dec2015

EQUESTRIAN NEWS
Nike’s
Flyease
is a cool new shoe
for athletes with
disabilities
By Donice Muccio
Photos courtesy of Nike
Matthew Walzer, now age twenty, was a student of
mine for about two years starting at age seven.
Matthew has cerebral palsy, but his attitude even as
a young boy was strong and he believed in his dreams. An
extremely bright student, he would ride our beautiful Mindkhi
and we would talk and tell stories throughout the lesson.
He always found the humor in everything we talked about,
which, of course, made me laugh right along with him. As a
student, Matthew was wise beyond his years.
I distinctly remember him at such a young age, realizing
he needed a sneaker that gave him ankle support that did
not have laces since, at age eight, he could not tie his own
shoes. In my mind, I knew with his determination he could
make it happen. I enthusiastically cheered him on as he
shared his unique and creative ideas.
As a 16–year-old at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,
Matthew took a chance and wrote a letter to Nike. To his
surprise, the letter eventually found its way to Nike shoe
designer Tobie Hatfield. In Matthew’s letter to Nike, he stated,
“My dream is to go to a college of my choice without having
to worry about someone coming to tie my shoes every day.
I’ve worn Nike basketball shoes all my life. I can only wear
this type of shoe, because I need the ankle support to walk.
At 16 years old, I am able to completely dress myself, but
my parents still have to tie my shoes. As a teenager who is
trying to become totally self-sufficient, I find this extremely
frustrating and, at times, embarrassing.”
Hatfield was touched by Matthew’s story and contacted him.
After they communicated, they began working together on
prototypes. After three years, the final design of the Nike
FLYEASE was completed to specifications. Matthew was
personally invited to Los Angeles to meet Hatfield. Little did
Matthew know that he would also be meeting LeBron James.
When Matthew is at home in Parkland, he feels a bit like a
celebrity because people know him as the local who got to
meet and spend time with LeBron James. As an amazing
young man that Matthew has shown himself to be, he wants
to be known for helping to design a shoe that can help as
many people as possible.
This is a story about vision, determination, perseverance
and the desire to help others, letting nothing derail you. To
see Matthew’s story and the Nike FLYEASE development
you may review the following video: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=TaNM_T1d1as. P
108
DECEMBER 2015