Mike Shea (snowboarder)

Last updated
Mike Shea
Personal information
Nationality Van Nuys, California, US
Born (1983-03-31) March 31, 1983 (age 40)
Height5'8
Weight150
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Sport Snowboarding
Disability class SB-LL2
Event(s) Snowboard cross,
Banked slalom
Medal record
Men's para snowboarding
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Winter Paralympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2014 Sochi Snowboard cross

Mike Shea (born March 31, 1983) is a retired American para-snowboarder. He won a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in the inaugural Snowboard cross event. At the World Para Snowboard Championships in the LL2 division, Shea won gold in the 2015 banked slalom event and bronze in the 2017 snowboard cross event. In 2014 and 2015, Shea was nominated for the Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award. Shea retired from snowboarding in 2020.

Contents

Early life

Shea was born on March 31, 1983, in Van Nuys, California to parents Michael and Cynthia Shea. [1] Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Castaic, California where he attended Valencia High School for a little over a year and eventually graduated from Bowman High School. In September 2002, Shea was wakeboarding on Castaic Lake when the ski rope wrapped around his ankle and severed his leg below his knee. [2] At the time, he was growing addicted to alcohol and painkillers which worsened following his accident. He eventually entered into rehab in 2007 and followed their 12-step program for being sober. [3]

Career

Upon being sober, Shea opened a carpentry business where he created dog houses and custom entertainment centers. In 2010, he received a call from a coach from the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) informing him that the International Paralympic Committee was considering adding competitive snowboarding events to the competition. As a result, he closed his business and relocated to Winter Park Resort so he could start training. [4] Through his training, Shea competed in Snowboard cross at Winter X Games where he won a silver medal and, later, three World Championships. [5]

In 2014, Shea became a member of the "Three Amigos" (along with Keith Gabel and Evan Strong) competing in snowboarding internationally for Team USA. He won the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup Title in February 2014 and earned a silver medal at the inaugural snowboarding event at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. [6] Upon winning the silver medal, he began earning endorsements and developed a career as an inspirational speaker. [5] Later that year, the three also competed at the IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in their first-ever banked slalom Para-snowboarding event. [7] As a result of his success, Shea was named a finalist for Team USA’s Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year. [8] Shea was nominated for the Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award in 2014 and 2015. [9] [10]

As a World Para Snowboard Championships competitor in 2015 for the LL2 division, Shea was first in the banked slalom event and ninth in the snowboard cross event. [11] Shea reappeared at the World Para Snowboard Championships in 2017, where he won a bronze medal in snowboard cross and finished seventh in banked slalom. [1] At the 2018 Winter Paralympics snowboarding events, Shea was fourth in banked slalom and fifth in snowboard cross. [12] Shea officially retired from competitive snowboarding at the age of 37 in September 2020 due to health problems and chronic injuries. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Mike Shea". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  2. ↑ Mejia, Lorena (March 1, 2018). "Paralympics Competitor Mike Shea Shares Experiences At Northlake Hills Elementary School(Video)". hometownstation.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ Paisley, Joe (April 3, 2015). "Life changed for better after Paralympic snowboarder Mike Shea lost his lower left leg". Gazette. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  4. ↑ Hawks, Troy (January 18, 2015). "Winter Park Paralympian Mike Shea Looks Forward to the X Games". coloradoski.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Huang, Josie (March 15, 2018). "SoCal snowboarder Mike Shea aims for Paralympic gold". scpr.org. KPCC . Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  6. 1 2 McDougall, Chrös (September 3, 2020). "MIKE SHEA, ONE OF TEAM USA'S PIONEERING PARA SNOWBOARDING STARS, RETIRES FROM THE SPORT". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Shea wins historic gold as Para-snowboarders open season at Europa Cup". insidethegames.biz. November 19, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  8. ↑ Latimer, Clay (November 18, 2015). "WHY MIKE SHEA IS STILL THE ULTIMATE PARALYMPIC SNOWBOARDING AMBASSADOR". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Ten Paralympic athletes nominated for ESPY's". International Paralympic Committee. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Ten US para-athletes nominated for 2015 ESPY Awards". International Paralympic Committee. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  11. ↑ Paisley, Joe (28 February 2015). "OTC regulars excel at Paralympic snowboard worlds". The Gazette. Colorado Springs. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Mike Shea". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
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