Unstoppable: Defining Women’s Sports with Paralympian Scout Bassett
By Ella Kurovsky.
Unstoppable is one of many words used to describe Scout Bassett. The 7-time U.S. Paralympic National Champion had quite the journey to arrive at where she is today.
Bassett was born in Nanjing, China, and spent the first seven years of her life in an orphanage. She also suffered another loss like no other, her right leg in a chemical fire as an infant.
After being adopted at almost eight years old, Bassett moved to the U.S. where she resided in a small town in Michigan.
“I lived in the kind of town where I could count on one hand, the number of minorities,” Bassett said. “There was also nobody that had a visible disability.”
Bassett felt isolated and struggled to find her sense of belonging in America. At the age of 14, that narrative began to alter.
Bassett received her first running leg at the age of 14, with no prior running experience before that. Her prosthetist signed her up for the 16 and 100 meter dash in a Paralympic exhibition track meet in Orlando, Florida, one week after designing her leg.
Bassett competing via Women’s Sports Foundation.
“I was absolutely terrified,” Bassett said. “Up until I was 14 years old I had always worn a cosmetic cover over my leg. I wasn’t going to be able to hide that anymore and that’s where the fear was.”
Bassett ended up finishing last, but felt freedom in doing something she had never done in her life.
Years later, on the campus of UCLA, Bassett received a phone call from somebody who had heard her story and wanted her in the Paralympics.
“I remember thinking it wasn’t a real thing, but I’ve never looked back since then,” Bassett said.
Bassett went on to win numerous national championships, compete in the 2016 Paralympics, and win two bronze medals at the 2017 World Track and Field Championships.
The 36-year old has become President of The Women’s Sports Foundation, Founder of The Scout Bassett Fund, and even the author of her book, Lucky Girl. Bassett stands as a symbol for aspiring young female athletes and especially those with disabilities.
