Latest / OneLegUpAlex Sports / OneLegUpAlex Adapts With Team USA Paralympic Alpine Skiier Patrick Halgren (recorded 10/30/25)

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OneLegUpAlex Adapts With Team USA Paralympic Alpine Skiier Patrick Halgren (recorded 10/30/25) · OneLegUpAlex Sports

0:02
Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Garrett.
0:06
Speaker 2: All right, well for a major follow up right now
0:09
Speaker 2: on the adapting side of things, I have a paralympian
0:14
Speaker 2: on my show. And if you followed us at Alex
0:16
Speaker 2: g NYC one and One Leg up Alex and of
0:20
Speaker 2: course Patrick Holren's page, you know we had a sick
0:25
Speaker 2: collab rollblaying around the city, my one leg, his one
0:28
Speaker 2: leg Patrick. How cool was that energy on Sunday?
0:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was a special moment, man. That's that was
0:37
Speaker 1: an amazing experience, just from the adventure to how long
0:41
Speaker 1: and we traveled. But uh yeah, just doing it with
0:44
Speaker 1: you and seeing it, you know, trying knowing you online
0:46
Speaker 1: and all that and really find the meeting is so cool.
0:50
Speaker 2: Well, I have to say, I asked Pat, hey, do
0:53
Speaker 2: you want to take a subway? He's like, no, We're
0:54
Speaker 2: rolling it all the way downtown and we did.
0:59
Speaker 1: That was so cool.
1:01
Speaker 2: And if you noticed in some of the videos you
1:02
Speaker 2: were doing some swerves, you were doing some tricks in
1:05
Speaker 2: the middle of the streets. I mean, you aren't. I
1:07
Speaker 2: feel like we're both not nervous to be in the
1:08
Speaker 2: streets of well you're Colorado, Manley, but New York City.
1:11
Speaker 2: We kind of took it by storm.
1:15
Speaker 1: Yeah. You know, as long as you watch those bike lanes,
1:21
Speaker 1: I feel like the city of New York City is
1:23
Speaker 1: almost suited better for a one legged later than a
1:28
Speaker 1: two legged person. You know. It was really cool.
1:30
Speaker 2: All right, tell us the backstory. Why'd you end up
1:32
Speaker 2: in New York this past weekend? If people missed our video?
1:36
Speaker 1: Right, So, there was this big red carpet, big ball
1:41
Speaker 1: for me. Basically, they had a bunch of Olympians and
1:45
Speaker 1: Paralympians out to New York City to you know, spread
1:49
Speaker 1: the you know, just raising around on the games coming
1:55
Speaker 1: up in Courtina. We were just kind of like trying
1:58
Speaker 1: to stoke a fire, you know, out there, to kind
2:01
Speaker 1: of spread and get the whole country ready for us
2:06
Speaker 1: to go win some metals in March over in Cortina, Milan, Italy.
2:11
Speaker 2: Now, for those who'll know you are a skier, so
2:13
Speaker 2: you're a Paralympic skier. Had you involved with Team USA?
2:20
Speaker 1: I got involved with Team USA, oh man ages Ago.
2:25
Speaker 1: I kinda I met somebody from the team who was
2:28
Speaker 1: from where I was from. Basically, you know, I was
2:31
Speaker 1: doing this disabled ski event up in Vermont and there
2:37
Speaker 1: was a Paralympic skier there and had some of the
2:41
Speaker 1: same equipment that I did, and I was like, WHOA,
2:44
Speaker 1: what's going on here? You know, and yeah, if you
2:47
Speaker 1: can see it, you can be it. You know, kind
2:48
Speaker 1: of like you too when I saw an article you
2:52
Speaker 1: had in a big magazine, I kind of that now
2:57
Speaker 1: became my new ceiling for what was possible it. So
3:01
Speaker 1: just thank you.
3:03
Speaker 2: Well, you can think my dad his legacy is through
3:05
Speaker 2: my leg because he actually, uh put the roll bet
3:10
Speaker 2: on me when I was eight years old, and I
3:11
Speaker 2: really adapted so quickly. And I want to ask you
3:14
Speaker 2: this because you are an amputee, and how quickly was
3:18
Speaker 2: it to adapt to becoming an amputee and then to
3:20
Speaker 2: rollerblading and skiing. Was it quite a transition or how
3:23
Speaker 2: did that work for you?
3:26
Speaker 1: Yeah? I mean i'd still say I'm learning. It's been
3:29
Speaker 1: twelve years since I lost my leg, and I'd say
3:33
Speaker 1: I'm almost at the master level. I think, yeah, I
3:39
Speaker 1: think for this type of you know, the physics really
3:42
Speaker 1: even of just rocking and doing the bathroom and then
3:45
Speaker 1: you know, hopping around or whatever need be. I think
3:50
Speaker 1: it took me a year to really kind of get
3:54
Speaker 1: back to this is how I can you know, do
3:57
Speaker 1: simple movements making everything possible? Right?
4:01
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, no, and you you define possibility because of
4:05
Speaker 2: what you're doing, and you're a pellem b And now
4:07
Speaker 2: I have to ask you about this. You felt so
4:11
Speaker 2: it looked like you're feeling so free on that rollblade
4:13
Speaker 2: rolling to New York. Do you get that often? Do
4:15
Speaker 2: you get that free flying feeling if you will?
4:19
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah? Like, uh, well, I think you know that's
4:22
Speaker 1: the It's a blessing and a curse, right is It's
4:27
Speaker 1: the good and bad, the duality of life as Yeah,
4:29
Speaker 1: I love I love feeling that wind in my hair
4:33
Speaker 1: and almost you know, driving a little faster than need be.
4:37
Speaker 1: I think I've had that curse maybe even in my
4:40
Speaker 1: family or whatever it was passed down, but uh, you know,
4:43
Speaker 1: we like to go fast, whether you know it could
4:47
Speaker 1: just kind of push the limits of things. You know,
4:49
Speaker 1: you got to you gotta find that line between in
4:52
Speaker 1: and out of control. And sometimes I think the Halgrin
4:56
Speaker 1: family gets get so close to that edge it's not
4:59
Speaker 1: safe stand But uh yeah, are you irish?
5:02
Speaker 2: I have to ask you because Holgwan sounds Irish to me.
5:05
Speaker 1: Now we're yeah, we're half Irish half Swedish.
5:09
Speaker 2: One of my videos, someone said you can't keep the
5:10
Speaker 2: Irish down. I feel like we're both kind of examples
5:13
Speaker 2: of that, right yeah, oh yeah. I gotta ask you
5:18
Speaker 2: this though, because we had some big if you were
5:21
Speaker 2: following Paralympics, you know, Summer Paralympics was great. We also
5:24
Speaker 2: had some great wins with the sled hockey team. I mean,
5:27
Speaker 2: are you guys all close? I mean, do Paralympic teams
5:31
Speaker 2: quite interact with each other?
5:34
Speaker 1: Uh? Yeah, yeah, there is, Uh yeah, It's it's almost like,
5:39
Speaker 1: you know, kids, if you go to the same school
5:42
Speaker 1: and you're in different grades, you don't you know, sometimes
5:44
Speaker 1: you don't see them a lot, but when you do,
5:47
Speaker 1: it's like, right, you know, we're from the same area,
5:49
Speaker 1: you know, the same same school. It's kind of like
5:51
Speaker 1: we have that thing in common, so we kind of
5:54
Speaker 1: know like, oh yeah, you know, you're doing this testing
5:57
Speaker 1: camp here or this training camp, and you'll see them,
6:01
Speaker 1: you know in like some of the you travel some
6:03
Speaker 1: of the same airports, and so it's, uh yeah, it's
6:07
Speaker 1: you end up seeing them and you already kind of
6:09
Speaker 1: have that icebreaker over with of like who are you,
6:12
Speaker 1: what do you do? Like, who, what are your like
6:15
Speaker 1: you can kind of you kind of know they have
6:17
Speaker 1: good values, like to make a you know, to do
6:19
Speaker 1: something hard. It kind of builds your character. So it's
6:22
Speaker 1: kind of like, Okay, this guy is gonna be like,
6:24
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna get in trouble if I be myself
6:28
Speaker 1: a little bit. It's kind of nice when you see
6:30
Speaker 1: those other teams and those other people, because you know
6:33
Speaker 1: they're just they're working so hard that they're just gonna
6:36
Speaker 1: be real.
