Daredevil Paraplegic Takes The Stairs

Story by Ben Plowman 

| Published Nov 11, 2008

When some people see the stairs that wind up to the second floor in the entryway of the union, they don’t see anything extraordinary.

For daredevil and paraplegic Scott Wesley, he sees a challenge.

Recently, the junior computer science major made University of Nebraska-Lincoln history by being the first paraplegic person to ride a wheelchair down the winding union staircase.

This past Saturday, as local news crews and throngs of students looked on, Scott rode his custom-made extreme sport wheelchair down each of the 43 stairs in the union entryway.

After the stunt was completed, Scott chugged a red bull, the official sponsor of extreme paraplegic sports and answered questions from the news media.

Wesley is part of a growing number of paraplegics worldwide who have challenged what is open to people with disabilities.

Things like stairs that have previously been off-limits are now empowering sources of pride and adrenaline to students like Scott Wesley.

“I can’t explain the rush, the awesomeness of it to anyone who hasn’t experienced it,” Scott said in an exclusive interview.

“It’s like you’re wildly out of control and in danger of hurting yourself.”

The full-time student says he’s been in a wheelchair all his life, but that he has never let that slow him down.

Wesley first discovered his knack for extreme paraplegic sports on accident when, as a boy, a friend of his pushed his chair down the stairs.

Scott hopes to one day perform in front of bigger crowds, perhaps one day becoming a competitor in the X-Games.