoying their sport again,?Äù Schultz said Thursday about his win.
?ÄúMonster?Äù Mike took on a new challenge after his 2008 snowmobile accident: snowboarding. While he?Äôd wakeboarded a few times, he didn?Äôt take up snowboarding until after he lost his leg. He took to it quickly, and that same year he competed in Boardercross Adaptive at the Winter XGames. He continues to train on snowboard, especially on the Boardercross course 
recently built at Powder Ridge in Kimball, his hometown. While he trains, his wife Sara and daughter Lauren ski.
With his MotoKnee and Versa Foot, Schultz rides horse with his family, competes in the summer in Motocross, and loves waterskiing.
His dirtbike is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in an awesome exhibit titled ?ÄúEveryone Plays: Sports and Disability.?Äù
While he?Äôs racking up international acclaim for his sports skills, and his display of gold medals and other awards grows each year, his greatest joy and motivation comes from his lovely family, and from helping other amputees regain their sports lifestyles. He has toured military hospitals and bases overseas and at home, sharing his own inspiring story and giving them hope.
Schultz is on his way now to Big White Canada for the World Para Snowboard Championships. He will compete in Boardercross Saturday, and Banked Slalom Tuesday. Held every-other year, this event helps select athletes for the Paralympics; next year?Äôs Paralympics will be held in South Korea. Schultz has already earned a spot on the U.S. Paralympic team for 2018.
We will continue to follow Schultz in his many adventures.
?ÄúMonster?Äù Mike is proof that good guys can indeed finish first (and that it still takes a lot of hard work).
Mike?Äôs wife Sara Schultz has been by his side through his 2008 snowmobile accident that cost him his left leg. They were high school sweethearts at Kimball Area High School, and now are joined by daughter Lauren. As a family, they enjoy skiing, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities. Submitted photos.
?ÄúMonster?Äù Mike Schultz is a star among snowmobile racing circles. He won his sixth Winter XGames gold medal Thursday afternoon, Jan. 26, in Aspen, Colo. He also is on the U.S. Paralympic team for snowboard.