Racing Louisville’s Carson Pickett on inspiring others with limb difference

The moment, which was captured by Tidd’s family, soon gained traction online, becoming one of the most-talked-about stories of the year — something Pickett, an all-league defender who has appeared for the U.S. women’s national team, did not anticipate.

“I had no idea it was going to go viral at all,” she said, later adding, “To be able to see a picture like that come from America and go to so many different places was really cool. It had a really big impact on me and I think the limb difference community.”

The daughter of former college athletes, Pickett began playing soccer around the age of 5 and was coached by her dad, Mike, who played soccer at Northeast Louisiana and USC-Spartanburg.

Growing up, Pickett did not wish to stand out for anything other than her athletic prowess, and eventually took her talents to Florida State in 2012.

Upon arriving in Tallahassee, the then-college freshman covered her arm by wearing long sleeves in the blazing heat.

“I just didn’t want anyone to see my arm and think, ‘Oh, I feel bad for her,’ or, ‘I don’t know if I have anything in common with her,’ so in life, I think those were the things I thought about, and then in soccer, I just wanted to be a good soccer player, a good athlete and nothing more,” she said.

Although Pickett thrived on the field, appearing in all 24 games her first year and making 22 starts in 28 matches her sophomore season, she was growing “frustrated about getting interviews” over her arm.

It wasn’t until after a conversation with her mom, Treasure, a former basketball player at Centenary and Northeast Louisiana, that she decided to “flip [her] script.”

“She was like, ‘You know, you could flip your script and use it in a positive way, and you can say you get to have one arm and you get to share your story with other people.’ She was like I think it carries a lot more than you think it does,” Pickett said.

“No one else at the time, at least, definitely not at Florida State and in college soccer, that had one arm, so she was like, it carries a lot of weight and you can really help people who, maybe, watching women’s soccer and have one arm and they’ve never seen someone like you play.”

Pickett went on to etch herself into the Seminoles’ history books, leading the women’s soccer team to its first national championship in 2014.

She was then selected fourth overall by the Seattle Reign (now the OL Reign) in the 2016 NWSL College and then moved to the Pride, with whom she played three seasons from 2018-20.

Pickett’s professional career has continued to evolve, as she earned Best XI First Team selections in 2021 and 2022 as a member of the North Carolina Courage, and in June 2022, became the first player with a limb difference to play for the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Pickett is not on the USWNT roster that will compete at the World Cup next month.

Now settling into her new home with Racing Louisville FC, with whom she signed a three-year deal in March after being acquired by the team in January, Pickett wants to continue to make a difference both on and off the field.

“I want to make this club better, especially on the field right now,” Pickett said of Louisville, which stands at 3-6-4.

“I just want to take this team and just run with them, I just want all of us to believe that we can be the best team in the league, we can win championships, and that’s something I really want to do here.”

Pickett has also been impressed with the club’s dedication to the community.

Earlier this month, Racing Louisville hosted a “Pups at the Pitch” theme night, inviting fans and their furry friends to what was a 3-0 win over the Houston Dash to celebrate Disability Pride, illustrating how important pets can be for those with disabilities.

Chris Harding, the co-owner of Racing Louisville who has his own charitable endeavor, Flew The Coop, matched the team’s donation to the Kentucky Humane Society, which received the ticket proceeds for the evening.

“I think that’s what’s really cool, especially about this club, is that they are really big on inclusion and they’re really big on just accepting people from all over who look different, who feel different, who act different, and I just appreciate that this club really cares about inclusion and they care about bringing people together,” Pickett said.

As the season continues, Pickett hopes to connect with more fans across the country with limb difference, whether through clinics or “bring people to games.”

“I want to reach out to more people with limb difference, and I’m trying to do that this year, it’s a goal of mine to meet someone with limb difference at every away stadium that I’ve gone to and played at, and so far I’ve done it, so that’s really exciting, but that’s my goal this year,” Pickett said.

“I try to have one goal off the field each year, and that’s my goal this year just to meet someone at every single stadium I play in in the NWSL, that’s really important to me.”