Aaron Scheidies :: What a Guy! What a Year!

Well.... Let me start this entire Journal Entry section of my Thailand trip by saying that Aaron was a wonderful travel companion!

For those who don’t know how this trip came about... Aaron Scheidies was asked to speak at the Young Presidents Organization family conference in Phuket. The reason they selected him is because they thought his story would be interesting for both adults and kids at this event. Because Aaron is blind, he requires a guide for a trip like this. Aaron is one of our C•Different Athletes — here is his write-up:

Aaron, at 24 years has overcome more obstacles already than many conquer in a lifespan. Born with a hereditary eye condition that slowly deteriorates his central vision, Aaron now has 10% of the vision of a fully sighted person. After battling through hard times in his early teens, Aaron found the sport of triathlon and turned his life around.

Beginning with sprint distance triathlon and continuing up the triathlon pyramid, Aaron is now a three time triathlon World Champion and has traveled around the world competing in over 70 triathlon races. In 2005, Aaron teamed up with four other blind individuals and their athlete guides through the C•Different Foundation and traveled to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. There, they conquered the world's most grueling triathlon event: the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. Aaron, along with the rest of the CDF athletes, became the first blind athletes to complete the Ironman.

Just as Aaron is a multi-dimensional athlete, he also excels in all aspects of life. In college at Michigan State U Aaron had a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is a leader with in the community there, serving as president of the MSU Triathlon Club. Aaron volunteered over 100 hours of his time, helping other students with disabilities; and was later inducted into the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame. He graduated with a BS in Kinesiology from MSU and is currently enrolled at the University of Washington where he plans to earn a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

In 2005 Aaron added modeling to his resume. He has been featured in a 2005 Levi's national ad campaign. His likeness has appeared in GQ, Esquire and Men's Health magazines. Aaron was also recently named the 2006 USAT PC Athlete of the Year.

Aaron and his story are being featured in the documentary film Victory Over Darkness.
Click or more about Aaron and other C•Different Athletes.