Farmington High Graduate Needs Your Vote

Aaron Scheidies has come a long way from his days at – but he still needs his hometown.

Now living in Seattle WA, the 2001 FHS graduate has been nominated for an ESPY award in the Best Male Athlete with a Disability category. The name of the award, given by the ESPN sports cable network, is an acronym for "Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly". You can cast your vote for him at http://espn.go.com/espys/#!/voting/

Scheidies was nominated by his agent, Carrie Goldberg of California-based Gold Standard Sports, then selected by an independent panel as a finalist. The nominees in each category don't find out whether they've won until the night of the ESPY awards on July 13, 9 p.m.

A winning triathlete, Scheidies competes with just 10 percent of the vision a fully sighted person would have. He lost the rest to juvenile macular degeneration, a hereditary condition that causes a progressive loss of his central vision.

"I had all my vision when I was born," Scheidies said. "I started losing it in about second grade. My teacher started noticing I wasn't seeing the board."

While he dreamed of being a professional soccer player, his loss of vision forced him to give up the sport. The loss led to a deep depression and an eating disorder. "I had a rough time in middle school and high school," Scheidies said.

Then his brother, Ryan, also a Farmington High graduate, suggested he try out for the swim team. His parents Mike and Mary Scheidies also encouraged him. "In no way did they coddle me, but they were definitely supportive," Aaron Scheidies said.

He credits his return to sports with starting him on a better path.

"Sports became my freedom," he said, "and my outlet." He also joined the cross-country and track teams, challenging himself to achieve. Scheidies said his swim coach, Ross Bandy, taught him the value of hard work.

"He was a very tough, hard-nosed guy and really drilled the hard work ethic into me," Scheidies said. "But I knew that he cared."

Track and cross-country coach Charles "Chip" Bridges was also a big influence, Scheidies said, adding he still connects with Bridges whenever he comes back into the area.

As he challenged himself in sports, Scheidies eventually found a home in triathlon competitions, which involve three consecutive events that test an athlete's endurance. His first was the Mark Mellon Sprint Triathlon in Gaylord. He recalls placing 14th or 15th among about 150 participants.

"I was still legally blind," he said, "but I was doing it on my own ... I would see splashes in the pool and follow them. I rode my bike on the course the night before and memorize it."

As he lost more of his sight, however, Scheidies started relying on a guide to get him through the courses. "It got too dangerous," he said.

Scheidies is now a four-time triathlon World Champion and five-time National Champion, having traveled around the globe competing in over 100 triathlons, according to his website, cdifferentwithaaron.com A physical therapist three days a week, he is a career triathlete, training all year 'round and participating in competitions April through October. He also has sponsorship obligations, does public speaking engagements and maintains a blog.

"Because I'm visually impaired, I've become a kind of role model and mentor for other blind individuals," he said.

A physical therapist, he has also been featured as a model in GQ, Esquire, Competitor and Men's Health.