Olympian's strength built from life on the streets

Schuffenhauer tried raising money from sponsors. The owners of the store where he was caught stealing as a youth offered him one of their bikes to raffle off. But with the economy in free fall, he barely sold any tickets. There are still tickets available on his Web site, billschuffenhauer.com. And other companies didn't have the extra funds to give.

It got worse. At the beginning of the 2008-2009 season, Schuffenhauer suffered a serious injury, two herniated disks in his neck, that made it difficult to use his arms to push the sled. He remained resolute that he would make the Olympics even though he was now an alternate. He worked closely with a chiropractor and a team physician to get back on track.

In January, a healthy Schuffenhauer and his USA3 teammates went to a race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with a very outside chance of qualifying for the Olympics. They finished sixth in the event, and Schuffenhauer's dream was realized.

"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."

It is improbable his team will medal in the four-man competition, which begins Friday. But Schuffenhauer has faced improbable many times before.

And even though many people come up to him to tell him how he is a hero, he can't see it that way. He figures himself just a regular guy who had a goal and was able to achieve it. Heroes are teachers and doctors, he said.

After the Games, Schuffenhauer plans to return home, find work, take online classes towards a sports science degree and move to the next chapter of his life. Asked if those chapters will take written form one day, he said he had considered it, but right now he has a family to return to.

And family is what matters most of all.