6:36
Speaker 2: But you know what, girls at Queen's College volleyball Niki
6:39
Speaker 2: Niavis was featured on New York One and she went
6:42
Speaker 2: from Queens all the way to the Team USA. So
6:44
Speaker 2: I followed her journey extensively, right right, yeah, just like that,
6:51
Speaker 2: So it's awesome. And of course we also have the
6:54
Speaker 2: adaptive wheelchair basketball. Do you know how many campuses and
6:58
Speaker 2: D you one are picking up wheelchair basketball? That is
7:00
Speaker 2: exciting to watch. I don't know if you're following that
7:02
Speaker 2: close at all or or.
7:03
Speaker 1: Not, but nice. Yeah, Like different colleges are getting teams now.
7:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, so D one Arizona, D one Alabama. They all
7:11
Speaker 2: participate in these NWBA Conference events and I'm like more
7:15
Speaker 2: D one schools should pick up on it.
7:18
Speaker 1: Oh cool, yeah, yeah.
7:20
Speaker 2: Are you mentioned to me that you want to be
7:22
Speaker 2: a footballer and play in the NFL? Yet it's almost
7:26
Speaker 2: like this, you turn the strategy of the most accident
7:29
Speaker 2: and turning your dreams of becoming an athlete. Do you
7:31
Speaker 2: see it that way?
7:34
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, big time. I You know, my idol growing
7:37
Speaker 1: up was this athlete from I'm I'm not sure where
7:43
Speaker 1: he was from, I think, but he went to Syracuse College.
7:45
Speaker 1: He was a running back. His name was Jim Brown.
7:48
Speaker 1: He's one of the best running backs of all time
7:51
Speaker 1: I think by far. But and he played football lacrosse.
7:57
Speaker 1: So I always played football lacrosse. And I always looked
8:01
Speaker 1: up to this guy because at the peak of his
8:03
Speaker 1: career he quit and became a movie star. He was
8:07
Speaker 1: like the first black action movie star. And uh, this
8:10
Speaker 1: is what I wanted to do. So I always wanted
8:12
Speaker 1: to be a pro athlete and famous. And it was
8:16
Speaker 1: like when I lost my leg that day, I basically
8:19
Speaker 1: became famous. You know, everybody stares at me everywhere I go.
8:23
Speaker 1: They're pointing. I mean, it's you know, I mean, well.
8:27
Speaker 2: I want to ask you that role just because you
8:29
Speaker 2: like rolling or because you know, it's making a difference
8:31
Speaker 2: in the world when you're out there rolling on one leg.
8:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think both yea and how lucky. How you know,
8:38
Speaker 1: kind of this opportunity where I get that wind in
8:41
Speaker 1: my hair, it feels like I'm sledding around as a kid,
8:43
Speaker 1: you know, but like, and I can use that as
8:47
Speaker 1: this contribution to society to show people like, you know,
8:50
Speaker 1: if you're gonna be odd, it's if you if you
8:53
Speaker 1: if you want to be number one, you're gonna look odd,
8:56
Speaker 1: and like it takes, it takes hard work, but it
8:58
Speaker 1: pays off, like this is what is possible. You know.
9:01
Speaker 1: It's like there aren't these barriers of the white picket fence.
9:06
Speaker 2: And you know, we even talk about your skate park.
9:09
Speaker 2: You know, that's where I first started seeing your videos.
9:10
Speaker 2: In the skate park. I'm like, this guy is daring man.
9:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, there are so much fun.
9:19
Speaker 2: I want to because it's very rare to find someone
9:22
Speaker 2: who rollblades on one leg like I've been able to.
9:26
Speaker 2: It is a moment when we both collab. But have
9:28
Speaker 2: I asked you this also? Have you met other rollerbladers?
9:31
Speaker 2: Do you want to meet other rolebladers that are adapting
9:34
Speaker 2: like we are.
9:37
Speaker 1: I think, uh, yeah, you don't see it because you
9:39
Speaker 1: got to go to New York. Baby, it's got everything. Yeah,
9:43
Speaker 1: that was wild. I mean even yeah, out on the
9:45
Speaker 1: face of it, just to find another one legged rollerblader adapter,
9:49
Speaker 1: I haven't. I haven't found much. I know. Mostly they
9:53
Speaker 1: skateboard a lot of you know, the hospinal issues or CP,
9:56
Speaker 1: and they'll use skateboards whether it's sitting or if they
10:00
Speaker 1: have limb deficiency and they're missing both their limbs, they'll
10:02
Speaker 1: use a skateboard. But I haven't found that much adaptive bleeding.
10:09
Speaker 1: But I you know, I guess I'm not as immersed
10:11
Speaker 1: in that world as skiing. Definitely huge in the ski world,
10:14
Speaker 1: I think, just with the connection to nature as well.
10:16
Speaker 1: But yeah, I haven't seen too many. But I'm so
10:21
Speaker 1: glad when I do, because something like what happens with
10:24
Speaker 1: me and you hanging out usually, man, that was such
10:27
Speaker 1: a dream.
10:28
Speaker 2: I actually talked with them and post this interview to
10:30
Speaker 2: a couple days later a ski instructor, Chalky White. I
10:33
Speaker 2: got to introduce you guys because he was also on
10:35
Speaker 2: the scot of Slopes teaching and you both advocate for
10:38
Speaker 2: adaptive skiing, and I do feel like more people that
10:41
Speaker 2: want to get out there should do adaptive sports if
10:44
Speaker 2: they can.
10:47
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, I mean that's uh, you know, it's
10:51
Speaker 1: hard to it's I mean really what it is is
10:55
Speaker 1: I think obviously like, yeah, their ambition and who's raising them,
10:59
Speaker 1: and we're on this forefront of changing the whole disabled
11:02
Speaker 1: community and all the stereotypes of how you treat them.
11:06
Speaker 1: But in reality, it is it's expensive to live. It's
11:10
Speaker 1: a little bit more expensive to live with a disability,
11:13
Speaker 1: depending on how severe that can be. It can be
11:15
Speaker 1: astronomical just to ambulate and make your way through the
11:19
Speaker 1: world as a disabled and so it's it's interesting that
11:29
Speaker 1: it's just really comes down to a financial point. And
11:32
Speaker 1: then skiing on top of that, doing any sport, you know,
11:34
Speaker 1: you've got to have the time to not work to
11:37
Speaker 1: save money to play a sport, right, So it is
11:40
Speaker 1: this financial point when it comes down to playing these
11:43
Speaker 1: sports at a high level, and that's what is really
11:46
Speaker 1: the most difficult for disabled Like I was lucky enough
11:49
Speaker 1: to lose my leg at twenty and I'd already been
11:51
Speaker 1: in the world of crappy jobs, just paying living bill
11:56
Speaker 1: to bill to pay the bills. I'd already worked a
11:58
Speaker 1: bunch of crappy jobs, so I was kind of lucky
12:00
Speaker 1: where I could go. I was young enough where I
12:03
Speaker 1: was fit enough to go back to, you know, working
12:07
Speaker 1: a job. Some of them manual labor with the one leg,
12:10
Speaker 1: so but I chose to work at ski resorts, so
12:13
Speaker 1: on my lunch breaks, I could learn how to get
12:15
Speaker 1: better at skiing and maybe possibly master it one day.
12:20
Speaker 2: And did you have any instructors that inspire you to
12:23
Speaker 2: do this as a career.
12:26
Speaker 1: It was, yeah, it was. It was mostly other disabled
12:31
Speaker 1: skiers I've you know, it's kind of similar with you.
