Trischa Zorn-Hudson and Beth Scott
Recorded
December 4, 2020
Archived
December 3, 2020
01:07:15
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
ddv000372
Description
Trischa Zorn (56) and Beth Scott (46) remember their careers as Paralympian swimmers and the barriers they broke for themselves and for other Paralympic athletes.Subject Log / Time Code
TZ remembers her first Paralympic games. She and BS remember how the Paralympic games weren't played in the same location as the Olympic games.
They recall that they didn't get the U.S. National Anthem played when they won medals. They didn't get the same uniforms either - had to raise money to buy their own uniforms.
The greatest challenge of their athletic career was moving to Colorado Springs to train at the Olympic training center. There was a lot of pushback against them.
BS remembers being told they couldn't come because they would need to hire more lifeguards.
TZ remembers being the first physically disabled person to swim D1 at Univ. of Nebraska.
Both TZ and BS chose to attend university based on which schools had the best disability services.
They remember the Atlanta Paralympics where they ran out of food on the first day and the dorms were flooded. At the Sydney Paralympics they were put in a double-wide trailer.
They talk about being told that the training center would need to hire more cafeteria workers if they lived there because "blind people put their hands in food".
BS and TZ talk about how special it is to get to be roommates, friends, and compete in 3 Olympics together.
TZ and BS remember crossing the threshold. Knew that if everyone saw how hard they worked, they would realize that they weren't different than the other athletes.
BS remembers going back to the training center years later and being brought to tears because today over 50% of the residents were Paralympic athletes.
BS and TZ talk about meeting people with disabilities from around the world while competing in the Paralympics.
BS and TZ talk about the significance of living where they trained because they could walk anywhere they needed to go and didn't have to depend on rides.
BS and TZ have supported each other through thick and thin. Have even supported each other through cancer treatment.
BS and TZ describe the age they were born into. Both their parents were told by doctors to institutionalize them and were told that they would never amount to anything.
BS talks about how the folks in charge when they were training for the Paralympics were of a generation where people with disabilities weren't part of the mainstream. She says "They were more blind than we were!"
Participants
- Trischa Zorn-Hudson
- Beth Scott