The DASH Project Inc

UPDATE: $19,615/$30,000 Raised!

I (Michael Salm) am running the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon to support the DASH Speedskating team, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Over the last 14 months, I have been honored to work alongside giants of the sport, 5x Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair and 4x Olympian Dave Cruikshank.

MY WHY: For those who don’t know, I have been around sports since the day I was born. My parents were college student-athletes and college coaches, encouraging my siblings and me to try as many sports as possible. Carrying on that tradition, I was privileged to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a team ranked as high as #7 in the country; a team I got to captain in the NCAA tournament; a team that gave us all memories and friendships to last a lifetime. While there, my mentor, boss, and dear friend, Dr. Kristina Navarro, showed me the true transformational power of sports when we launched the Warhawk Leadership Academy together. Helping student-athletes develop as human beings became my passion for the next 8 years. This took me to Arizona State University, Rutgers University, and most recently, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where I served as the Deputy Athletic Director & Chief of Staff.

So, what’s the point in telling you all of this? What does this have to do with running the Chicago Marathon as a fundraiser for DASH?

Well, while I was at all those places, I got to train and work with some of the best of the best. From future NFL players, #1 MLB draft picks, national champions, and the first African American Coach in NCAA Division 1 basketball history to reach 1000 wins (C. Vivian Stringer)…I could go on and on. But, from the first time I talked to Dave and Bonnie, there was a sense that something was different in what they were building with DASH. The combination of…

• HISTORY (Wisconsin hosted the first US Speedskating Olympic Trials in 1928, just down the road on Oconomowoc Lake)

• UNIQUENESS (the Pettit National Ice Center is 1 of 2 indoor long track ovals in the United States)

• VISION for the future of speedskating

• CHARACTER of the organization's leadership

….create an environment that is unlike any I have worked in before. By “character,” I mean day-in and day-out, Bonnie & Dave do the right things for the right reasons. They carry themselves with a humbleness accompanied by grit, passion, curiosity, empathy, and determination that I have never seen before. It is contagious to all who interact with them.

They have been at the top of the sport. Still, Bonnie and Dave aren’t content with just winning themselves…they want to pay forward, to the next generation of American Speedskaters, the opportunity to be champions on the ice and, more importantly, the character lessons to develop world-class human beings. They are the epitome of servant leaders.

To wrap it up, my favorite word is “ubuntu,” which translates to, “I am because you are” or “I am because we are.” DASH’s mission of getting thousands of kids onto the ice, teaching them invaluable life lessons, and supporting high-performance athletes in their pursuit of gold medal excellence captures the ethos of “ubuntu.” This is why I am running the Chicago Marathon: I believe in Dave and Bonnie, our plan, and the mission of creating the leaders of tomorrow.

Help us (1) grow speedskating; (2) preserve and build upon Wisconsin’s iconic speedskating heritage; (3) develop champions on & off the ice!

You can make a difference by donating today to The DASH Project Inc.

I can’t thank you enough,

Michael J. Salm