About

On Tuesday, May 8th, 2018, My life was forever changed. I was involved in a traumatic motorcycle accident that left me needing to amputate my right foot. After a few days, I woke up in the hospital with metal bars poking out from my leg, not knowing entirely what happened. About 2 and a half weeks into my stay and doctors trying day and night to save my foot, I was left with really only one choice. So on May 25th, my right foot was amputated. I spent roughly one more week in the rehab unit and on June 8th was out of the hospital completely.  The realization of my situation was fully set in and it was time for me to start my life. I had to start college, I had to get a job, and more importantly, I had to re-learn how to walk. This for me was my rock bottom. Being legless and now being blasted into the adult world made things seem impossible.

My story however doesn't start until a year later. I pushed onward hoping for that second chance that I so desperately needed. A family friend by the name of Tom Swedzik got me on my foot and convinced me to go to this event where I could relearn how to snowboard after my amputation. This event was The Hartford Ski Spectacular and this is truly where my story starts. That feeling I had while on that mountain gave me a sense of purpose. I have to give thanks to the man by the name of Christian Reyes who taught me as well as gave me the idea of becoming an intern. After that week, I did everything in my power to get back out to Colorado and restart my life. After another year and a half as well as needing to be 21, I applied and got accepted to be an intern with the BOEC (Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center). I worked as an intern during the 21/22 winter season, became a certified ski and snowboard instructor, and made the decision after the internship to become a para-athlete for snowboarding. I officially moved out to Summit County in Colorado in the summer of the 22/23 season where I would find a couple of jobs to help save funds to help out with the upcoming winter season. I was able to stack up around a hundred and fifteen days riding and one point two million vertical feet riding during the 22/23 winter season but I know I can do even more. I spent almost every day snowboarding during the 22/23 winter season and attended a few competitions including in Big White Canada, Phya Finland, and Passo San Pellegrino Italy. It wasn’t until Italy that I got my first two podiums in the continental cup division for snowboard cross and banked slalom.

Following my first season, I met with a team based out of Snowbird Utah. After attending a summer training camp on June 2023 at snowbird, I was able to really get introduced my coach and teammates. From this initial introduction I felt right at home and ready to move forward with the next step in my journey. After that camp, I started making plans to move from my residence in Summit County Colorado to Sandy Utah where i currently reside. My first season with Team Utah was where I was pushed to my limits and was able to really achieve a new level of my snowboarding ability. Early competitions didn’t work out to well this season as my first competition I hit my head and got a concussion. Although I didn’t get to compete in that competition, I made a quick recovery and went on to get 2 second place finishes and 2 3rd place finishes in the Continental cup division later on at the end of the 23/24 season in Canada.


After the 23/24 season I decided that Utah would be my new home for the foreseeable future. Especially after the Olympics were confirmed to be held there in 2034. I had a road and a plan ahead of me. In the 24/25 winter season my first competition was held in Landgraaf Netherlands for Banked Slalom. I ended up getting 5th out of 17. I then went on to race in Phya Finland, where I was finally move up into the World Cup Division with the amount of points i had made from previous races. At my first World Cup race, i was able to snag a 8th place finish out of 16. For me this was a big deal as many of my fellow competitors are basically Paralympians. With all of this in mind, halfway through the training camp before the race, my prosthetic socket broke while on course training. This was one of the most devasting things that in that moment i felt could happen to me. Without a my snowboard socket, i cannot race, i cannot snowboard. Me as well as my teammates and coaches were doing everything they could to try and fix it but with the way it broke we all knew it was not repairable. But I went on using my walking socket for a snowboard leg. I went on to two more competitions without being able to fix my prosthetic as being in Europe for a majority of these competitions, I’m not able to get the help I need with my prosthetics. I didn’t do well in those two races and my leg everyday was getting worse with blisters and sore spots. After coming home I quickly had to make a new snowboard socket for my prosthetic and I cannot thank my current prosthetist Matt Wergmann and the crew in the Lab enough, as they were able to quickly make a back up leg for me to use in my next Steamboat Colorado race. I ended up getting 6th in Nationals and following that I was notified I was confirmed to compete in the World Championship in Big White Canada. Unfortunately my prosthetic leg again broke but not to the fault of my new socket. I didn’t get the results I had hoped for but with all things considered I still tried my hardest even with the setbacks I’ve been given.


Going into the 25/26 I am currently still training and living out of Sandy, Utah. I attended a July summer camp in Mt. Hood Oregon and currently waiting to attend a two week long training camp in Ushuaia Argentina. As of the end of the 24/25 season I was made a programmed athlete on the US National Team and am on track to attend the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Games.