Motivational speaker visits students with the help of GROW Frazee Vergas, fall fundraiser

By Robert Williams

Editor

For two weeks out of the year, Hunter Pinke takes a break from speaking to professional teams and collegiate crowds around the country to share his message of gratefulness and overcoming adversity to students during his winter tour. He showed a mastery of crowd control and sent kindergarten through sixth grade students back to their classrooms inspired after an hour-long presentation at Frazee-Vergas Elementary School on Friday, March 27.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s math, basketball, hockey; anything you do, it takes some practice,” Pinke said. “Whatever you are passionate about you actually have to go and do it. You have to have big dreams. You have to have some goals and you have to go and do it.”

Pinke’s presentation revolved around three words: Dream, Set, Go, inspiring students to have a dream, set goals to achieve that dream and to go do something about it.

Pinke was introduced by good friend, former teammate, and Frazee-Vergas Elementary Teacher Joe Mollberg. Hunter’s appearance was sponsored by So Much More—a nonprofit organization that partners with Pinke to share his message. The presentation was also sponsored by GROW Frazee Vergas and the elementary school’s fall fundraiser. 

“The money and the work you have done helped get Hunter to our door,” Mollberg told the students.

Pinke related to students in a small school by describing his childhood and growing up in the rural town of Wishek, N.D. He was a successful four-sport athlete and involved in extracurricular activities from science fairs to drama and speech.

His dream, however, was to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Fred and make a big impact playing basketball for the University of North Dakota.

That plan was derailed when Hunter’s best friend Zach, who he played summer basketball with from fifth grade until their high school senior years, was killed in an automobile accident. 

“When I was 17-years-old, my best friend in the entire world died in a car accident,” Pinke said. 

To a dead silent gymnasium, Pinke asked students to think of their best friend and what it would feel like to lose them.”

Pinke had related how he had a dream to play basketball at UND, set goals of making thousands of shots on the advice of his grandfather and how he was ready to go make that dream come true. Zach’s death changed that.

“I was going to go do all that,  but I was going to do that with Zach and when Zach died…I just decided I didn’t know if I wanted to play basketball anymore,” Pinke said.

A week later, UND called with an offer but not from the basketball team.

“It was on their football team,” Pinke said.

Pinke played four years with Mollberg for UND, capturing two conference championships.

“I made friends that were awesome; it was great; I loved my time at UND,” Pinke said.

He then related in detail a skiing trip to Keystone, Colo., with his friend Noah and how he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and a broken back after a collision with another skier propelled Hunter into a tree. Hunter was airlifted off the mountain and underwent an eight-hour surgery at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colo. Pinke suffered a complete spinal cord injury, leaving him currently paralyzed from his chest down.

Pinke described all the ways he had to learn how to do things differently in his new state and the mentality he adopted to make those adjustments.

“I had nurses at the hospital and they would always say, ‘Hunter, you’re going to have good days ahead.’ You’re also going to have bad days. It’s just part of life and I got tired of people telling me that. They were trying to tell me how my day was going to be. Finally, I got to a point where you know what, I’m not going to have any more bad days. I don’t really think it’s anyone’s job to tell me how my day is going to be. I get to decide how that’s going to happen,” he said.

He told this to his nurse.

“And she said, ‘Oh Hunter, you’re so sweet,’” he said. “And I’m here to tell you guys, I’ve gone 2,398 days and I have not had a bad day since I got hurt.”

Pinke encouraged the students to be grateful and completed his message of resilience, faith, and “No Bad Days” by directing students to hold themselves accountable by doing what they can daily to accomplish their dreams.

“Your heart is beating; you’ve got air in your lungs; you’ve got a choice every single day and that you’re loved,” he said. “Those things never change for you.  You’ve got to understand that. Every day going forward is a blessing because it could be taken away. I could have died up there on the mountain. You know who doesn’t have a heartbeat and doesn’t have air in his lungs right now, my friend Zach. Every day I have is a blessing.”

Pinke graduated in the Spring of 2024 from the University of Arizona with a graduate degree in real estate development, while also competing on the University of Arizona Wheelchair Basketball Team where he served as team captain the past two seasons and advanced to the national championship team.

“Sometimes your dreams come true and they’re even better than you expected,” he said. “So, don’t give up on that dream.”

Pinke wrapped up his presentation by taking questions from students and posing for photos with each class.

For more information on Pinke’s life story and his inspiring message visit www.hunterpinke.com.