American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Keynote Speaker for the 2010 Central District Convention

'My Foot is Cold and I Never Expected It!'

Sport: Sit Volleyball
Residence: Omaha, NE

Brent's journey began as a dedicated high school athlete. Hard work and good coaching allowed him the opportunity to play college baseball at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he worked hard to earn academic honors while serving as team captain of the UNO Mavericks baseball team. During his senior year, he was named to the NCC All-Conference team, and soon after was picked up as a free agent for the Omaha Royals.  He spent the next three years with the Gulf Coast Royals with big dreams of a future in baseball.

One night on his way home, he noticed a stranded motorist and he stopped to help.  As he provided assistance, another car hit him, hospitalizing him for one month and leaving him bed-ridden for an additional five months. The accident caused him to lose his left foot, and left him with a shattered right ankle and a 16' rod in his right femur. Soon after he returned to work in 2002, he received an invitation to play on a new wheelchair softball team a good friend was trying to get launched.  After only one practice, he was hooked, and one month later was featured in Sports Illustrated for being named MVP in my first wheelchair softball tournament by hitting .916 with two homeruns, five doubles and six intentional walks. Since that day, Brent has never looked back.

Now Brent is the captain of the U.S. Men's Sit Volleyball team and a World Player Representative for Volleyball for the Disabled. He serves on several non-profit organizations' Board of Directors, as well as his service to the Nebraska Chapter of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.  Also, Brent is president of his own mortgage firm, Mortgage Specialists, LLC, and enjoys his roles as a certified instructor and motivational speaker. Brent works closely with The Hartford, founding sponsor of U.S. Paralympics®, helping to positively change public attitudes and perceptions about disability.

• World Organization of Volleyball for the Disabled Athlete/Player Representative
• 2007 Para Pan American Games Silver Medalist
• Captain of US World Team 2006
• Captain of the USA Sitting Volleyball Team since 2004
• 2004 US Paralympian
• 2003 Para Pan American Game Gold Medalist