12:34
Speaker 1: You know, when I'm seeing you and I'm seeing how
12:36
Speaker 1: how much you're traveling on this world, lde I'm like, oh,
12:38
Speaker 1: that's what's possible. So I work at it and then
12:41
Speaker 1: I get there, So same with you know, I didn't
12:43
Speaker 1: know it was possible. First time I went skiing out
12:45
Speaker 1: in Breckenridge, Colorado, I saw Vasusultra, this amazing one legged
12:50
Speaker 1: spear and he was going backwards at like fifty miles
12:53
Speaker 1: per hour. And I was like, holy smokes, that is
12:56
Speaker 1: what we can do on one leg. So then kind
12:58
Speaker 1: of you know once once you see it you can
13:00
Speaker 1: be it and that roof gets raised. You know, we're
13:03
Speaker 1: all just a product of our surrounding. Steel sharp and
13:05
Speaker 1: steel like however you want to say it, like, you
13:08
Speaker 1: got to you gotta see it to be it. You
13:11
Speaker 1: got to see what is possible to really know that
13:13
Speaker 1: you can even try it.
13:16
Speaker 2: Absolutely, And I would say rolling through the streets, I
13:19
Speaker 2: did feel like this this we were bringing this energy
13:22
Speaker 2: out there every block. Now, I don't think you're as
13:25
Speaker 2: excited as you got in New York City block by
13:27
Speaker 2: block like you were in Colorado. Right, Like this city
13:29
Speaker 2: brought you alive.
13:30
Speaker 1: I felt like, I mean, I felt like I should
13:35
Speaker 1: run for public office there. I feel like the whole
13:38
Speaker 1: city was made for me. It was amazing. Yeah, Central
13:43
Speaker 1: Park even you know, I did basically the whole of
13:47
Speaker 1: Central Park for a couple of times, but I did
13:50
Speaker 1: one of it for Sunrise and it was just, you know,
13:54
Speaker 1: it was unreal. I was doing I did Times Square
13:56
Speaker 1: at Sunrise full times. That whole thing is you know,
13:59
Speaker 1: it's a pretty smooth, like I can have some fun
14:02
Speaker 1: right there. And yeah, so it was pretty special.
14:07
Speaker 2: I know, I love the Times Square footage in the
14:09
Speaker 2: Central Park stuff. Now, Central Park is awesome because they
14:12
Speaker 2: have so many hills. How how fun are the hills
14:14
Speaker 2: for you? I love it. You just let go and
14:16
Speaker 2: just zoom down.
14:17
Speaker 1: The hill, right totally? I mean right, how beautiful is
14:22
Speaker 1: that dynamic too? And that's where you see the hate
14:25
Speaker 1: and love, like, yeah, I hate pushing and putting the
14:28
Speaker 1: effort to go up this hill, Like when is the
14:31
Speaker 1: hill going to end? Is there another hill? Oh? Am
14:33
Speaker 1: I at the top yet. But then you get to
14:36
Speaker 1: go down the hill and it's all easy and you
14:38
Speaker 1: get to cruise and you just get to relax and
14:41
Speaker 1: get the wind in your hair. Yeah that is, I mean,
14:44
Speaker 1: that is That's my favorite thing in life. Really.
14:47
Speaker 2: Do you like the Paralympics sort of you know, definitely
14:49
Speaker 2: treat you as an equal. They don't look at you
14:52
Speaker 2: a certain way because of the Paralympics. Or is your
14:54
Speaker 2: next goal the Olympics? Like what's next for Patrick?
14:58
Speaker 1: Right? Yeah? I mean with the with you know, all
15:02
Speaker 1: the teams and Olympics. It's they do treat me well
15:06
Speaker 1: because I think, you know, you get out of life
15:08
Speaker 1: what you put into it, and I think they genuinely
15:10
Speaker 1: see that. I mean I think they treat everybody well.
15:14
Speaker 1: But you know, I just got to think because of
15:16
Speaker 1: my ego and just uh you know how how I
15:20
Speaker 1: I'm not from as much, you know, and I didn't
15:24
Speaker 1: have much when I was a kid. So now it's like,
15:27
Speaker 1: you know, simple life, simple luxuries. So now I'm you know,
15:30
Speaker 1: I'm getting free food and massages, and it's just it's unreal.
15:34
Speaker 1: Now I'm well.
15:35
Speaker 2: Also, you have this free spirit about you that I
15:37
Speaker 2: think this rollerblading has brought out in you one hundred
15:41
Speaker 2: percent since seven years ago, right like this has lit
15:44
Speaker 2: you up to bring that free spirit that you are.
15:47
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, totally.
15:49
Speaker 2: Now I asked you, I'll ask you here on the
15:52
Speaker 2: podcast as well. At what point do get tired of you?
15:55
Speaker 2: Do you rollblade like I do through the streets of Colorado?
15:57
Speaker 2: Or do you walk it? Do you mix it up combo?
16:00
Speaker 2: How do you do the transportation?
16:04
Speaker 1: Usually? Yeah, out here, it's just much more spread out,
16:07
Speaker 1: and I'm usually just driving, driving a big forty kund
16:12
Speaker 1: of line van and I live in as well, but
16:15
Speaker 1: uh so I'm usually out up in the mountains. But
16:19
Speaker 1: I got a bike too. I gotta push bicycle that
16:22
Speaker 1: I use a lot, and I've climbed a lot of
16:25
Speaker 1: the big mountains out here. I biked up Pikes Peak
16:27
Speaker 1: last last summer twice, and yeah, it's it's a privilege
16:33
Speaker 1: to be where I'm at. I'm just that's why, you know,
16:37
Speaker 1: I have a lot of gratitude and I'm just so
16:39
Speaker 1: thankful for all the people around me. And every day,
16:42
Speaker 1: every moment, you know, is beautiful, and it just keeps
16:45
Speaker 1: getting better and better. You know, work hard and be kind. Yeah,
16:49
Speaker 1: like you said, even just rolling through the streets of
16:51
Speaker 1: New York, I felt like we were literally spreading love
16:54
Speaker 1: and we were helping this world. I think that's what's
16:56
Speaker 1: going to save this world is you know, everybody just
17:00
Speaker 1: doing what they can do to spread them And the more.
17:01
Speaker 2: We're community, the better it is it disabled and able bodied.
17:05
Speaker 2: And I have to ask you this, transcending that world
17:08
Speaker 2: of like the you know, bring the abilities of people
17:12
Speaker 2: the unbody world into your world means a lot, right,
17:14
Speaker 2: Like it's a way to bring awareness.
17:18
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that's it. I want to integrate everybody.
17:23
Speaker 1: I just want people to treat disabled people like humans. Really,
17:27
Speaker 1: that's you know, it's the stereotype is to just go
17:30
Speaker 1: and help them, but that's actually not only is that
17:33
Speaker 1: not helpful that's hindering somebody from becoming an independent individual,
17:37
Speaker 1: which is really what we all want, you know. It's
17:40
Speaker 1: it's rare in this world where you're not relying on somebody,
17:45
Speaker 1: so and it's uh, you can really feel that difference
17:48
Speaker 1: when you know, even if somebody just lets you do
17:51
Speaker 1: one thing, you know what, you like that purpose. You
17:54
Speaker 1: want to be useful and efficient and work towards something.
17:58
Speaker 1: So it's nice when that can just be making you know,
18:01
Speaker 1: at least, don't take away from somebody that they just
18:04
Speaker 1: want to learn how to make their way through this world.
18:07
Speaker 1: And that's kind of what Just helping somebody without asking them,
18:10
Speaker 1: that's kind of what that does. You're kind of hindering
18:12
Speaker 1: them from being themselves.
18:15
Speaker 2: Well's being being ourselves yourself and being ourselves. I feel
18:19
Speaker 2: like we have the same kind of humor. Like your
18:22
Speaker 2: humor is about as wise ass as mind can be,
18:25
Speaker 2: and I think you thrive off that. Now to become
18:28
Speaker 2: an amputee turn you to dark humor or if you
18:31
Speaker 2: have always had that humor streak in you. Yeah, I
18:35
Speaker 2: think you're a funny dude.
