Sam Kavanagh was born and raised in Montana and loves the outdoors. However, life changed suddenly for Sam on January 1, 2005 while on a backcountry ski trip with five of his best friends. On the second to last day of their trip Sam and two friends were caught in an avalanche that would ultimately claim the life of his friend and would result in having his leg amputated 13 days later as a result of injuries sustained in the slide and complications from spending 48 hours in the field prior to helicopter rescue. Since having his leg amputated five years ago, Sam has been determined to be the best that he can be, not only in competition, but out of competition as well. Shortly after his accident, he returned to his full time job as a Professional Civil Engineer. However, now he trains full-time and his goals are to compete at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, England. Sam is driven like never before to accomplish goals he would have once considered too difficult as a non-amputee. We all are given hardships in life that challenge us beyond our imagination. Sam’s challenge just happens to be losing a leg. He has chosen to live his life as an amputee not on the sidelines, but rather charging forward committed to pushing his abilities to new levels.