Sam has always loved sports. But when he became a quadriplegic in a motocross accident in 2003, Sam though his days participating in sports were over.
“I went through some serious depression. You go from, like, the top of the world and then all of a sudden – boom you’re in a wheelchair.”
After a year in the hospital, and several more years of therapy, Sam decided he wanted more out of his new body. So he drove himself to a local gym, and began working out. Sam worked hard to strengthen his upper body with free weights. He also used special hand grips to perform pull ups. Once Sam’s muscles started responding and growing, he had the idea to try something new: wheelchair bodybuilding.
Sam was one of the first people from Utah to compete in wheelchair bodybuilding, and he recently won first place in the wheelchair division of a contest held in Las Vegas. Competing as a bodybuilder has also given Sam an incredible confidence boost.
“It makes me feel like all my struggles and all my hard times are worth it.”