Nick Scott takes I’ll be back, one of the greatest movie quotes of all time, to a mind-bending level of inspiration.
At 16 he was in a car accident that paralyzed him from the waist down. He became borderline suicidal. He ballooned to 300 pounds. He was lost in a world of despair that healthy people can’t or simply don’t want to comprehend.
Seventeen years later he has become an iconic figure for handicapped athletes and Paralypians. He’s pioneered the competition of pro-wheel chair body building. He’s been recognized by the White House. He travels the country as a motivational speaker. He started Wheelchair Athletics, Inc. His ultimate goal is to open a chain of gyms for the handicapped.
He gives thanks every day the car accident didn’t end his life because the accident actually gave him life.
“I hated who I was,” said Scott to the Free Press. “But God gave me a second chance at life, and I realized I was blessed. And instead of being hateful about it I decided to live life positive not negative. Not what I couldn’t do, but what I could do.”
When life has kicked you when you are down people truly can’t shed a tear for you because they have their own problems to deal with, he says. He doesn’t say that to be callous. “That’s life,” he says.
When you get up off the mat, dust yourself off and begin again, that’s when people start to notice, adds Scott.
“It’s easy to say ‘poor me’,” he says. “People don’t care about your suffering, but they care when you have the strength and courage to get up. We all fall down, but when you get up, it shows people it can be done.”
Even though Scott no longer competes he’s the top ambassador for professional wheelchair bodybuilding. It took some time but he has helped convince all bodybuilding sanctioning bodies to hold events. Such as the International Federation of Body Building that started the Mr. Olympia, which of course spring-vaulted “Mr. Terminator” to fame.
Scott will be at The Arnold Classic Pro Wheelchair event, the first pro-wheel chair event ever held by the Arnold. It is Saturday, March 5th, 1 pm to 2 pm at the Columbus Convention Center within the Battelle Grand room.
Here are some other Arnold 2016 highlights:
On Friday, March 4th at 7 pm and also withintheColumbus Convention Center’s Battelle Grand Room will be The Pole Fitness National Championships. The event is an Arnold mainstay and on display will be the aerial acrobats of some female athletes who have absolutely no fear of heights. According to event organizers Pole Fitness is one of the fastest growing female sports globally. Pole Fitness demonstrations and other events will be ongoing through the weekend.
On the Arnold 2016 web site there is a picture of Arnold himself playing table tennis. Who says ping pong is only for hipsters in basements and not real men? During past Arnolds, The Terminator has popped in to pick up a paddle. Hipsters don’t have a chance! With over 60 tables taking up 70,000 square feet everyone is welcomed to grab a paddle. The Arnold 2016 Table Tennis Challenge is Friday thru Sunday, March 4th to the 6th, all day long, at the Ohio Expo Center’s Voinovich Center.
The Arnold is not just beef cake and karate chops. The Arnold is more and more becoming an event for all, families encouraged. The Arnold SportsWorld Kids & Teen EXPO will be held March 5-6 in the Bricker Building at the Ohio Expo Center. The SportsWorld encompasses 30,000 square feet of space dedicated to sports demonstrations and clinics, hosted by the Blue Jackets, the Crew, and the Clippers, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ohio Machine (lacrosse), Royal Arts Fencing Academy, Cyclone Gymnastics, and the Ohio State Chess Club.
