Catch a Star

Tamika Catchings, Ken Petersen

Description

When all she wanted was to fit in, Tamika Catchings never imagined one day she'd stand out--as a basketball superstar and an inspiration. Catchings faced being set apart by her hearing loss, separation from family, living up to high expectations, and the pain and discouragement of debilitating physical injuries. Yet she reached for the stars with hard work, perseverance, and her faith in God. Through the silence, she found the way to shine.Catch a Star tells Tamika's story of overcoming: of leading the Indiana Fever to its first championship, being named to the WNBA's All Decade Team, earning four Olympic gold medals, and founding the Catch the Stars Foundation to help young people achieve their dreams. Her story will inspire readers to face their doubts and fears, encouraging them to reach for their own stars, no matter what challenges come their way.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441219633
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Cover

Copyright Page
© 2016 by Tamika Catchings
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2016
Ebook corrections 04.13.2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1963-3
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Published in association with the literary agency of Legacy, LLC, Winter Park, FL 32789.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 2
Copyright Page 3
Foreword by Tony Dungy 5
Part 1: Silence 9
1. Play 11
2. Different 15
3. Lost 23
4. Pressure 39
Part 2: Noise 49
5. Split 51
6. Texas 67
7. Chosen 85
8. Tennessee 95
Part 3: Music 113
9. Perfect 115
10. Champions 137
11. God 153
Part 4: Voices 173
12. Fever 175
13. Building 185
14. Relationships 197
Part 5: Harmony 217
15. Winning 219
16. Life 235
17. Transition 245
18. Looking Back, Looking Forward 249
Acknowledgments 251
Notes 253
About the Author 255
Photo Insert 256
Back Ad 267
Back Cover 269
Foreword
I was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for seven years, and during that time I had the privilege of working with some tremendous athletes. Our 2006 Colts team brought the city a Super Bowl title and featured players who will one day be voted into the NFL Hall of Fame. But it would probably surprise people to know that the most decorated athlete in the city of Indianapolis at that time didn’t play for the Colts. Most people would guess Peyton Manning of the Colts, and if not Peyton, then Reggie Miller of the Pacers. But as great as those two were, and as much as they did for the city, their accomplishments in the athletic arena did not match up to those of Tamika Catchings.
Tamika played on a State Championship high school basketball team and an NCAA National Championship team at the University of Tennessee. She won a WNBA title with the Indiana Fever and has been named MVP of the league, MVP of the Championship Series, as well as Defensive Player of the Year. Tamika has represented the United States in international competition as well, and has won three Olympic gold medals. In fact, I don’t know an athlete who has accomplished as much in his or her sport as Tamika Catchings has in women’s basketball.
Detailing her achievements on the court, however, barely scratches the surface of her impact in the city of Indianapolis and all over Central Indiana. Tamika has been a shining light in the community, a tireless worker, and a tremendous role model for not only young athletes but for everyone. She is one of the rare superstar athletes who really “get it.” As a Christian athlete, Tamika understands she has been gifted by God and that with this blessing comes responsibility—a responsibility to give back to those in her community, but also a responsibility to let her light shine and point others to Christ.
Getting to know Tamika Catchings was one of the great privileges I had while working in Indianapolis. During my time there I got to see her interact with people at games, charity functions, and events for her Catch the Stars Foundation. I also got to see her away from the crowds and the lights, simply interacting with young people. And no matter where we were, or who we were with, Tamika was always the same—personable, caring, and humble. She has an amazing ability to be a leader to her teammates on the court, but also to connect with people who look up to her and make them feel comfortable.
At first glance, it would appear that Tamika is one of those people who has been incredibly blessed with God-given talent and who has worked hard to take advantage of her opportunities. While that’s true, she has also had to deal with many personal challenges and setbacks. In reading her story you’ll learn of some of those obstacles, how she used her faith in Christ to deal with them, and how overcoming those obstacles helped shape Tamika into the person she is today. I believe Catch a Star will not only give you a look into Tamika’s life but will also inspire you to strive to be all you can be in life as well.
