Catch Me If You Can...
Catch me if you can…
Tamika Catchings
WNBA Indiana Fever, Catch the Stars Foundation
When I was asked to write about the lessons I’ve learned I thought about my journey, along with the highs and lows that come with it. I’m going to focus on five experiences that have taught me lessons throughout my life.
1. I was born with a hearing and speech problem. Along with a slur and stutter that I sometimes had, I wore hearing aids, glasses and eventually braces. Everyday was a challenge for me. Countless times I ran home swearing that I would NEVER go back to school. I felt embarrassed being different from everyone else.
One day, I decided to take the world on by myself. I was determined to fit in. On my way home from school, I took my hearing aids out and threw them into the tallest patch of grass I could find. This was my solution. No more visible hearing aids meant no one would automatically KNOW I had a hearing problem or a speech problem as long as I didn’t speak. Well, it didn’t go over well with my parents and they decided I needed to learn my lesson. From that day forward, I had to learn how to get by without my precious hearing aids. I sat in the front row in class, read my textbooks before I went to class and stayed after to fill in the blanks for things I missed while the teacher was writing on the board. While it was extremely hard for me to hear, I worked extra hard to not be noticed and stay on top of my grades. That was the first of many lessons that I learned. It was a negative thing to throw my hearing aids out, but it turned positive because that is where my work ethic came into play. That has carried over into every aspect of my life.
2. Since my father played in the NBA for 11 years, I remember being around basketball as a little girl. However, basketball was not my first organized sport, that was soccer. I ended up as center because I couldn’t be confined to one area of the field. I was everywhere. The same thing happened with softball. They had me at left field, but I caught balls in center field and right field. I wanted to be free! As I got better in sports, my passion grew and my fire was lit. My hearing didn’t get made fun of because if you made fun of me on the field I would outwork and outdo you. Find something you are passionate about. Even to this day my passion shows through the way that I play.
3. Through the loss of my hearing aids, sports, moving from Texas to Illinois and my parents’ divorce in 6th grade, there always something going on. In 8th grade, my sister and I were tagged the “Catchings Sisters.” Everywhere we went people knew us and we were treated like royalty. I wanted a change, to go somewhere where I could start over and be “normal”. My Mom and I made the pivotal decision to move back to Texas after my sophomore year. I had been under my brother and sister my whole life. My friends were their friends and my sister and I were on the same teams.
After the move I had a breakdown the day before school. I couldn’t believe that I had made the decision to leave my sister. Who would I talk to and eat lunch with? It turned out great. I immediately got connected into the “sports” group because I played volleyball, basketball and ran track. The lesson I learned is “change is hard, but you will be all right.” I know I would not be the person that I am today without the move forcing me to become my own person. Change has to come, but I know things will be all right.
4. Even back in Texas, I was shy, self-conscious and didn’t say a whole lot. I was not a vocal leader. I was the player that hustled and you had to follow my lead. I worked and worked and expected the same from everyone else. That plan works when you have vocal leaders around you, but doesn’t when they’re not there. In my career, I’ve had to carry different roles. I planned to be a visual, not vocal, leader. I have transitioned into being both for my team. Every year I learn more being a true leader and this year my focus will be different. We’ve always had close teams, meaning we have a great time with each other. Now we need to do a great job of taking ownership of our goals and make sure that everybody does their part. That starts with me as the leader. When we set our goals as a team, with everyone’s input, it becomes a TRUE TEAM EXPERIENCE. The great part of a “team” is that there’s more than one leader. Some are vocal, some visual. Either way, it’s about putting all of the pieces together. I’ve learned over time how to change and bring what my team needs. I’m not getting younger, but we have younger players coming in that need someone get them where they need to be. That’s my job. I won’t always be a starter, but have I passed on my leadership skills to someone else? That’s the sign of a great leader!
5. I live by “what you see is what you get.” Practice, practice, practice what you preach. There’s nothing worse than being led by a lazy leader or someone that doesn’t give 100 percent all of the time. I’ve seen great leaders, mediocre leaders and terrible leaders, and I aim to be at the top. I work hard because I want to be the best. I study tapes and other players because I want to grow as a player. I have my Catch the Stars Foundation because I’m passionate about giving back and helping our youth reach their goals.
There’s talk if professional athletes are role models or not. The way I see it is “to whom much is given, much is expected.” When you have God-given talent, you are expected to give Him the glory and to shower your success on someone else. If you want to be real, live real - what you see is what you get.
Catch me if you can…
Tamika Catchings is a professional basketball player for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and has spent several seasons playing internationally in South Korea, Poland, Russia and Turkey. After playing at Adlai E. Stevenson High School and graduating from Duncanville High School, Tamika Catchings became one of the stars of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team. In 2001, she was drafted by the Indiana Fever. After sitting out her rookie year due to injury, she had an all-star rookie season in 2002. She is a six-time WNBA All-Star, seven-time All-WNBA recipient, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year four-times. Catchings is also the founder of the Catch the Stars Foundation, which empowers youth to achieve their dreams by providing goal-setting programs that promote literacy, fitness and mentoring. Recently, the United Nations NGO Voting Academy named Tamika one of the "Top 5 Most Positive Athletes in the World". In addition, she is one of 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards, a kind of Nobel Prize of community service that will be announced in March.
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