Scott: 'MARTIAL ARTS SAVED ME'
LEGO ISN'T THE ONLY PASSION THIS BUILDER EXCELS AT
Scott Chappell is known for his zen approach to every challenge LEGO Masters has thrown at him and his partner Owen so far, but he actually has a huge passion for martial arts.
Speaking to New Idea, Scott reveals that the sport got him through some tough times during childhood.
“I took up martial arts at age 6 because I didn’t enjoy
playing football anymore and because all the kids were bigger than me,” he says.
“I was always the smallest kid in the class and I wasn’t very good at running away from the bullies so I had to learn to defend myself.”
Of course, Scott says that martial arts “isn’t just punching and kicking” but more about “how you carry yourself as a human”.
However, at 21, he stopped doing martial arts and fell into a bout of depression.
“There were a fair few factors that pushed me towards the dark corner,” he explains.
“The feeling of being lost, not knowing what to do, where to go, no-one to talk to about it, just being surrounded by people but completely alone and not knowing who I was without the martial arts.”
After seeking professional help and getting some words of wisdom from a friend, Scott managed to find his place in the world.
Now dabbling in the sport again, Scott would love to invest in a martial arts school that helps struggling youth if he wins the prize money.
“If I win LEGO Masters,
I would use the winnings from the show to put down a strong foundation and work towards my own youth academy (names still in the works). I would love to just help people,” he says.
“Martial arts helped me through my teenage years when I had a lot of frustration and anger, which a lot of boys do, and punching pads was a safe way for me to vent that.”