18:36
Speaker 1: I think I think my Oh, tell me something. I
18:38
Speaker 1: don't know. Maybe I think it when I lost my leg.
18:43
Speaker 1: It changed my life, but it didn't change who Patrick
18:47
Speaker 1: Halbrin was. You know, I was always I was always
18:50
Speaker 1: what you see before. But now it's kind of it's
18:53
Speaker 1: just on steroids. And I think when you do when
18:55
Speaker 1: you especially in an accident, right if you if you
18:58
Speaker 1: live through an accident and you be recognizably disabled, which
19:02
Speaker 1: does happen? You know it? Really you don't. Your personality
19:06
Speaker 1: doesn't change, but it's emphasized. It's like it's like putting
19:09
Speaker 1: a big auditorium on show, because you get more attention
19:13
Speaker 1: when you mess up, and you get more attention when
19:15
Speaker 1: you do good. So it's yeah, that's kind of been
19:18
Speaker 1: my life, is learning learning the ins and outs of that. Yeah,
19:23
Speaker 1: really getting these crazy experiences.
19:25
Speaker 2: And your dad and your dad suffered. How did that
19:28
Speaker 2: end up becoming a genetic thing?
19:30
Speaker 1: I have to ask, Oh, you know, just his crazy
19:34
Speaker 1: Swedish speed curse. I guess it gets passed down from
19:38
Speaker 1: Viking the Viking and you know, we are just addicted
19:45
Speaker 1: to the chase for eternal speed and it's a it's
19:49
Speaker 1: it's probably gonna end the whole family, who knows, but uh,
19:54
Speaker 1: at least we had the biggest smiles on our faces.
19:56
Speaker 1: While we were living.
19:58
Speaker 2: We were so focused on Rollerblady and you were and
20:00
Speaker 2: you were focused on doing dips on Canal Street. That
20:02
Speaker 2: was exciting too. But I never got to ask you
20:05
Speaker 2: this yet. Your favorite win on the slopes, Your favorite
20:08
Speaker 2: moment on the slopes as a Paralympian representing Team USA.
20:14
Speaker 1: That's a tough one because I ski with my I've
20:18
Speaker 1: skied with my father in New Zealand one time and
20:20
Speaker 1: that was the most beautiful day scheme I ever had,
20:23
Speaker 1: And it didn't really have anything to do with USA.
20:26
Speaker 1: I wasn't not being on Team US. I was working,
20:29
Speaker 1: you know. I was parking cars at a ski resort
20:31
Speaker 1: as a ski bomb, just working hard, and my parents
20:34
Speaker 1: came to visit and it was just amazing. But I'll say,
20:39
Speaker 1: probably my best moment representing Team USA. Ah, Man, that's
20:44
Speaker 1: a tough one. Maybe this, this trip to New York
20:47
Speaker 1: City might have been my favorite, just because man, that event,
20:50
Speaker 1: the US Ski and Snowboard and the Olympic, the US
20:56
Speaker 1: OPTC team just put it. They dialed in this event
21:00
Speaker 1: so good and in the cherry on top of seeing
21:03
Speaker 1: my dad on his birthday. But uh yeah, you said
21:07
Speaker 1: on the slopes. I'll just say my best result was
21:09
Speaker 1: in Steinock, Austria in a Super G last year with
21:14
Speaker 1: all the best in the world were there and I
21:16
Speaker 1: came in second and I was pretty close to first place.
21:19
Speaker 1: That was my best day on snow representing Team USA
21:23
Speaker 1: because I kind of showed the rest of the world
21:26
Speaker 1: that Team USA could win this event and they had
21:30
Speaker 1: to kind of take it serious and they're shaking in there,
21:33
Speaker 1: but it's baby waiting for old Pat to come dominate
21:38
Speaker 1: the race. So that was pretty cool just to see like, oh, yeah,
21:41
Speaker 1: I can be competitive. You know, I earned this. I'm
21:45
Speaker 1: here and I'm not going anywhere, and yeah, that was cool.
21:50
Speaker 2: All right. I want to ask you this on the
21:52
Speaker 2: record now because we talked about it off air. Prosthetics.
21:55
Speaker 2: You know, I had one growing up for years and
21:57
Speaker 2: years and years just didn't work. But you'd tell me
21:59
Speaker 2: you have prosthetics and you travel with them as well.
22:04
Speaker 1: Yes, that's correct. If I basically, if I'm going to
22:06
Speaker 1: be standing all day, I can benefit from a prosthetic
22:12
Speaker 1: and cooking maybe something in a very small area where
22:18
Speaker 1: I got to use my hands. That's where I can
22:20
Speaker 1: use a prosthetic and it benefits me. So I'm kind
22:23
Speaker 1: of like this Gi Joe, you know, can take the
22:27
Speaker 1: leg and use it for a little bit and it'll
22:30
Speaker 1: be useful, or I can I can leave it. I
22:32
Speaker 1: can take it off and ambulate it, keep up with people,
22:35
Speaker 1: and even be be more mobile than an average human
22:41
Speaker 1: in some situations. So it's really, uh, it's kind of
22:44
Speaker 1: like a Swiss army and if I feel like, you know,
22:46
Speaker 1: something like that. But yeah, I have a prosthetic. I'm
22:49
Speaker 1: an above knee amputee, so usually the above knees. It
22:54
Speaker 1: really depends on your residual limb if you have one,
22:58
Speaker 1: and if it has mobility and how much you know,
23:03
Speaker 1: how much of it it has, how much mass is
23:06
Speaker 1: to your limb so that the prosthetic can stay on
23:09
Speaker 1: your person better. Really, so I'm in this weird gray
23:12
Speaker 1: area where I can wear it and it's it kind
23:16
Speaker 1: of it stays on, but if I'm sitting, if I'm
23:20
Speaker 1: moving too much, it kind of just works its way
23:22
Speaker 1: off and I'm kind of just dragging a leg around
23:25
Speaker 1: with that.
23:26
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, no, i feel like I'm swiveling my hip
23:28
Speaker 2: forward when I have to use mind. That's why I
23:30
Speaker 2: kind of just stuck to the role. Patrick, I gotta
23:33
Speaker 2: ask you this, So you had this happen. You've been
23:38
Speaker 2: rolling for seven years, You've been doing all this. I mean,
23:40
Speaker 2: any athlete, Paralympic or you know, Olympians that you could
23:46
Speaker 2: think of that inspired you to do all of this,
23:48
Speaker 2: anybody that you've seen doing this and say yeah, I
23:51
Speaker 2: can do it too.
23:58
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean all of them. Really, every one of
24:02
Speaker 1: them I think inspires me and motivates me. And I
24:08
Speaker 1: I you know, I get to see them. I'm living
24:09
Speaker 1: with him. I'm at the Olympic training Center right now
24:12
Speaker 1: and they're here, and I you know, so that I
24:15
Speaker 1: think that really helps my team just seeing how serious
24:20
Speaker 1: and how full on they are with everything. Yeah, I
24:23
Speaker 1: would say every single one, Alex.
24:32
Speaker 2: That's amazing, you know for me, And I want to
24:34
Speaker 2: really connect you with him too. Dana Bowman was a
24:38
Speaker 2: paratrooper that lost his legs unfortunately in a in a
24:41
Speaker 2: training accident with the Golden Knights, the Army Golden Knights.
24:46
Speaker 2: Yet he's gone around as a public speaker now for
24:48
Speaker 2: many years and actually when we did the Game's Physically
24:50
Speaker 2: Challenged Pat, he flew in to the games with his
24:54
Speaker 2: prosthetic legs one of my role models growing up because
24:57
Speaker 2: I met him a like five years old and it
24:59
Speaker 2: just stuck with me. I gotta connect you guys, because
25:01
Speaker 2: he's also traveled, he's an athlete and he does it
25:05
Speaker 2: at w MPUT. I mean, I don't know if you've
25:06
Speaker 2: heard the name before, right, I mean, you and I
25:13
Speaker 2: probably can connect with so many people. It's crazy that day.
