Scot Hollonbeck
Encyclopedia
Scot Hollonbeck (born 1969) is an American
wheelchair racer, who competed at the Olympic
and Paralympic
level. At the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, he placed sixth in the wheelchair racing event. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he finished 4th in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500m wheelchair
. He competed in four consecutive Summer Paralympics from 1992 to 2004, winning a total of two gold and three silver medals.
Hollonbeck became a paraplegic at age 14 after being hit by a drunk driver while bicycling to swim practice. Only days after the accident, while still in the hospital, he watched a wheelchair race on television where Sharon Hedrick broke the world record in the 800 meters. Having been a competitive runner he immediately became interested in the sport and attended a camp for disabled athletes at the University of Illinois the next summer.
While attending Rochelle Township High School
in Rochelle, Illinois
, he was a member of the school's track and field
team. As a sophomore, he was allowed to race in a wheelchair division. As the only wheeler he often raced in mixed heats with runners, the wheeler and runner heats were scored separately. For his last two years of high school, however, the school barred him from competing in mixed heats with runners because of safety issues. Despite the fact that Scot trained every day with the runner in mixed practices, he was deemed "unsafe" during competition. In 1987 Hollonbeck filed the a lawsuit against the school system. This was the first case in the country concerning the right for disabled students to compete on their school teams. In late 1988, after he had graduated from the school, a federal judge
ruled that school officials had violated his civil rights
, as provided for in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, by not allowing him to argue his case. The judge did not rule on whether high school wheelchair athletes should be able to compete alongside or against their able-bodied peers.
Hollonbeck received an athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois and was a member of the school's wheelchair basketball and track and field teams. He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia
to work for The Coca-Cola Company in the Worldwide Sports Department. He now works for the American Association of Adapted Sports programs which oversees the partnership of leaders in education building a foundation for a national network of interscholastic adapted athletic programs.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
wheelchair racer, who competed at the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and Paralympic
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
level. At the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, he placed sixth in the wheelchair racing event. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he finished 4th in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500m wheelchair
Wheelchair racing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Wheelchair racing at the 2004 Summer Olympics was featured as two demonstration events as part of the Athletics programme at the Athens Olympic Stadium on August 22, 2004. Medals were not awarded, as the sport was not part of the official competition....
. He competed in four consecutive Summer Paralympics from 1992 to 2004, winning a total of two gold and three silver medals.
Hollonbeck became a paraplegic at age 14 after being hit by a drunk driver while bicycling to swim practice. Only days after the accident, while still in the hospital, he watched a wheelchair race on television where Sharon Hedrick broke the world record in the 800 meters. Having been a competitive runner he immediately became interested in the sport and attended a camp for disabled athletes at the University of Illinois the next summer.
While attending Rochelle Township High School
Rochelle Township High School
Rochelle Township High School, commonly referred to as RTHS, is a secondary school located in Rochelle, Illinois. Originally built in 1918, with nearly a dozen additions built on over the next 80 years, the entire edifice was razed in 2006 upon the completion of a new building, located about a...
in Rochelle, Illinois
Rochelle, Illinois
Rochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,574 at the 2010 census, up from 9,424 at the 2000 census. Rochelle is about west of Chicago and south of Rockford...
, he was a member of the school's track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team. As a sophomore, he was allowed to race in a wheelchair division. As the only wheeler he often raced in mixed heats with runners, the wheeler and runner heats were scored separately. For his last two years of high school, however, the school barred him from competing in mixed heats with runners because of safety issues. Despite the fact that Scot trained every day with the runner in mixed practices, he was deemed "unsafe" during competition. In 1987 Hollonbeck filed the a lawsuit against the school system. This was the first case in the country concerning the right for disabled students to compete on their school teams. In late 1988, after he had graduated from the school, a federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
ruled that school officials had violated his civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, as provided for in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, by not allowing him to argue his case. The judge did not rule on whether high school wheelchair athletes should be able to compete alongside or against their able-bodied peers.
Hollonbeck received an athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois and was a member of the school's wheelchair basketball and track and field teams. He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
to work for The Coca-Cola Company in the Worldwide Sports Department. He now works for the American Association of Adapted Sports programs which oversees the partnership of leaders in education building a foundation for a national network of interscholastic adapted athletic programs.