Carson Pickett, Defender, North Carolina Courage | MAKERS Profile
Carson Pickett, Defender, North Carolina Courage | MAKERS Profile
Video Transcript
CARSON PICKETT: Unfortunately, you can't fix having one arm. But to be comfortable in my own skin, I think you need to allow people to see that so that they can feel comfortable with you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I was born with amniotic band syndrome, which is where the circulation cuts off and stops growth from your arm down. So I am missing an arm from my elbow down. My parents found out when I was born. I think a lot of times, they're like, you can do things. But also in the back of their mind, they're like, we have no idea if she can do it. The biggest thing was the monkey bars at the park.
My dad would take me and I would see kids just flying across the bars. And I was like just watching them in awe. One day when everyone left, he was like, let's go try it. He was under me and I was like, oh he's-- I'm fine. He's going to catch me if I fall. And he didn't catch me. And I fell. And I felt really hard. At the time, I was like, that's so messed up. But I realize now what he was trying to teach me is that if he was standing there coddling me, then I probably wouldn't take any chances.
I knew from a early age that I wanted to play a team sport. My dad played soccer in college. And I think I stuck with soccer just because it was such a bonding experience with him.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
When I got to Florida State, that was really uncomfortable. I didn't want any of the other athletes to see me as any different and kind of wonder if I was good enough to be there. I remember wearing a sweatshirt walking to class. And I was drenched in sweat. And I'm like, I just don't want anyone to see my arm.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The first day, reporters were asking for the veterans on our team and me. I can't believe that I'm being interviewed with all these amazing players. And when we got done with the interviews, I realized that every single one of them was about my arm. And I remember calling my mom being super upset about it. And she was like, this is a time where you can completely flip your script and you can have the ability to reach people that other people can't.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I actually didn't go to the draft because I was like, it's tough. I can't imagine being there and not getting drafted. I think that would be really hard for me. And then the night before, the Seattle coach called me and was like, welcome to Seattle. We didn't get a lot of money back in the day. I think $7,000 and I'm like, whoa. What am I doing? You can't live off that. But you know what? I'm living my dream. It's fine. I'm going to figure it out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
People ask me a lot more about soccer than my arm nowadays. But I want them to ask about my arm now because my mindset has switched so much that I actually invite those conversations. I think I've hopefully created a safe space for people to reach out to me who have the exact same arm as me. Because when I was growing up, we didn't have social media. And I never got to meet anyone like me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. He was three years old. And I knew that me and him were different than everyone else. But I didn't know if he knew that. And I sat on the ground with him. And I pulled out my arm. And he had the biggest smile and he pulled out his arm. And it just-- I remember being teary eyed because I was like, I cannot believe, a three-year-old just understood kind of what I was saying and without actually saying words.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Playing with the national team was a dream come true. Walking out of the tunnel and people were chanting USA and screaming your name, and to be able to represent this country and play alongside the best players in the world, it was unbelievable. The best advice I've ever gotten was from my dad especially. It's, never let anyone turn this guy into a ceiling. And he told me that really early on. And I think that stuck with me just because there's no one out there that can say that your dreams are too big. It's your dreams. You can achieve them no matter what happens if you're missing an arm, if you're missing a leg. You're unique and you're different. But it's really cool. And you should celebrate it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