25:17
Speaker 2: You mean, I even know are out there, and I
25:18
Speaker 2: want to introduce you to more people as we go along.
25:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm excited. I mean, we got
25:25
Speaker 1: this is ground level, you know, we just meant it. Yeah,
25:28
Speaker 1: I'm excited, and yeah, for it's just cool for all
25:32
Speaker 1: these you know, I've even just when I'll see other
25:35
Speaker 1: the other Olympians here, I'll shoot ideas off and how
25:38
Speaker 1: they do this, and then they're you know, how the
25:40
Speaker 1: rules work in their sport. I mean, you know, we're
25:43
Speaker 1: all really looking for that unfair advantage. So kind of like, oh,
25:46
Speaker 1: what is next? Because I do I would like to
25:49
Speaker 1: pick up a summer sport. But yeah, so I'm just
25:52
Speaker 1: I'm shopping the sports around shopping.
25:54
Speaker 2: Well, you mentioned you'd like to do summer Olympics as well,
25:57
Speaker 2: or Paralympics as well.
26:01
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, why not? I mean if you can. You
26:03
Speaker 1: know I've been, I've been, yeah, cycling quite a bit.
26:07
Speaker 1: I think maybe that might be the next Then that
26:11
Speaker 1: venue that might need be the next avenue for me.
26:17
Speaker 2: Now you you love that you got the free food
26:19
Speaker 2: over the weekends. I gotta ask you about dieting as
26:21
Speaker 2: an athlete. I don't think it's much. It's much different
26:25
Speaker 2: than a NFL player, right, you got a pretty healthy appetite,
26:28
Speaker 2: I'm sure.
26:30
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah. Actually, ever since I blew my knee
26:34
Speaker 1: out six years ago, I I've done intermitute fasting. Just
26:41
Speaker 1: I'm so heavy for one need you know, I mean
26:45
Speaker 1: you saw me. I'm not I'm not a small man.
26:49
Speaker 1: So it's I'm really heavy for one joint, and since
26:53
Speaker 1: I'm hopping around and jumping and stuff all the time. Yeah,
26:58
Speaker 1: this doctor that kind of put my knee back together
27:01
Speaker 1: once already, I uh did a had a huge knee
27:04
Speaker 1: injury toward me, a c alminiscus and had a tabio plateau.
27:08
Speaker 1: And luckily this surgeon out of Yukon, Connecticut, Edgar, doctor Edgar, Yeah,
27:20
Speaker 1: he uh, he put my knee back together and needed
27:22
Speaker 1: a view and he he kind of really suggested. He's like, hey, man,
27:26
Speaker 1: you're big for one knee. Like if you want to
27:28
Speaker 1: be hopping around and all the stuff, you gotta you
27:30
Speaker 1: gotta dial in your nutrition. And uh yeah, that was
27:34
Speaker 1: really the switch that turned on taking that all serious.
27:38
Speaker 1: And and I yeah, like to think I have somewhat
27:41
Speaker 1: some discipline tendencies because I basically I just eat once
27:46
Speaker 1: a day. I do inter minutes fasting is what it's called.
27:50
Speaker 1: And I've been doing that for ages now, over eight years,
27:53
Speaker 1: and it really suits me.
27:58
Speaker 2: And it's so interesting because I feel like you hit
28:00
Speaker 2: the gym every day, I just am not. I maybe
28:04
Speaker 2: you can teach me on ways to do that because
28:06
Speaker 2: I always think the roll playing itself is my exercise,
28:08
Speaker 2: but people always actually be doing more. I don't know,
28:10
Speaker 2: I just it's what what I'm used to.
28:12
Speaker 1: Though, I don't know. I've seen you. You look fit as
28:16
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, if you yeah, if you were unhealthy,
28:20
Speaker 1: i'd suggest it. But you know, you're rollerblading miles every day,
28:27
Speaker 1: you know. And just like I don't think people understand
28:31
Speaker 1: how hard the one and maybe not even you, but
28:34
Speaker 1: that you know, that's just the balance and all that
28:36
Speaker 1: takes even the mentality of looking at looking at all
28:40
Speaker 1: these potholes and you know, looking out for little rocks,
28:43
Speaker 1: and like it is a full on thing and you're
28:46
Speaker 1: doing it for miles.
28:47
Speaker 2: So I would because I know, I've told you my
28:50
Speaker 2: story of how I was rolling down the hill on
28:53
Speaker 2: the camps of Queens College and I had been hitting
28:57
Speaker 2: over a crack, a crack in the curt in the sidewalk,
29:00
Speaker 2: and I fell. With the only thing about me is
29:03
Speaker 2: I think I could carry everything with crutches and a leg.
29:05
Speaker 1: I don't.
29:05
Speaker 2: If you feel the same way and you have a
29:06
Speaker 2: grew great backpack, I just carry everything. That's probably one
29:09
Speaker 2: of the problems. But I had this thing where I
29:13
Speaker 2: fell and I cracked. My shoulder didn't break or anything.
29:16
Speaker 2: My arm was a sling. Have you ever any rollblading
29:19
Speaker 2: or even skiing things where your arm ended up in
29:21
Speaker 2: a sling or anything crazy like that?
29:24
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I have a yeah. With the crutches there,
29:28
Speaker 1: you know, they're basically death traps. Like you got this
29:32
Speaker 1: big metal thing sticking out, So a lot of times
29:35
Speaker 1: if that gets hooked or stuck in something as you're falling. Specifically,
29:39
Speaker 1: I mean, it's such a violent action to your shoulder.
29:43
Speaker 1: And the shoulder is a terribly designed thing. I don't
29:46
Speaker 1: know if you ever seen the anatomy of the shoulder
29:48
Speaker 1: or knee or these joints we have, but the shoulder
29:51
Speaker 1: is by far the worst one. It's like made to
29:53
Speaker 1: fall apart. But yeah, I've had a big, big crash
29:57
Speaker 1: in skiing where I ye came around one of these
30:00
Speaker 1: gates I'm supposed to ski around and I caught my
30:04
Speaker 1: crutch or my outrigger in skiing we call it, but
30:06
Speaker 1: it's the same thing as the forearm crutches me and
30:09
Speaker 1: you use for rollerblading. I caught one of those in
30:11
Speaker 1: the gate as I went by it, and it basically
30:14
Speaker 1: ripped my arm out of the socket and I had
30:17
Speaker 1: a big fall and that didn't help, and I dislocated
30:20
Speaker 1: my shoulder, tore my labrum, and really really messed it
30:23
Speaker 1: up for five years. It took for me to kind
30:27
Speaker 1: of get it back to normal. But yeah, so those
30:30
Speaker 1: shoulder shoulders with these crutches can be Yeah, I've had
30:34
Speaker 1: I've had some shoulder injuries as well.
30:37
Speaker 2: Looking back at our video the symmetry we had rollerblade,
30:40
Speaker 2: that was cool. I only I can replicate that that
30:42
Speaker 2: was just so cool. I felt like we had symmetry there.
30:45
Speaker 1: Maybe next time I come back, I think I think
30:48
Speaker 1: we should do the you know, the Hudson River Pier
30:51
Speaker 1: or something on a nice sunny day or maybe a rainy,
30:54
Speaker 1: horrible day, who knows.
30:56
Speaker 2: No, we had a really nice day and all right, traffic,
31:00
Speaker 2: all all three of us, Gabby, you and I all
31:02
Speaker 2: stop traffic. But it doesn't happen often in New York.
31:04
Speaker 2: Does that surprise you when you're hearing stories like, oh
31:07
Speaker 2: my god, Gabby Dodjacar, I'm worried when a guy makes
31:10
Speaker 2: a right he doesn't see me. I mean, those things
31:12
Speaker 2: are real, they exist here in the city.
