Mike is a seventy years old retired electronics engineer, now ceramicist and bronze sculptor from Upland, Indiana. He started working with clay in 2004, hand building and wheel throwing and in 2010 he started sculpting in clay.

From  2011-13, he has competed in three Long John Jamboree, ice sculpting,competitions in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory, Canada. , Canada;  finishing with a first place and two fourths. He will be sculpting with his son, Stephan, who has traveled to Fairbanks many times for the BP World Ice Art Championships. This is Mikes first time in the Single Block Classic.