My name is Sam Kavanagh and I am 30 years old. I live with my wife Sara and 6-month old daughter Amelia in Bozeman, Montana where both of us graduated from Montana State University, I in civil engineering and Sara in elementary education. Both my wife and I are native Montanans; we love the outdoors and actively pursue any opportunity to recreate. I have been an avid skier for most of my life, and the six years prior to my amputation, I was a competitive cyclist. I competed in numerous regional cycling events spanning both road and mountain bike disciplines.
My story as an amputee started on January 1, 2005. While backcountry skiing with close friends, I was caught in an avalanche that resulted in a severe compound fracture of my left Tibia and Fibula. Given the remoteness of our location, I spent 2-days in a tent prior to being airlifted to the regional hospital in Bozeman, Montana. Over the course of my two-day stay in the backcountry I lost over half my blood supply, was experiencing kidney failure, and had life threatening infections in my lower leg. After nine surgeries including the amputation of my left leg below the knee, an extensive stay in the hospital, and months of recovery, I received my first prosthetic leg April 18, 2005. It was during this period that the dream of becoming a paralympic cyclist was born. Initially, adapting to my prosthetic had it setbacks. However, with the desire to be active again I was soon biking regularly, hiking in the mountains of Montana, and with winters arrival was telemark skiing again.
In July 2006 thanks to the encouragement and support of my family and friends I competed in my first US Paralympics National Championships. In the days that followed competition I was invited to participate in 2006 IPC World Championships as the newest member of the US Paralympic Cycling team. One and half short years after losing my leg I had taken a big step towards my dream of being a paralympic cyclist.
Since becoming a member of the US Paralympic Cycling team I have had the opportunity to race my bike against the world’s finest disabled cyclists; most recently being ranked 5th in the World following the 2009 World Championships. I have also experienced the ups and downs of being an amputee fighting through injuries to my residual limb, which at one point cost me much of my 2007 cycling season. It was once said to me that, “like a game of cards we cannot chose which cards we are dealt but we can chose how we play them.” It is with this attitude I choose daily to live me life determined to be the best I can be, living a life with out limitations.
After narrowly missing the podium at the 2009 Track World Championships I am determined to train harder, with the intention of earning a podium spot at the 2010 World Championships. In addition, my plans for next year include qualification and participation in the Elite Track National Championships to test my abilities against the able bodied athletes. While each year has it own training goals and priority competitions, each is a building block for my ultimate competitive objective, the 2012 Paralympics in London. It is in London where all the years of training and racing will culminate in a few explosive seconds as I attempt to become a Paralympic Champion.
In pursuing elite athletics, it is my hope that my actions encourage and inspire others to overcome the obstacle(s) in their life, so that they may achieve all they are capable of, with no regrets. I am a firm believer that being handicapped is a state of mind, and that anything is attainable through dedication, will power, and great support. I have been given a new outlook on life and I do not intend to waste it away complaining about how hard I have it. I am driven like never before, to accomplish goals I would have once considered too difficult as a non-amputee. We all are given hardships in life that challenge us beyond our imagination. I encourage you to join me in facing those challenges with dedication and confidence; you too can live a life without limitations.
