Michael Mills - http://push-harder.com -
Michael Mills had an easy teenager’s life in a small town of Mississippi. His days were spent with 32 classmates at Hatley High School and when class dismissed, he headed to work at the local Sonic. Once he punched the time clock at the end of his shift and grabbed a few burgers to go, Michael headed to his best friend’s house to squeeze in a few hours of skateboarding before curfew. Skateboarding was his life. Michael believed his dreams would come true after he graduated and moved to California to pursue a career in skateboarding. However, before his junior year of high school, his life took a different direction. On May 2nd, 1993, Michael was struck by a drunk driver. Michael had been skateboarding at his friend’s house after work. He decided to take a different road home that evening and was less than two minutes from his house when he was hit. After multiple reconstructive surgeries and several grueling months of rehabilitation, Michael was discharged from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. Being the first spinal chord injury in the Tupelo area, Michael found himself searching for anything that would bring challenge and purpose into his new life. Three years later, Michael was watching ESPN and saw an exhibition event from the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. "I saw wheelchair racing for the first time. I was immediately drawn to the sport. It had everything I was searching for in my life: speed, endurance, strength, and most of all, ever evolving style and competition!" From that day forward, Michael decided to pursue the sport of wheelchair track and road racing. Michael trained diligently and began to make a name for himself in wheelchair racing. He moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 2003 to join Lakeshore Foundation’s wheelchair track and road racing team. Kevin Orr, a Paralympic Gold Medalist and coach of Lakeshore’s team, trained with Michael to increase his speed and to develop his competitive edge. Michael's dedication paid off and in 2005, he qualified for Team U.S.A. in the 1500 meter competition. "When the last heat finished and the times were recorded, my official time was 3:17.56. I had qualified within Paralympic standards!" This time also reserved him a place on Team U.S.A. to compete at the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Michael continued to stay focused on his training and exceeded his 2005 goals by finishing his season with faster personal records in all of the track and road races in which he had competed in previous years. With regard to Michael’s personal life, on September 9th, 2006, he married his best friend and training partner, Christie Dafoe. They currently reside in Marietta, Georgia. Michael is an elite member of Shepherd Center’s wheelchair racing team and coaches rising athletes in the sport. Michael works closely with many organizations to mentor individuals who are newly injured. He also encourages cross training and inclusion in a variety of athletic events, including USAT sanctioned triathlons.
Michael Mills had an easy teenager’s life in a small town of Mississippi. His days were spent with 32 classmates at Hatley High School and when class dismissed, he headed to work at the local Sonic. Once he punched the time clock at the end of his shift and grabbed a few burgers to go, Michael headed to his best friend’s house to squeeze in a few hours of skateboarding before curfew. Skateboarding was his life. Michael believed his dreams would come true after he graduated and moved to California to pursue a career in skateboarding. However, before his junior year of high school, his life took a different direction. On May 2nd, 1993, Michael was struck by a drunk driver. Michael had been skateboarding at his friend’s house after work. He decided to take a different road home that evening and was less than two minutes from his house when he was hit. After multiple reconstructive surgeries and several grueling months of rehabilitation, Michael was discharged from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. Being the first spinal chord injury in the Tupelo area, Michael found himself searching for anything that would bring challenge and purpose into his new life. Three years later, Michael was watching ESPN and saw an exhibition event from the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. "I saw wheelchair racing for the first time. I was immediately drawn to the sport. It had everything I was searching for in my life: speed, endurance, strength, and most of all, ever evolving style and competition!" From that day forward, Michael decided to pursue the sport of wheelchair track and road racing. Michael trained diligently and began to make a name for himself in wheelchair racing. He moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 2003 to join Lakeshore Foundation’s wheelchair track and road racing team. Kevin Orr, a Paralympic Gold Medalist and coach of Lakeshore’s team, trained with Michael to increase his speed and to develop his competitive edge. Michael's dedication paid off and in 2005, he qualified for Team U.S.A. in the 1500 meter competition. "When the last heat finished and the times were recorded, my official time was 3:17.56. I had qualified within Paralympic standards!" This time also reserved him a place on Team U.S.A. to compete at the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Michael continued to stay focused on his training and exceeded his 2005 goals by finishing his season with faster personal records in all of the track and road races in which he had competed in previous years. With regard to Michael’s personal life, on September 9th, 2006, he married his best friend and training partner, Christie Dafoe. They currently reside in Marietta, Georgia. Michael is an elite member of Shepherd Center’s wheelchair racing team and coaches rising athletes in the sport. Michael works closely with many organizations to mentor individuals who are newly injured. He also encourages cross training and inclusion in a variety of athletic events, including USAT sanctioned triathlons.
 Michael Mills |
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