Scott Hogsett
Vistas recently spoke with Scott Hogsett, a member of the 2004 and 2006 U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby Team (Team USA). Originally from Spokane, Washington, Scott moved to Phoenix to attend Mesa Community College and Arizona State University.

Scott founded the Phoenix Heat Wheelchair Rugby Club, one of the top five teams in the country. He has been playing rugby for ten years and was featured in the 2005 documentary, “Murderball,” which tells the stories of the athletes of Team USA on and off the court. The film won the 2005 Sundance Film Festival American Documentary Audience Award and was nominated for an Oscar last year for Best Documentary Feature.

At the time of this interview, Scott was training in Idaho in preparation for the September World Championships in New Zealand.

Vistas: Tell us a little about yourself.
Scott Hogsett: I became a C5/C6 quadriplegic in 1992 when I was 19. After I completed my rehab in Spokane, I moved to Phoenix to go to school. It was really a quality of life decision to move here.

Well…that and the climate. A wheelchair and the snow don’t always work well together.

Vistas: What did you study at Mesa Community College and at ASU?
SH: I began by attending classes at both Mesa and ASU. Then I transferred to ASU and completed two degrees – one in Recreational Therapy and one in Recreation. I knew that I wanted to work with people with SCI.

I’m a peer mentor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix and regularly work with newly injured individuals with SCI. I haven’t really put my degrees to use in the way I thought I would, but I really enjoy my peer mentoring work.

Vistas: How did you start playing rugby?
SH: I was introduced to rugby while I was at school. I played with the Arizona Dust Devils rugby club, but players retired or moved so we had to start all over.

I took over recruiting for the club and that’s how I started the Phoenix Heat. We have a really solid program now, and there are ten to twelve players on the team.

Vistas: And how is the Phoenix Heat doing?
SH: In April we won the national championship. It’s the biggest thing that’s happened in my life!

Don’t get me wrong – I love playing for Team USA. But it was a huge personal accomplishment for me to win this championship because I worked very hard on building the club as well as coaching the team.

Vistas: What does a typical workout look like for rugby athletes?
SH: The regular rugby season runs from October to April. For athletes on Team USA and others playing at that level, you have to train year-round. That’s what I’m doing in Idaho this summer.

I try to get in the rugby chair about three to four times a week. However, I also do a lot of cross training out of the chair. I use a hand cycle – a bike – and do about 25 miles a day on that. I lift weights, swim and do a lot of other activities when I train.

Vistas: Congratulations on being selected again for Team USA in May. What’s in store for the athletes?
SH: We have a tournament coming up in Vancouver, and we’ll go up against the same teams we’ll play in New Zealand at the World Championship games. Vancouver is like a warm-up for us.

In New Zealand, there will be about two weeks of competition. We’ll play five or six games total.

Vistas: Do you have any predictions about which teams will end up in the World Championship finals?
SH: At one time it was easy to say that Team USA would win. You can’t say that anymore. We’re definitely among the top four teams, but any of those four teams could really win it.

I’m excited about playing in New Zealand because they take rugby to a whole different level. The fans there are really into it, which is great.

It’s picking up momentum here in the U.S. though. “Murderball” really kicked it off, and people now see quad rugby as a real competitive sport with real athletes.

Vistas: Being an athlete is really a full-time job for you. What do you do when you’re not training or playing?
SH: I’m a motivational speaker for The Hartford, the sponsor of the U.S. Paralympics and one of the sponsors of “Murderball.”

It’s actually a perfect fit with my peer mentoring work. I have one or two speaking engagements a month, which I get paid for through The Hartford.

For some reason, it’s really easy for me to talk about myself (chuckling). I can talk to a small group of 60 or 70 people, and I can get up in front of an audience of 500 or more.

The Hartford provided me with media training that helped me focus in on their message, as well as my personal message when I give a speech.

Vistas: What is your personal message?
SH: I like to tell the people in the audience to try to do as much as you can because you never know what’s going to happen. That’s really my story. I’m living proof that you can be successful if you just try.

And you don’t have to sit on the sidelines.

Once I decided to become committed to playing rugby at this level, everything else just fell into place. After I made Team USA the first time, it all came together. I finished my degrees; I got married; I competed in the Paralympics.

Rugby is awesome! If you stay focused, you never know what might happen.


More information about wheelchair rugby:

The game is played in special wheelchairs with angled wheels and metal grills. Played on a regulation basketball court, it's a combination of football, basketball and hockey.

To be eligible, players must have a combination of upper- and lower-extremity impairment. Three limbs must be affected. Before the tournament, each player is evaluated and given a classification ranging from .5 for the most serious injuries to 3.5. Teams field four players at a time, and their combined classifications must not exceed 8. They use a regulation (but sticky) volleyball to play the game.