NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – From the slopes to supercomputers. One University of New Mexico student with cerebral palsy is a star athlete and student. Mike Adams was 11 years old when he joined the Adaptive Sports Program (ASPNM). “I first started with a ski instructor named Brett,” said Adams.

“I’ve heard many times people will stop us on the slopes and go, like, holy crap, that’s awesome,” said Adams.

Adams has cerebral palsy, but he isn’t afraid to push the boundaries. “Most sit-down skiers that are tethered and can’t use handheld outriggers, which are skis that attach to the end of your arms and flip up and turn into ski poles, most of those athletes are going to use what we call fixed outriggers,” said Bruce Hopper, Volunteer for ASPNM.

But Adams isn’t like most athletes. He loves the thrill of skiing without the fixed outriggers. “He’s allowed to ski more independently and tip the ski over into the turn much more aggressively,” said Adams.

“It’s just having all of us feel excitement when that happens,” said Adams.

University of New Mexico student awarded Athlete of the Year

This year, ASPNM awarded Adams the 2025 Athlete of the Year. He also shines in the classroom. Adams just finished the second year of his Ph.D. program in computer science. “I always liked computers since I was young because I cannot write, so I use the computer to communicate. And that is crucial in our lives,” said Adams.

And just like on the slopes, Adams has come up with his own way to ace exams. Since 2019, Adams has been working with a UNM accommodations specialist, who helped him as a scribe during tests.

Adams created his own symbols sheet as he moved through higher levels of math, so now others can use it in the future. “The symbol sheet is helpful for the person who is scribing just because of the complexity of the problems,” said Carol Bartlett, Accommodations Specialist with the Accessibility Resource Center at UNM.

Those who’ve worked with Adam say there’s no one like him. “I have no doubt that Mike is going to invent something incredible in the world,” said Bartlett.

For more information about ASPNM, click this link. To watch a special documentary directed and produced by Alexandra Henry in partnership with ASPNM, click this link.