| Bill Schuffenhauer | |
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Bill Schuffenhauer (born June 24, 1973) is an American bobsledder who has competed since 2000. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won the silver medal in the four-man event at Salt Lake City in 2002.
Bill grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and as a child, his mother was a prostitute and drug addict who was often beaten in front of him.[1] He had to steal, to eat from trash cans, and once was caught trying to break into a bicycle store to try to steal something to sell for food.[1]
The few friends he had were mostly in street gangs, and Bill drank and smoked cannabis often.[1] His mother was often evicted, and he lived in foster homes.[1] Schuffenhauer's maternal grandmother, Sadie Muniz, took him in as he was about to enter junior high in Roy, Utah.[1] "She reminded me to never give up and always push on," he said.[1]
Because of his grandmother's influence, he began going to school and started to participate in track and field at Roy High School, due to his great speed.[1] He persevered to become an Olympian, and his coaches encouraged him greatly as well. He soon became a decathlete. He went to Weber State University and there he won the junior nationals in 1992. Additionally he played American football in high school.
Schuffenhauer's Olympics dream as a track and field athlete came to an end in 2000. While training for Sydney, he suffered a bad ankle injury and he could barely walk. When his friend told him that the U.S. Olympic team was practicing bobsledding in Park City, he took the chance to go and observe. While there, the team members noticed his 6-foot, 200 pound frame and asked him he wanted to be a pusher. He accepted and trained with the team from then on.
He was not originally slated to be a regular member, but was promoted when one of the U.S. four-man team members tested positive for steroids. That crew, piloted by Todd Hays, won a silver medal at the Salt Lake Games.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Bill's two-man team placed 14th, after which he retired. He had two children and he felt responsible for them. Bobsledders earn only a meager amount, but Bill made the tough decision to continue to aspire for qualification for Vancouver. He fought through a neck injury (2 herniated disks) with the help of a chiropractor and a team physician.
In January 2010, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Bill and his 3 USA teammates placed sixth and qualified for Vancouver and it was officially announced on January 17, 2010, that Bill's team would represent the United States at Vancouver. They finished 13th in the four-man event.
"The dream is happening right now. I'm here. That's all I wanted," he said. Then he added, "It would be nice to get a medal of any color."
Schuffenhauer attempted suicide in 2016. He was saved by his girlfriend. Speculation has arisen that Schuffenhauer's attempt was related to brain trauma suffered during his bobsledding career, similar to CTE that boxers and other sportsmen who suffer repeated minor concussions face.[2]