Tony Dungy (2015)
I’m sitting on a playground at three years old, and my back is to my dad. He’s calling my name. “Tamika . . . Tamika . . .”
But I don’t hear anything. I’m lost in my sand castle. Lost in my own world. Happiness displayed in my body, my face, and my smile. My dad thought I was ignoring him, but the truth was I did not hear him.
That’s the moment my parents started wondering, “Is something wrong with her? Can she truly not hear us?” And then the thought, “Please, Lord, not again.” My older brother, Kenyon, had just gone through the same extensive hearing testing I would go through. And in the end, I would be diagnosed with a moderate to severe hearing problem, slightly worse than Kenyon’s but causing the same frustration and the beginning of a life of adversity.
Part 1 Silence
Lips move . . .
Silence Surrounds . . .
The world flashes by but all I see is movement.
All I hear is silence.
Darkness settles in,
But I am not scared.
Not scared of being alone,
Not scared of the emptiness around.
Not scared of the emotions swirled round in my head.
Though it’s dark,
I see light.
And I force my steps into that direction.
I’m guided by a pleasant presence
One not seen, but known.
Welcome to my reality . . .
My life.
1 Play
Tamika is just one of those people who could excel at anything she set her mind to. She just works that hard. She could be a Serena Williams, if she had chosen tennis. Well, she chose basketball.
Tauja Catchings
My dad tells about that day. About Tauja and me playing basketball outside in the driveway. About a “friendly” game of one-on-one.
It was our favorite thing, basketball. It was our whole family’s favorite thing, even though as a family we enjoyed lots of sports, including soccer and volleyball. But if someone asked the question, “Do you want to play?” no one ever had to ask, “Play what?” That orange basketball was the fiery nucleus our family life spun around.
It’s almost like there’s a basketball gene that our parents passed down to their children. The Catchingses had it, big time—my dad playing in the pros with Dr. J and the 76ers; my older sister, Tauja, eventually playing in college and beyond; and my older brother, Kenyon, playing on his high school team until his dreams for the game were cut short by illness.
But more than any of them, I was bound and determined to be a basketball player. Even as a young girl, I knew basketball was going to be my game. And, no, it wasn’t that I just had lucky genes. A lot of people have physical ability to play—height and agility—but to play well at a high level requires more. Intensity. Desire. Passion. Focus. Determination. Hard work.
Back then, at the age of nine, I didn’t have the physique for the game. Not yet. I was small, but really because of my slouching to “blend in.” And not only that, but I couldn’t hear very well—I’d been born with moderate to severe hearing loss.
But so what if I was skinny and short and couldn’t hear much? What I did have was intensity. I had desire. And I had passion and a willingness to work hard for the game like no one else in my family.
As Tauja and I played in the driveway that day, we were slamming hard against each other, as we always did. Our game was one of fighting for the ball, defending tough, scraping and scrapping to get the edge and score yet one more basket. I’d sink a basket, and then Tauja would take the ball at the other end of the driveway, dribble it forward, juke and deke to try to get me off-balance, giving her an opening to burst through and slide toward the hoop for a layup. Then I’d have the ball again, walking it up toward my big sister, and I’d feint one way and dribble the other to get around her and score.
Later in life my dad would say one reason I got so good was because of all those early years playing against Tauja, who was the best talent around. I think that’s right. She made me better. She was a year older, taller than me then, and in my eyes just perfect all around.
All those realities just made me compete harder.
We’d play so physical that we’d sometimes send the other flying, with a yell or a shriek, clearly a foul in any refereed game but perfectly acceptable on the court of our driveway arena. We’d scrape an arm or a knee, wipe off a little blood, and start playing again, yelling and taunting and at times screaming at each other.
My dad tells about that day, how the yelling and screaming got to be too much for him. He could tell we were playing each other hard. He knew there’d been some blood. He’d heard one scream too many. He walked out on the porch and yelled, “That’s enough!”
We froze in our tracks. He came out to the driveway, confiscated the ball, and took it inside with him.
Frustrated, Tauja stormed up to her room. I knew she’d probably play with her dolls after she cooled down. Dad settled back down inside.
Sometime later, as Dad tells it, he looked up from his paper and realized Tauja had come into the house, bu