THE GREAT LAKES CROSSINGS: MIKE SHOREMAN
Check out this incredible story as disabled Athlete Mike Shoreman is attempting to Cross ALL FIVE Great Lakes for First Time Since 1988! Read on for the official news to this awesome mission:
“On Tuesday June 28th, Mike Shoreman will attempt to become the first athlete with disabilities to cross Lake Michigan. This attempt follows his successful 28-hour on June 13 crossing of Lake Huon and his May 29 crossing of Lake Erie – both of which made history*
Mike is the first athlete with disabilities to cross the Great Lakes – and second disabled paddleboarder to ever cross from the USA into Canada (he was the first when he crossed Lake Erie).
Mike will depart Union Pier, MI on June 28 (Address), and is expected to land in Chicago, IL on June 29 1601 North Lakeshore Drive , Chicago IL 60614.
Mike is estimating it will take 30 hours to cross the 44.1 Miles/ 71 Kilometers This is the third of five crossings of the Great Lakes he is undertaking this summer – all as a fundraiser for Youth Mental Wellness!
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- Mike Shoreman
More about Mike and the journeys:
In the Summer of 2021, Mike unsuccessfully attempted to become the first person with a disability to cross Lake Ontario, paddleboarding from Rochester to Toronto.
This summer, Mike is aiming to become – the first person with a disability to cross All Five Great Lakes on a paddle board – all in one Summer!
This is the first time anyone with disabilities has ever attempted to cross the Great Lakes – and to up the difficulty – he is doing it all in one summer – challenging the stereotypes of persons with disabilities showing what they are capable of accomplishing when their communities believe in them.
This effort is also a fundraiser for Youth Mental Wellness
Mike Shoreman is the 2020/2021 International Stand Up Paddle boarding Man of the Year – the first Canadian and person with a disability to be honoured. He is also a Mental Health Advocate and Ambassador for, American Mental Health Organizations, Kenneth Cole’s The Mental Health Coalition, The Trevor Project and the Tyler Clemente Foundatio and Canada’s #1 Youth Mental Health Organization Jack.org. He is also a 2021 and now 2022 Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Nominee
Back Story: Mike was among the very tops in International Paddleboarding (with a Paddleboarding company on the Toronto waterfront) when he suddenly lost his mobility from a sudden neurological condition – Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, (Justin Bieber) a shingles variant, which attacked his ear, paralyzed and collapsed the right side of his face, and dealt him very serious mobility, vision, speech, taste and hearing problems.
Since then he has re-trained his brain to walk and paddleboard again.
To learn a bit more about the historic crossings taking place this summer I have included the link to the site Jack.org has created for the event. You can access the site here
Upcoming Future Crossing Dates:
- Lake Superior – July 17th – July 20th – Orienta, WI to Two Harbors, MN
- Lake Ontario – August 10th – August 17th – Niagara, USA to Toronto, ON (Harborfront Centre)