Catchings Delivers Inspirational ISS Keynote Address

BOULDER — Former college, professional and Olympic basketball star Tamika Catchings delivered an inspirational and thought-provoking keynote address Wednesday at the second annual Inclusive Sports Summit at the University of Colorado.

Hosted by CU Athletics and CU Recreation Services, the summit welcomed a variety of speakers and seminars geared to "provide a space for open dialogue about social issues while embracing differences through interactive presentations, panel discussions, experiential opportunities and poster presentation."

Topics addressed included the student-athlete experience, concussions and mental health, unconscious bias, mental health in athletics and equity in sports; along with a career fair.

For anyone who has followed the sport of basketball over the last 20 years, Catchings is a familiar name. A four-time All-American and 2000 Naismith Player of the Year at Tennessee, she won one national title there before embarking on a professional and Olympic career. A 12-time WNBA All-Star selection, she played on one WNBA championship team and also played in four Olympics, becoming one of just a handful of athletes ever to claim gold medals in four different Olympiads.

But while Catchings' career accomplishments are well-known, many people are not aware of the obstacles she has overcome in her life — and how she has turned those roadblocks into opportunity that helped forge her success.

Catchings was born with a hearing disability discovered at age 3, something that also contributed to a speech impediment. Fitted with hearing aids at a young age, she found herself being teased and bullied in elementary school — to the point that she came home in tears every day, begging her parents not to make her go back to school.

"I was ashamed of myself and ashamed of my disability," she said.

But her mother always had the same response: "Honey, I can't let you give up."

So, she persevered. She put in extra time with her teachers to keep her schoolwork up and found an outlet in basketball, a game in which she excelled.

Along the way, she also began to realize she did not have to adhere to the limitations placed upon her by others. The box in which she was placed to diagnose her hearing disability at a young age gradually transformed into a symbol around which she developed a formula for success.

"I have always tried to live outside my box," she said. "So many people around me were quick to tell me what I could or couldn't do. I have always tried to live outside my box."

Catchings even crafted an acronym to express her life philosophy, the BOX:

Believe. "Believe not just in yourself, but believe in others."

Opportunity. "You have a duty to take advantage of opportunity."

eXtraordinary you. "Everyone has something that makes them extraordinary. Find it, use it."

Catchings lived this philosophy even before she actually realized what she was doing.

In second grade, she threw her hearing aids away. When her mother told her they could not afford another set, she taught herself to read lips, and spent extra time with her teachers to make sure she understood her schoolwork.

She also remembers writing in her journal that she would one day play in the NBA — and instead of ridiculing the notion, her parents told her, "If anybody can do it, you can."

Catchings enjoyed a star-studded high school career and was recruited to Tennessee, where she played for legendary coach Pat Summitt, who convinced her to wear hearing aids again. She acquiesced and her game improved — but all the obstacles she had turned into opportunities as a young girl continued to pay dividends.

Then came a torn ACL that ended her senior season at Tennessee, prior to the very first WNBA draft. She was sure no team would want "damaged goods," but Indiana took a chance — and after missing her first season, she rewarded the Fever with a standout career that included a league championship.

Soon after, she also began an international career that included four Olympic golds and a sparkling 58-1 record for the USA in international games.

Catchings retired in 2016, but she has moved her motivation into the business world, and she recently authored a book, "Catch A Star."

She also spoke to CU's women's basketball team on Wednesday, and her lunchtime ISS keynote address produced a standing ovation.

"We're all in a box of some sort," Catchings told a standing-room only audience at CU's Dal Ward Arrow Touchdown Club. "Today, I challenge you guys to step outside your box."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

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