Speaker to explain why 'Walking is Overrated'

Motivational speaker Matt Glowacki of Sun Prairie begins his hundreds of presentations to 100,000 people every year by pointing out the obvious: He doesn't have any legs.

Yes, Glowacki, who was born healthy but without legs in Janesville in 1973, uses a wheelchair. But he's also an Olympic athlete, owns three successful businesses and has rubbed elbows with two presidents.

Glowacki will bring his popular presentation "Walking is Overrated" to Baraboo Monday, touring local schools to talk to children all day and giving a 7 p.m. interactive presentation at the middle school that is open to the public.

His accomplishments and no-nonsense, no-excuses attitude would be inspiring regardless of his physical characteristics. But Glowacki insists he's not an inspiration. His message, he said, is not one of "Yes You Can," but rather, "Don't be surprised when people who are living lives different from your own succeed."

"A lot of times people say, 'I'm glad to see you out' … They'll congratulate me for being alive, or they'll be amazed at the most basic things I can do," he said.