Episode 9: Matt Scott

Sasha Sessions: A Team USA Podcast

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