IUPUI Informatics grad wins three medals including gold at Footbike World Championships
November 3, 2008
Gary Schmitt says it all started with his son – the scooter riding that is. Schmitt, a 2005 graduate of the IU School of Informatics, is a world-class competitor in the somewhat obscure, but no less rigorous sport of footbike racing.
Last August, the then 56-year-old graphic artist won three medals at the Footbike World Championships (FWC) in the Netherlands - gold, silver and bronze for sprint and marathon races in the 45-or-older masters division. Two years earlier, Schmitt bagged two gold medals in the same masters division at the FWC in Helsinki, Finland, beating out the Dutch and Finnish national champions among others.
“This all started as I was watching my son, David, riding and doing tricks on his Razor scooter, and thought gee, that looks like fun,” said Schmitt. “I was into inline skating at the time and figured scooter riding would be another good way to stay in shape.”
Schmitt has done far more than stay in shape. In short order he stepped up (or should I say stepped onto) a footbike - a kind of modified scooter with a bicycle-sized tire on front, and a single, smaller wheel on the rear. Pushing with one leg – as you would on a child’s scooter – Schmitt cranks the footbike to speeds approaching 23 miles per hour in sprint races.
The creator of brochures, flyers and other graphics for the IU School of Medicine’s Office of Visual Media, Schmitt credits his master’s degree in Media Arts and Science for helping to boost his confidence as a professional graphics designer.
“My studies in media arts and science provided an important perspective about computer-based communications,” said Schmitt. “I often apply those lessons in the workplace.”
When lunchtime rolls around, Schmitt frequently scoots out for training rides along the Downtown Canal, the Indianapolis Zoo Promenade, and out to the Major Taylor Velodrome near Marian College.
“As I continued training, my race times continued to drop, much to the chagrin of veteran, much younger footbike racers I’d met online,” laughed Schmitt. “I knew then that I wanted to compete on the world stage.”
At the August world championships, Schmitt finished with the 8th fastest sprint time out of 125 racers – good enough to win the gold medal. Having just celebrated his 57th birthday, Schmitt sees no reasons to stop now. He’s planning to compete in 2010 at the championships in Italy.
“I’ve been to Italy and raced in the foothills there and really enjoyed it,” said Schmitt. “Besides, I like the idea of getting faster as I get older.”
For additional information about footbike racing visit http://www.iksaworld.com/welcome.html