31:15
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh yeah, it was. Yeah, that was kind
31:18
Speaker 1: of the first day I was there. It was really
31:21
Speaker 1: eye opening. How you have to keep your head on
31:23
Speaker 1: the swivel. Really remember those bike lanes are there. Don't
31:27
Speaker 1: just make that turn. You really kind of checked. And yeah,
31:32
Speaker 1: it was but it was so awesome when we were
31:36
Speaker 1: going together. It was like we were a parade, you
31:38
Speaker 1: know it really. Yeah, you saw the duality of life
31:43
Speaker 1: of you know, people just having no no imagination of
31:47
Speaker 1: what to do with the disabled. But also you had people,
31:50
Speaker 1: you know, hooting and hollering because you were inspiring them
31:53
Speaker 1: and you know what have you. But it's just so cool,
31:56
Speaker 1: all right?
31:57
Speaker 2: Do you live for that on the slopes, when you're
31:59
Speaker 2: on the course, all sudden the crowd cheers. Well, look,
32:02
Speaker 2: when I was a kid, I hated it when I run,
32:03
Speaker 2: when I would run pewee races. But now I kind
32:05
Speaker 2: of like, oh yeah, I'll think the applause. I love this.
32:08
Speaker 2: Do you feel the same way.
32:10
Speaker 1: Oh totally, yeah, yeah, because it's kind of a rarity,
32:15
Speaker 1: so you got to take it when you can get it.
32:17
Speaker 1: But yeah, the first time at the Paralympics, and really
32:22
Speaker 1: it would like probably, yeah, that was almost my It
32:26
Speaker 1: was my second international race, but it was the first one,
32:29
Speaker 1: you know, and during COVID and stuff, but it was
32:32
Speaker 1: the first first race where yeah, there kind of was
32:35
Speaker 1: that crowd and you know you got that yeah, that
32:39
Speaker 1: dream experience of the crowd goes on or this or that. Yeah,
32:44
Speaker 1: that was pretty interesting.
32:46
Speaker 2: Gabby sends her regards, by the way, and thank you
32:49
Speaker 2: for hanging out here. I mean, we had our own
32:51
Speaker 2: Ada issue later that night, but we'll get it down
32:54
Speaker 2: on the podcast. Just know, I'm so appreciative that you
32:57
Speaker 2: were with us because Gabby had some awesome company and
32:59
Speaker 2: you were so so kind with your time and thank
33:02
Speaker 2: you for that.
33:04
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, I have the time, you know. I'm
33:07
Speaker 1: just I'm just thankful that it all worked out that way. Man.
33:12
Speaker 1: How good. That's not you know, that's not me. That's
33:14
Speaker 1: just the universe given given me and you that omen
33:17
Speaker 1: where we're doing the right thing. Just keep you know,
33:21
Speaker 1: keep doing what you're doing. You know, work hard and
33:23
Speaker 1: be kind and all your dreams will come true.
33:25
Speaker 2: And I got right now, we got the video on
33:27
Speaker 2: the rip of the Rollblane. I do want to take
33:30
Speaker 2: up skiing. You have inspired me to try it and
33:32
Speaker 2: you and I gotta do some. I think that's my
33:34
Speaker 2: next goal.
33:36
Speaker 1: Yeah, totally, dude, totally, yeah, do it. I mean, if
33:40
Speaker 1: you don't do it now, you'll be a year older
33:42
Speaker 1: when you do. So you gotta start because yeah, because
33:46
Speaker 1: it's like anything, you know, it kind of sucks at first,
33:50
Speaker 1: relearning different equipment and blah blah blah. I think you'll
33:53
Speaker 1: pick it up pretty quick because of the rollerblading, but
33:57
Speaker 1: you'll you'll get frustrated at some points, I'm sure.
34:01
Speaker 2: Do you ever get asked about your mechanics on the
34:03
Speaker 2: slopes or even on the roll Blande. I feel like
34:05
Speaker 2: it's a very mechanical thing for us to roll a
34:07
Speaker 2: blade on the crutches and a skate. There's just something
34:09
Speaker 2: mechanical about it too.
34:12
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, we I mean we go over Elm
34:16
Speaker 1: literally every day to work on our mechanics. And it's
34:21
Speaker 1: funny because you think, you know, you always have an
34:23
Speaker 1: excuse like oh it was slippery there, or oh this
34:27
Speaker 1: happened and I couldn't see, and it's like once you
34:31
Speaker 1: look back in this slow motion replay, it's like, no, no, no,
34:35
Speaker 1: look at right here. Your mechanics are wrong. You're dipping
34:38
Speaker 1: this shoulder here and this your hip is too bent,
34:41
Speaker 1: and oh look your knees not in the right and
34:43
Speaker 1: it's like, oh, man.
34:46
Speaker 2: The fastest thing you've ever gone on the slopes.
34:49
Speaker 1: I've been timed in two races. One of them I
34:52
Speaker 1: did seventy seven miles per hour and the other couple
34:57
Speaker 1: of weeks ago I crashed at six nine miles brour
35:01
Speaker 1: So that was that was fun to crash at that,
35:06
Speaker 1: as long as that's.
35:08
Speaker 2: What matters any to the average person. Three people, two
35:14
Speaker 2: on one leg and rollerblade and one on a on
35:17
Speaker 2: a power chair. We weren't asked any questions, Like people
35:20
Speaker 2: just vibe with it, you know. But do you get
35:22
Speaker 2: asked weird questions along the way during your journey.
35:25
Speaker 1: Or what it's It's funny because it's not a million
35:30
Speaker 1: It's like, I just get asked the same five questions
35:33
Speaker 1: a million times basically every Yeah, everybody's just asking me
35:38
Speaker 1: if I need a hand and I look them dead
35:40
Speaker 1: in the eyes and I go, no, I need a
35:44
Speaker 1: leg and yeah. Other than that, there's like four you know,
35:49
Speaker 1: how do you do it? And oh my gosh, you're
35:52
Speaker 1: such an inspiration?
35:54
Speaker 2: Do you hate that? I word inspiration?
35:57
Speaker 1: No, I love it. I love it because yeah, I think, yeah,
36:01
Speaker 1: do you hate it? Alex?
36:03
Speaker 2: I don't care. I don't care in the way. But
36:04
Speaker 2: I just know that the more we roll, the more
36:07
Speaker 2: we're smashing stigmas. That's kind of how I've put it totally.
36:11
Speaker 1: I mean, I think, you know, there's that's kind of
36:15
Speaker 1: proof of the stereotypes of us is on one hand,
36:19
Speaker 1: somebody will say I'm an inspiration just for like using
36:23
Speaker 1: a toilet, but also you know, I'll do this twenty
36:27
Speaker 1: foot cliff drop and somebody will say, oh, Wow, You're
36:31
Speaker 1: such an inspiration. So it's like it's funny because sometimes
36:33
Speaker 1: I feel like I've really earned the I'm an inspiration,
36:37
Speaker 1: and other times I feel like I didn't do anything special.
36:40
Speaker 1: But their view is so kind of skewed to the
36:45
Speaker 1: disabled community that they just assume, you know.
36:52
Speaker 2: So with wheelchair basketball, I feel like people cheer because, oh,
36:56
Speaker 2: look at the kid in the wheelchair, guy in the
36:57
Speaker 2: wheelchair that made the basket. Meanwhile, a fucking competing I'm
37:00
Speaker 2: gonna curse it. We are fucking competitors. And I think
37:04
Speaker 2: people need to know that it's not just because we
37:08
Speaker 2: want to work whatever. It's because we're competing and everything
37:12
Speaker 2: in life. And actually adaptive athletes have that competitive edge
37:16
Speaker 2: because we have to.
37:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think you know, we're all just humans,
37:24
Speaker 3: and like it's it's obviously different just with the numbers
37:29
Speaker 3: of everything, and.
37:32
Speaker 1: But it's like it's the same thing but different, you know.
