Finding inspiration in helping others

NAMPA — Finding a way to do competitive sports, sweat and have an outlet for frustrations has been transformative for Nampa resident Josh Sweeney. And he took that outlet well beyond the hobby level, eventually becoming a Paralympic gold medalist, coach, and now builder of adaptive sport equipment for others.

The 37-year-old Marine veteran lost both his legs when he stepped on an IED on deployment in Afghanistan in 2009, and while recovering in the hospital he was approached by the veteran nonprofit Semper Fi & America’s Fund. The nonprofit aims to help veterans and service members who were “critically wounded, ill and injured” and provided support for Sweeney’s family when he was in the hospital.

“I think being able to give back into athletics allowed me the ability to see what I was capable of still after being injured,” Sweeney said recently in his Nampa garage/workshop. “I think that competitive drive is what really kept me, or keeps me, sane day-to-day.”

Sweeney scored the winning goal for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team to bring home the 2014 Paralympics gold medal. He still competes for Team USA in Nordic skiing and the biathlon and coaches for those sports as well as for triathletes.

He’s also about a year into a new adventure — running JS Adaptive Sports to create customized adaptive equipment, such as cross-country/Nordic ski frames and mechanisms to adapt handcycles. His business venture is also supported by Semper Fi & America’s Fund.

Sweeney works out of his garage, fulfilling orders for athletes from all over the U.S. and some internationally. Most people find him through word-of-mouth and through his involvement in so many adaptive sport settings. Sweeney recently traveled to Canada to coach a development team, and around five athletes who attended used ski frames he built.

“A lot of adaptive equipment is very expensive, and it’s also very custom,” Sweeney said. “So I’m trying to essentially fill the hole that’s in the middle of being affordable, and also provides what you need.”

Many athletes and nonprofits using this kind of equipment rely on grants to pay for them.

His Wahoo Kickr Flip, which allows a handcycle to be used as a stationary trainer, is $750. A Nordic sit ski fixed frame ranges upward from $750, and a new product he just designed and began selling, an adjustable Nordic sit ski frame, starts at $1,000.

Sweeney said the adjustable frame design came about because he realized there are very few frames that can adjust both up and down and the angle of the bucket seat, sold in the U.S.

“People were having to just pick sizes for a fixed frame, but then once you get it, that’s it,” he said. “And you don’t truly get to explore, is this a good position for me to be skiing in? Or is there a better position? That’s where I think trying new things within the sport to see what happens can be beneficial.”

Thinking about this resulted in a strike of inspiration in his garage, and now he’s been selling the new style of frame for about three months.

Before running the business, Sweeney got started by trying to make equipment for himself.

“I always liked tinkering, but I wasn’t really into making things,” he said.

While trying to make equipment for himself, Sweeney turned to friends who were engineers and fabricators who worked with him to figure out how to craft what he needed. He said those friends still help him work through tough questions.

“It’s been a lot of tinkering and learning over the last 10 years until I finally felt like I was in a place that I could make something without feeling worried about having someone using it,” Sweeney said.

He recently made himself a custom kneeler so he could handcycle the Rebecca’s Private Idaho race, a multiday gravel race in Sun Valley, for his third time.

Although much of his time is spent working on fulfilling equipment orders, he’s still focused on competing as well.

In early January, he will travel to West Yellowstone to compete in the sit ski national race series and biathlon nationals. In February, he’ll be coaching athletes at the 2025 Invictus games in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.

He also uses the equipment to go skiing, play wheelchair basketball, and bike with his kids, who are ages 7 and 9.

“They’ll jump on their bikes and we’ll ride around the neighborhood together,” he said. “Being able to just make those pieces that I need to be able to do that stuff with them is really cool.”

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.