Ditching The Ice For The Track Is Paying Off For ‘Superman’ Sam Winter

You never know when a person or event enters your world that might change your life.

For Sam Winter, that moment happened in 2018. That was when Winter, who had been a sled hockey player, first heard about adaptive track and field. A coach drove two hours to Winter’s house in Carpio, North Dakota, to teach him about the sport.

“She was really so encouraging and helped me to see that I could do this,” Winter said. “I competed in my first adaptive track meet in Bismarck, North Dakota, that summer — and I haven't stopped running since then.”

He certainly hasn’t. Each year, U.S. Paralympics Track & Field names a Male Track and a Male Field Athlete of the Year. Last year, Winter —who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy as a result of a stroke when he was born — earned both honors.

Competing in the T36 classification, Winter had a long jump of 4.95 meters to lead all adaptive male high school athletes and recorded a season-best 59.50 seconds in the 400-meter.

“It means a lot,” Winter said. “It is such an honor to be named to the All-American team. I never thought I would be named Athlete of the Year, and I was so surprised and truly honored and grateful to have been selected.”

Track and field is now the primary focus for the 19-year-old, who graduated in 2024 after being homeschooled.

Winter had a taste of elite-level competition when he tried to make Team USA this summer for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024. While he didn’t make the team, it showed him what he needs to do in the future.

“I really loved it,” Winter said. “It was really fun to be able to compete there even though I didn't make the team. I learned a lot honestly about how it works and how the selection stuff works.”

Winter still dabbles in sled hockey and has branched out to wheelchair basketball, wheelchair football, wheelchair tennis, pickleball and adaptive surfing. Another sport he wants to try is wheelchair fencing.

“I like competing and pushing myself to improve,” Winter said. “I really do enjoy meeting new friends and seeing how other areas of the country are improving access to Para sports around the U.S.”

Sled hockey still holds a special place for Winter. After all, the sport provided him a really cool nickname.

“Sled hockey was the first adaptive sport I tried and when I was going fast across the ice, it felt like I was free and could be moving faster than I could imagine,” Winter said. “It basically felt like I was flying. After that, the people watching started calling me ‘Superman Sam.’”

There is no Kryptonite to Winter’s desires. After a remarkable 2024, he is ready to make 2025 even better.

“My goals for 2025 are to keep pushing myself, setting new PR's and I would like to hopefully hit the standards for making the USA national team,” Winter said. “I always look forward to competing and, in 2025, I would like to compete internationally again and get to as many meets in the U.S. as possible.”

Even when not training, he still likes to be outside and run.

“I really love running in my free time,” Winter said, “but I also enjoy learning new things and traveling and reading, drawing, playing games, watching movies with my friends and family.”

Winter knows the window for making the Paralympics is now and realizes the hard work it will take in order to make it to Los Angeles in 2028.

“My ultimate goal is to make the Paralympics, hopefully one day or LA in 28,” Winter said. “But before that, I would like to try and hopefully make a worlds or Parapan team and to continue to compete internationally. I would also want to raise awareness and help improve opportunities for competition for those with disabilities, both locally here in the state of North Dakota and across the U.S.”

What would it be like to represent the U.S. in the L.A. Paralympics?

“It would really be an honor,” Winter said. “It would be incredible to see all the hard work, training, time and effort and stuff that I put into it come to fruition. It is also a really good reflection of the amount of time, sacrifice and dedication and hard work that my coaches and family and friends have poured into me and their support, which means the world.”

Steve Drumwright is a journalist based in Murrieta, California. He is a freelance contributor to usparatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.