37:35
Speaker 4: And and it's like when you get old, you know,
37:37
Speaker 4: you think, oh, I'm I'm getting old, now I should
37:40
Speaker 4: slow down and take it easy, when in reality, like
37:43
Speaker 4: that's when you have to work even harder because now
37:46
Speaker 4: you're old.
37:47
Speaker 1: It's just you need to work harder in different ways.
37:49
Speaker 1: You need to you know, drink more water and get
37:52
Speaker 1: better sleep and focus on your health. Maybe not like
37:56
Speaker 1: your strength and being able to run as fast, but
37:58
Speaker 1: you have to you know, be able to stretch. And
38:00
Speaker 1: just yeah, you still you got to work. You're older,
38:03
Speaker 1: like you want to do this, you want the same result,
38:05
Speaker 1: but you're disabled, or you're older, or you're fat like
38:08
Speaker 1: whatever it may be. Like that is your reason where
38:10
Speaker 1: not only do you still have to use it so
38:13
Speaker 1: you don't lose it, but you need to figure out
38:16
Speaker 1: more efficient ways to use it and or just work
38:19
Speaker 1: harder in general. And yeah, so but really we're all
38:23
Speaker 1: just human, you know, all just humans trying to trying
38:27
Speaker 1: to master ourselves. And it's just it's not this overnight
38:31
Speaker 1: problem we can solve. It takes a long time, all right.
38:34
Speaker 2: I ask people who have had to adapt to you know,
38:38
Speaker 2: life and adapt well, were you connected to the disabled
38:42
Speaker 2: community before your accent, like how you known people in
38:45
Speaker 2: the community before?
38:47
Speaker 1: No, No, not at all.
38:51
Speaker 2: Was that a culture change as well for you or
38:53
Speaker 2: were you able to like, cause you're a personality, You
38:54
Speaker 2: got a personality, so I'm sure it wasn't that hard
38:56
Speaker 2: to adapt.
38:57
Speaker 1: Right, I mean I was I was lucky because I
39:01
Speaker 1: had a personality. My mom was a huge extrovert, and
39:05
Speaker 1: when you become disabled, I mean, especially if you're recognizably disabled,
39:09
Speaker 1: you basically become famous. Like everybody wants to talk to you.
39:12
Speaker 1: They want to know what's going on, what happened, why.
39:16
Speaker 2: You'reker I'll tell you that, yeah, totally.
39:20
Speaker 1: And so I was lucky that I was an extrovert
39:23
Speaker 1: and I was ready to talk and I had all
39:25
Speaker 1: the had all the time of to day. But also
39:27
Speaker 1: I was coming to a point in my age where
39:29
Speaker 1: I realized, like, I'm not that smart. I've been trying
39:32
Speaker 1: to be this stud athlete my whole life, and I
39:34
Speaker 1: haven't learned anything. So it was nice to actually be
39:37
Speaker 1: you know, reading books and learning all this stuff. You know,
39:40
Speaker 1: I'm in my young twenties and I'm immersed in the
39:43
Speaker 1: disabled community at twenty years old. And I was like,
39:46
Speaker 1: and that's also when I was realizing I'm not smart.
39:49
Speaker 1: I just basically failed out of college, and I was like,
39:52
Speaker 1: oh man, I got to start learning, and it was
39:54
Speaker 1: just a perfect time to basically I lose my leg
39:57
Speaker 1: and that's I basically like started this whole new life
40:00
Speaker 1: like this new video game of different different chapters to
40:04
Speaker 1: unlock and whatever, and so it was I was really lucky.
40:08
Speaker 2: And you're still unlocking. You're only thirty three, so you're
40:10
Speaker 2: still unlocking your journey right here.
40:12
Speaker 1: Totally. Yeah.
40:15
Speaker 2: All right. One other thing, and I will say this
40:17
Speaker 2: is I've always has made the point that people on
40:19
Speaker 2: the outside think, oh, they're just innocent kids disabled. We're
40:23
Speaker 2: a rowdy bunch. And I'm sure you felt that right
40:24
Speaker 2: away in your twenties, how rowdy the disabled community can be.
40:27
Speaker 2: You know, normal we are if you think about it.
40:31
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I think you know. Like I was saying,
40:33
Speaker 1: it's like there's a whole bunch of famous people. You know,
40:36
Speaker 1: all these disabled people are back from their hometown where
40:40
Speaker 1: they're the only disabled person and they're basically famous. Like
40:44
Speaker 1: it may be all the bad bits of fame, but
40:47
Speaker 1: they but please believe they are famous. They're living their
40:51
Speaker 1: lives as a famous person. So it's like, do you
40:54
Speaker 1: want to go out in public and like basically either
40:57
Speaker 1: be embarrassed or be be taking all day to people
41:01
Speaker 1: explaining what happened to you, or do you want to
41:03
Speaker 1: just shelter in your home? And that's where a lot
41:06
Speaker 1: of times you don't see the disabled community out representing themselves.
41:09
Speaker 1: So that's why I consider it my contribution. You know,
41:13
Speaker 1: go and try to talk for them and be like, hey,
41:15
Speaker 1: you know, we don't need you to help us, Like,
41:17
Speaker 1: if we need help, we'll ask. We're the first people.
41:20
Speaker 1: That's what you learn first when you become disabled, is
41:23
Speaker 1: to ask for help when you need it. But like,
41:25
Speaker 1: if any human asks for help, nine out of ten times,
41:28
Speaker 1: you're going to help anybody. So when you just go
41:31
Speaker 1: and help a disabled person even if they didn't ask
41:34
Speaker 1: for it, that's where you're not you're dehumanizing them.
41:37
Speaker 2: But uh yeah, I think there are so many quotables
41:41
Speaker 2: in this interview alone. I love your I love talking
41:45
Speaker 2: with you, and I have to ask you this. Do
41:47
Speaker 2: you feel like twins? Like have you seen my videos?
41:49
Speaker 2: Like I see your rodom like that's my twin right there.
41:51
Speaker 2: Do you ever feel like that? Am I being a
41:53
Speaker 2: little weird?
41:54
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, we're twins.
41:57
Speaker 2: That's how I feel about it. I mean they're just
41:59
Speaker 2: a similarity there that is beyond the leg Actually, if you.
42:02
Speaker 1: Think about it, and we're missing opposite legs right.
42:06
Speaker 2: Well, no, I think I'm the right. I'm missing my
42:07
Speaker 2: left and you're also missing your left.
42:10
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, well we could. I think that means we
42:13
Speaker 1: could puzzle pieces. If we were facing each other, your
42:16
Speaker 1: right would go where my left was.
42:19
Speaker 2: I have met someone who actually is missing the right,
42:21
Speaker 2: and so it was an interesting picture. I got to
42:22
Speaker 2: send you that.
42:24
Speaker 1: Oh wow.
42:25
Speaker 2: But there are so many organizations I want to connect
42:27
Speaker 2: you too. I don't know if you want to be
42:28
Speaker 2: connected to them, but like limb Kine Foundation and others
42:31
Speaker 2: that are really could use your energy and use I
42:35
Speaker 2: don't know if you ever want to be a spokesperson,
42:36
Speaker 2: but I feel like you have that talent right there too.
42:40
Speaker 1: I mean at some point I might as well, Yeah, exactly,
42:43
Speaker 1: that is a talent. I'm good at that. So why
42:45
Speaker 1: not help me help you? You know, I would love
42:48
Speaker 1: to endorse spread more love for a good way and
42:52
Speaker 1: who goes maybe they'll pay me a million dollars.
42:54
Speaker 2: Well that's thing. And everybody says, why don't I go
42:56
Speaker 2: to public speaking? I kind of like my blue collar job.
42:59
Speaker 2: But maybe one day, maybe one day I'll do a
43:01
Speaker 2: tour or one leg up tour that would be interesting.
43:05
Speaker 1: I got to I just want to make my dad
43:07
Speaker 1: and my movie director Rich they're in a lot of debt.
