Paralympic gold medalist Matt Scott joins Sasha on this week's podcast. They chat about his longevity in wheelchair basketball and the important role he plays on the dominant U.S. team. Sasha explores Matt's positive attitude and constant desire to grow, even after being at the peak of his sport for more than a decade.
Links:
Instagram - @mattscott_fly
- Show Notes:
- :30 – How Matt has stayed at the top of his game so long
- 1:30 – Evolving his training as a mature athlete
- 4:09 – Goal setting and winning gold in Rio
- 6:29 – Culture of Team USA’s wheelchair basketball team and Matt’s role on the team
- 8:57 – Dealing with burnout or loss of motivation
- 12:05 – What shapes Matt’s positive attitude
- 16:15 – How Matt thinks about retirement and his identity as an athlete
- 19:24 – The challenge of being present and sharing your life on social media
- 21:55 – Seeing visible vs invisible disability in everyone
- 24:17 – Matt’s experience competing for Team USA as a Black man
- 27:48 – Being hospitalized in late 2018 and the recovery process to get back to the court
- 30:34 – Coming back from being in a coma to qualifying for Tokyo within a year
- 32:08 – Decision to compete professionally in Europe
- 33:54 – Growth of the Paralympic movement and hopes for the future
- 36:07 – Introduction to wheelchair basketball and start of Matt’s Paralympic dream
- 37:42 – Advice for a young kid with a disability
- 40:02 – Goals and challenges for Matt’s fifth Paralympic Games
- 42:19 – Olympic or Paralympic moment in life