Innovative Lives: with Paralympians Sarah Will and Mike Schultz (May 12)

Eric Hintz Discussion

 

On Wednesday May 12, join the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation for the latest edition of our Innovative Lives series. Sarah Will, Paralympic skier and accessibility advocate, and Mike Schultz, inventor of the Moto Knee and Versa Foot, join National Museum of American History sports curator Jane Rogers for an online conversation about their respective careers and overlapping interests in advocacy for accessible sports. They will also discuss the history and contemporary trends in technological innovations for adaptive skiing and snowboarding.

 

Innovative Lives: Sarah Will and Mike Schultz

Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Time: 4:00–5:30 pm EDT

Register (free!): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovative-lives-sarah-will-and-mike-schultz-tickets-150799297759

 

Sarah Will: Sarah Will is the most decorated athlete in US Paralympic Alpine Skiing history. Sarah raced for Team USA in four Paralympic Games from 1992-2002, winning 13 medals, 12 gold and one silver. She competed in the first ever X Games mono X, winning bronze in Woman’s Mono X. The following year, she returned to challenge the men as the only female competitor, finishing fourth. Sarah was nominated for an ESPY Award as Best Athlete with a Disability and is a member of the Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame. Sarah worked as a sports commentator for ESPN and NBC’s coverage of the Paralympic Winter Games. Today, Sarah works as a motivational speaker, accessibility consultant, and artist. 

 

Mike Schultz: Known in the racing community as “Monster” Mike, Schultz has transformed the world of adaptive action sports in more ways than one. In 2008, Mike suffered a terrible knee injury during a professional snowmobile competition resulting in the amputation of his left leg above the knee. Shortly after his accident, Mike engineered a high-performance prosthetic knee to get him back in action. Within seven months, Mike was again competing on the national stage at the ESPN X Games, receiving a silver medal in Adaptive Motocross. In 2010, Mike founded BioDapt, Inc. after realizing the need for advancements in high impact adaptive sports prosthetics. Ten years and ten X Games gold medals later, Mike added one of his biggest accomplishments to his list of honors, bringing home gold and silver in snowboarding from the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang. Another equally great honor, Mike was voted as the U.S. flag bearer for the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies. During the 2018 Paralympic Games, Mike provided BioDapt prosthetic equipment to 15 athletes from six different countries, who collectively earned 11 medals.

 

Jane Rogers: Rogers is the curator of Sports History, Division of Culture and the Arts, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. She researches and cares for the object collections with an emphasis on Olympic, Paralympic, extreme and adaptive sports.

 

About Innovative Lives: Now in its 26th year, the Lemelson Center’s Innovative Lives program series gives participants the opportunity to engage in a public conversation with diverse inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs about their pioneering work and careers.

 

Accessibility: The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. CART captioning will be available for this program. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu.