Amputee Ski Racer to Get back at it
Donation protected
Dear Friends, Family, Supporters and even those of you that I have never met,
My name is Mark Urich and I am an amputee ski racer from Denver, CO. I race all 5 alpine events and I ski using a technique called "3-tracking." I was born with a condition where my right leg was underdeveloped which led to an amputation above the knee to better fit a prosthetic when I was 2.
I called it my "robot leg." :)
Since around that age, I have always been competitive and truly tried (and loved) every sport out there from rock climbing to football. (Full Bio Here) But then in November of 2010, a friend of mine got me to try skiing. The moment I clicked into the ski, I was hooked. This was it. I found MY sport. My true passion. This was the first "adaptive" sport I had tried and instantly fell in love. I immediately entered into a race camp and from that moment I knew my dream and what I wanted out of life.
I now race for the National Sports Center for the Disabled and hope to make the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team early this season. My dream is to bring home a gold medal for the United States and proudly represent our great nation at the highest level of athletic competition, the Paralympic Games.
However, in the summer of 2014, my dream of the Paralympics and my training were suddenly put on hold. I was working in Denver as a bartender to pay off the last season of dues and training fees when a shady group came in and looked visibly intoxicated. It was late and we knew they were trouble. They became angry when we didn't serve them and they attacked us, hitting us with whatever they had, from belt buckles to bar stools. I finally managed to get up and head for the door, phone in hand with the police, when I felt an extremely painful sting on my neck, right in the center of my spine. I turned around, fists clenched, only to see a man who was old enough to be my father standing there holding a bent pool stick. I was so shocked that I didn't strike him back. He cowardly ran away and jumped into their escaping truck just as the cops screeched into the parking lot. The police only caught one of the men that night, but he was released the day after. Not only did police do nothing about my case afterwards, they were actually rude, disclaiming that "we can't just go around breaking fingers for information."
The paramedics examined my neck that night and evaluated the feeling in my hands. I was so full of adrenaline that nothing really hurt that night, I even finished that shift until 3a.m. for whatever dumb reason. The next day however, the pain was excruciating and my fingers were going numb.
It took workman's comp doctors 3 days to see me, but eventually I found out that that man broke my neck with the pool stick. He fractured the spinous process completely off of my T1 vertbebrae. They put me in a neck brace, and actually sent me back to work right away. Not being able to see the ground in front of me and wearing prosthetic up to my hip, I obviously tripped all over the place as someone would... I struggled to get them to let me just try and heal from home as they didn't know how to interact with a worker who was already previously "disabled." I believe they did more harm than good.
Three months later when I returned to work, I learned that the same group came in looking to talk to "whoever was suing them..." I never even knew who they were.
I felt like I had a target on my back in my home town. I walk with a pretty significant limp, I always wear shorts, and I don't hide the fact that I have one leg. I stand out in a crowd, to say the least.
So I had to leave. I moved up with my girlfriend Casey to Big Sky, Montana, where I would wish anyone who has vengeance with me good luck, as the locals up here are tougher than grizzly bears. :)
As for right now, I am trying to get my life back. I want to train and race again. I want to show people that you can do whatever you want in this life if you want it bad enough, even if major obstacles are thrown your way. The more sour the lemons, the sweeter the lemonade. Ha! That is my new mantra...
I now have more determination than ever to succeed in ski racing and qualify for the US Ski Team, and I WILL bring home gold medals in the next Paralympics for our US of A.
However, I am back at stage 1 as far as my equipment and funding go. I am need of legal race skis as the FIS changed the radius requirements in the year that I was injured and all my skis are ineligible for competition. I also need funding to train in Winter Park, the home of the National Sports Center for the Disabled, as well as travel and lodging expenses throughout the year at the required races. Unfortunately, one could be the best racer in the world, but you have to be able to show up to the events to get the required points to make the team. My current budget outlook this year is looking to be around $15,000 (I put $25,000 in hopes of not having to fundraise next year...) if I am to compete in the necessary events and frankly right now, that amount seems astronomically out of reach if I try to do it alone.
If you believe in me and what I am doing to accomplish my dream, and you have the means, I would sincerely appreciate any assistance you can give. Every little bit counts and it all adds up quickly!
If you'd like to help out but financially are unable to do so, you can still help me spread the word and hopefully we can reach enough kind hearts out there to help me succeed in my goal.
I want to thank you all for your time in reading my story and I sincerely appreciate any and all assistance!
Thank you,
Mark Urich
Adaptive Amputee Ski Racer
My name is Mark Urich and I am an amputee ski racer from Denver, CO. I race all 5 alpine events and I ski using a technique called "3-tracking." I was born with a condition where my right leg was underdeveloped which led to an amputation above the knee to better fit a prosthetic when I was 2.
I called it my "robot leg." :)
Since around that age, I have always been competitive and truly tried (and loved) every sport out there from rock climbing to football. (Full Bio Here) But then in November of 2010, a friend of mine got me to try skiing. The moment I clicked into the ski, I was hooked. This was it. I found MY sport. My true passion. This was the first "adaptive" sport I had tried and instantly fell in love. I immediately entered into a race camp and from that moment I knew my dream and what I wanted out of life.
I now race for the National Sports Center for the Disabled and hope to make the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team early this season. My dream is to bring home a gold medal for the United States and proudly represent our great nation at the highest level of athletic competition, the Paralympic Games.
However, in the summer of 2014, my dream of the Paralympics and my training were suddenly put on hold. I was working in Denver as a bartender to pay off the last season of dues and training fees when a shady group came in and looked visibly intoxicated. It was late and we knew they were trouble. They became angry when we didn't serve them and they attacked us, hitting us with whatever they had, from belt buckles to bar stools. I finally managed to get up and head for the door, phone in hand with the police, when I felt an extremely painful sting on my neck, right in the center of my spine. I turned around, fists clenched, only to see a man who was old enough to be my father standing there holding a bent pool stick. I was so shocked that I didn't strike him back. He cowardly ran away and jumped into their escaping truck just as the cops screeched into the parking lot. The police only caught one of the men that night, but he was released the day after. Not only did police do nothing about my case afterwards, they were actually rude, disclaiming that "we can't just go around breaking fingers for information."
The paramedics examined my neck that night and evaluated the feeling in my hands. I was so full of adrenaline that nothing really hurt that night, I even finished that shift until 3a.m. for whatever dumb reason. The next day however, the pain was excruciating and my fingers were going numb.
It took workman's comp doctors 3 days to see me, but eventually I found out that that man broke my neck with the pool stick. He fractured the spinous process completely off of my T1 vertbebrae. They put me in a neck brace, and actually sent me back to work right away. Not being able to see the ground in front of me and wearing prosthetic up to my hip, I obviously tripped all over the place as someone would... I struggled to get them to let me just try and heal from home as they didn't know how to interact with a worker who was already previously "disabled." I believe they did more harm than good.
Three months later when I returned to work, I learned that the same group came in looking to talk to "whoever was suing them..." I never even knew who they were.
I felt like I had a target on my back in my home town. I walk with a pretty significant limp, I always wear shorts, and I don't hide the fact that I have one leg. I stand out in a crowd, to say the least.
So I had to leave. I moved up with my girlfriend Casey to Big Sky, Montana, where I would wish anyone who has vengeance with me good luck, as the locals up here are tougher than grizzly bears. :)
As for right now, I am trying to get my life back. I want to train and race again. I want to show people that you can do whatever you want in this life if you want it bad enough, even if major obstacles are thrown your way. The more sour the lemons, the sweeter the lemonade. Ha! That is my new mantra...
I now have more determination than ever to succeed in ski racing and qualify for the US Ski Team, and I WILL bring home gold medals in the next Paralympics for our US of A.
However, I am back at stage 1 as far as my equipment and funding go. I am need of legal race skis as the FIS changed the radius requirements in the year that I was injured and all my skis are ineligible for competition. I also need funding to train in Winter Park, the home of the National Sports Center for the Disabled, as well as travel and lodging expenses throughout the year at the required races. Unfortunately, one could be the best racer in the world, but you have to be able to show up to the events to get the required points to make the team. My current budget outlook this year is looking to be around $15,000 (I put $25,000 in hopes of not having to fundraise next year...) if I am to compete in the necessary events and frankly right now, that amount seems astronomically out of reach if I try to do it alone.
If you believe in me and what I am doing to accomplish my dream, and you have the means, I would sincerely appreciate any assistance you can give. Every little bit counts and it all adds up quickly!
If you'd like to help out but financially are unable to do so, you can still help me spread the word and hopefully we can reach enough kind hearts out there to help me succeed in my goal.
I want to thank you all for your time in reading my story and I sincerely appreciate any and all assistance!
Thank you,
Mark Urich
Adaptive Amputee Ski Racer
Organizer
Mark Urich
Organizer
Wheat Ridge, CO