43:10
Speaker 1: I got to get them. I don't. I don't. I'm
43:13
Speaker 1: already rich of spirit outs you know.
43:17
Speaker 2: That right away?
43:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, I me and you are rich of our soul
43:23
Speaker 1: or something like that.
43:24
Speaker 2: Well, I have the term soul brother, and I feel
43:27
Speaker 2: like you're a soul brother. And that was even before
43:29
Speaker 2: we met.
43:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh totally.
43:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, Hi Patrick, Well, there's so much more we can
43:35
Speaker 2: get to and I want to have you on another show.
43:37
Speaker 2: But I love your platform. I love what you're doing.
43:40
Speaker 2: I love that you're just living life and what's a
43:43
Speaker 2: document every moment though it seems like matters to you.
43:46
Speaker 2: I think you want to be seen, and I think
43:48
Speaker 2: that more people in the zeb of community should be
43:51
Speaker 2: want to be seen, but also should want to not
43:54
Speaker 2: just stay in the community, meaning we go out in
43:56
Speaker 2: the world, we do things, and there are so many
43:58
Speaker 2: more in the ZEB community that should be out there
43:59
Speaker 2: in the world, not sheltering where they're in right now.
44:02
Speaker 2: I think that's the point we're trying to make earlier.
44:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, And like, man, if you can get seen boots
44:10
Speaker 1: on the ground and be with somebody literally with them, man,
44:13
Speaker 1: it does not get better than that. And I think
44:15
Speaker 1: especially with you know, like with your a meme. Man,
44:18
Speaker 1: you once like, yeah, you hear a one like a rollerblader,
44:21
Speaker 1: you know, or this or that, but even you know,
44:24
Speaker 1: going up a staircase getting a cup of coffee like
44:26
Speaker 1: you see us do that, it really puts things into
44:30
Speaker 1: perspective that you know, life could be worse or at
44:34
Speaker 1: least I'm not that guy, and that's a reality, you know,
44:36
Speaker 1: Like you and.
44:37
Speaker 2: Someone tell me going up the stairs on my skate
44:39
Speaker 2: was an Olympic sports So my dark humor actually put
44:41
Speaker 2: the Olympic theme over me going upstairs.
44:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. It's you know, and it's when you see that,
44:49
Speaker 1: it's something clicks in your mind and it's like, that's
44:52
Speaker 1: what is the inspiration that we are? You know, really, when.
44:56
Speaker 2: It comes down to it, you you were the first
44:59
Speaker 2: to tell me you were a new work, and I'm
45:00
Speaker 2: so honored that you did because we we connected right away.
45:03
Speaker 2: I mean our first few minutes was just like, oh
45:05
Speaker 2: my god, finally, finally, yeah.
45:08
Speaker 1: I am yeah, I'm so pumped. You reached out and
45:13
Speaker 1: we met up. Man, that was awesome.
45:15
Speaker 2: Well, keep us posing on your journey. Let us know
45:17
Speaker 2: when you know what what's next. I know you're also
45:19
Speaker 2: looking for sponsors. Is that right to do it? Or
45:21
Speaker 2: are you just joking about that?
45:23
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah, no, I'm always I am. I don't have
45:27
Speaker 1: I got one sponsor of the skiers that I work at,
45:30
Speaker 1: And you know, we're always looking for financial health. I
45:34
Speaker 1: mean that's really it is, like I don't work. I
45:38
Speaker 1: I I need the financial support so that I can
45:43
Speaker 1: train full time and be, you know, be this ski figure.
45:46
Speaker 1: And you know, I really just want to endorse for
45:51
Speaker 1: somebody where we're spreading love and I think I think
45:54
Speaker 1: it's something really special could happen with me and just
45:57
Speaker 1: you know, doing all the filming this summer and traveling
46:00
Speaker 1: and kind of put myself in a position where I'm
46:02
Speaker 1: ready to spread the love and in any way and yeah,
46:08
Speaker 1: boots on the ground.
46:09
Speaker 2: These networks that carry the Paralympics, I feel like they
46:11
Speaker 2: could be more. But do you feel like they do
46:13
Speaker 2: it as the kindness of their own heart at a
46:16
Speaker 2: genuine or just to show hey, we also cover Like
46:18
Speaker 2: I feel like there can always be an onterior motive
46:21
Speaker 2: And I don't know. I love that we're seeing, but
46:23
Speaker 2: they could be addressing it differently. When they're on TV
46:26
Speaker 2: right when when they do these games.
46:29
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, they got their sponsors
46:33
Speaker 1: and they give us you know, the team has its sponsors,
46:36
Speaker 1: but every athlete is not getting paid by those sponsors.
46:40
Speaker 1: And the US Ski and Snowboard and Team USA, you know,
46:44
Speaker 1: they keep our amateur status basically, so they don't. They
46:47
Speaker 1: want us doing it out of the love of the
46:49
Speaker 1: sport and not for the money. So but you know,
46:55
Speaker 1: this equipment, all this stuff, it costs lots of money.
46:58
Speaker 1: And I'm not I don't have those sponsors. I don't
47:01
Speaker 1: have a family that can pay for things. I'm I'm
47:05
Speaker 1: working as I train and always have probably always will.
47:09
Speaker 1: But to make it work, you know, it's like you know,
47:14
Speaker 1: you know, any NASCAR will tell you throw money at it,
47:17
Speaker 1: you're gonna win, you know, And that's that's the reality.
47:22
Speaker 2: Pat it up with or you know, logoed up. That's
47:24
Speaker 2: we got to do, Patrick, right, all right, One story
47:29
Speaker 2: I want to share because your your gym stories kind
47:31
Speaker 2: of remind me this. I was at the finish center
47:33
Speaker 2: of Queen's College and sometimes I would do it on
47:36
Speaker 2: just my one like hopping around, but they would have
47:39
Speaker 2: to we'd have to rack the weights and I would
47:42
Speaker 2: just roll the weights to the rack and then lift
47:44
Speaker 2: it up by myself, no help. I don't know. I
47:46
Speaker 2: feel like you're like that at the ski resort, like
47:48
Speaker 2: you can do things independently and don't need help from others.
47:52
Speaker 1: It sounds like, oh yeah, yeah, that is the gym
47:58
Speaker 1: one's so good. It's like you do have the workout,
48:01
Speaker 1: just move Just setting up the workout is a workout
48:04
Speaker 1: in itself. I feel like that all the time. That's funny,
48:07
Speaker 1: but you know, yeah, it's that's the reality of this
48:11
Speaker 1: world is to even you know, to get up on
48:15
Speaker 1: a ski resort and set up this training slope that
48:19
Speaker 1: I need. It's like it takes so much money and
48:23
Speaker 1: effort and labor to do that that you know, this sport,
48:27
Speaker 1: and then you know that's not even with that, with
48:29
Speaker 1: the equipment, with the five to ten thousand dollars I'm
48:32
Speaker 1: spending and equipment every year, and but you know, when
48:36
Speaker 1: it really comes down to it, I know that all
48:38
Speaker 1: that's gonna come like I'm just gonna master myself and
48:42
Speaker 1: what I can control. I'll be the best in the world,
48:44
Speaker 1: or at least be the best I can be. It's
48:46
Speaker 1: just gonna so happen to align with being the best
48:48
Speaker 1: in the world. But uh, you know, and then you
48:51
Speaker 1: know the money's gonna come. Like I'm just gonna be
48:53
Speaker 1: the best that I can be. Keep spreading love like
48:55
Speaker 1: me and you did in New York City and all that,
48:58
Speaker 1: all those dreams are gonna, it's all gonna, it's all
49:01
Speaker 1: gonna be there, you know.
49:02
Speaker 2: Wait well, Patrick, as you're rolling into your dreams day
49:06
Speaker 2: by day. Thanks so much for joining us here on
49:08
Speaker 2: the One Lag Up Network, and we'll have you back soon.
49:10
Speaker 2: Here are One leg Up Alex