Overcoming Adversity Through Faith and Sports

Hi this is Jim Daly with Focus on the Family.

I will let you know about an online experience called sea life, 20, 21 in the six episode video series were sharing stories and encouragement that will inspire and empower you to live out your pro-life views. You also discover valuable resources to help step up and get involved in the cause. This is a digital experience, you and your family won't want to miss all the details are Focus on the Family.com/sea life at that point basketball became everything to you and I like that with my dad because I can go outside and I can play and I can practice tonight. Nothing else really mattered best to make a catching Smith annually or more from her on today's episode of Focus on the Family.

Thanks for joining us your hostess focus president and author Jim Daly and I'm John Fuller, John today's the opening ceremonies for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo may sound funny since it's 20, 21, but as you probably know, because of COBIT, the Olympics were postponed until the summer to coincide with that. We want to come back to to make his markable story she has in the past represented the United States at the Olympics point basketball infection or teammates brought home the gold four times. She also has many other accolades to her name. Tamika has overcome adversity in her life by relying on her face, her work ethic and character by finding and cultivating her identity through sports. She's inspired many others.

Through her leadership.

You know when she was with this John. I got to shoot a few hiccups whether there is a one bears and she is really challenging what a player had a great time and she especially had a good time making fun of my basket. Will Tamika now serves as the general manager of the Indiana fever the same WNBA basketball team. She played for as she's also the founder of the catch the stars foundation in Indianapolis which promotes literacy and fitness through mentors who inspire and uplift youth to help them define purpose and achieve their potential and when we last spoke with Tamika. She had just gotten married and was heading for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and here's how Jim you started the conversation to make a welcome to focus on other exciting part with all those achievements that you have a women's professional basketball playing on the Olympic team in the past year.

Recently married right away. Seven February 7 that's great seer into your marriage. A few months now is going okay. Going great right from the beginning.

I mean, thank God we had the experience of being got us in 2014 so you know, like he went through my last even as far as what it was like being with me on the road at home basketball all that training and stuff so, how long was that seasoning women's basketball.

How long ago we play from Maple and then vote for this past season this evening when April started early. April 24 and then will go have a break now, so July to August and will come back and finish season and finish in October. That is a long year. That is practically every night, your head, and some were plain somewhere, plant my practice and we do have off days.

No way.

But even on off days you doing something around basketball or something with the foundation, then you know just trying to figure out for me. Now like what's next. Now it's interesting for you because as a little girl you are used to this because your dad played in the NBA right pipe 11 season 11/80/year 73 date of Vonage 79. What teams did he play for playful Milwaukee Bucks New Jersey Nets Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers. No man that prepare you for your life now could you see then what it was going to be like interesting enough.

I really we were around it, but we went really, if that makes things like all the family would hang out together that's all the kids we would all hang out and play, but we play off boys.

It wasn't just basketball we go to practice and may we be climbing out in the rafters and enclave.

That's what to do and my dad finish in America and the reactor play. He played a year over in Italy and his last season so did that for you and we came back to the states and Connor moved around even in the state so I was in seventh grade when I finally figured out like my Catholic, I really love playing basketball and this is something that I do want to follow my dad foot in your childhood had some difficulties in meeting it was an easy road for you. Tell us what was going on in your life is that you know the third fourth fifth grader. While I would want to hang in a speech problem and had weighing a stairway hearing aid and so like I had the big hearing aid someone that everybody could see and, like what you guys have a little plug but I got you know as a kid you don't understand the difference. And so I got to the line I got bullied a lot just and so I struggled early on just five really wanted to fit in and be normal."

"We, like everybody else. And so, like, that's how sport came into my life as important as it was because I knew that I could practice my practice.

I got really really good at something people could make fun of me so I may fund mathematical play basketball and I might lose the first time but then I'm gonna go back impacted and I guarantee the next time I was not going to lose and select. That was really early on, that was my focusis always been a part of our family, but is more one of those things that as a kid you just do yet.

Tamika, let me ask you this question because a lot of this experience those things in school but what did your mom do just give you some support, especially second grade like that was the toughest year first grade I was overseas in Italy and then we moved back here and thought it was tough because in Italy everybody spoke Italian and often unspoken respect, if they made fun of me know but I do know I okay whatever. What electrical play and so second David really when I found out that I would and I would honestly say like my mom did a great job. There were days like I would come home and I declined and she would always let my tears away and deciding I'm not going to give up and pushed me back out the door and on pretty much every single sport every single activity that you can possibly do and they kept that very engage in other sports and other activity that kind of overshadowed getting made fun of and you obviously had a talent in those areas.

There was a moment though when you really probably were the most down and you actually took your hearing aids off and threw them what tell us about that day. At last I would get made fun of everything that I remember me like I just remember going to school and getting made fun of and I just like I like this and like what would the kids say, what were they saying just talk about my the way I talked you know because I did. I had a lisp and like I stuttered, to an extent because I wasn't comfortable talking as I knew, I got it made fun of sized almost want to be invisible.

As you can be invisible and then speech therapist. I had to speech therapy and teacher would the speech therapist will come to the room open the door.

Everybody looked to the door and she like I need to make other than the kids like lashing Italy and come to find out how to go to speech therapy class a like it was the way I talked the way I looked at being different, you know, being tall, anything and everything you can think of, and you get fed up at one point at that day I got fed up and I just like this is going to be the last day would you do walking home so my brother, my sister always like the three of us while we walked together and to and from school like a big tall field of glass. So we walked to school and on the way home that day is okay. They were in front of me just talking and literally took my hearing aid out my hand and I threw in the field in the field thought I could spot as I could and then got home. We always had snacks I we got there did a homework and then we get whatever sport activity we had a practice so went to softball practice and likes to practice my mama just looking at me just something different about you and what has she finally was light your hearing aid.

I don't know. I don't know that. So we literally walk all the way around softball field not flycatcher and I played left field, but even I've left field. I was in right field centerfielder you knew they were there the end of the field and I kinda like you know just tell, and I don't know whether, so we went home and know we actually walked to and from school and tried to see if they had fallen out and we never found a meth and a Damon mama just like we can afford to keep buying hearing aid and so we didn't have to learn how to live without him. While there, how did that make you feel when she said that had you feel happy that you did for the month. I was happy to some children may think. I was relieved. Okay now, but I knew that in doing that had to figure out ways to get by. Yeah. And so, like my thing was I sat in the first row everything when my class and I would read the textbook before I went to class and then after class I would day and I talked to teach. Second, we let so long as the teacher was looking at me. I was fine when she turned around right on the chalkboard and I couldn't see her lips. I have like word and then like blanketing words and blank like I would have to go after class and have a fill in the blank. What did you learn from then. I mean, obviously, perseverance and all those things that have major professional athlete now.

It was contributing to your ability to be resiliently strong wasn't that. And I think you gave me a passion gave me like I'm very passionate. Even then, I love school I actually love like the learning and I still love learning with the obstacle of not hearing that because in books. I could go places like I could read about, you know, like Italy. I could read about Spain. I can read about Rio like I could read about them in a book. I never really thought I'd ever go there.

But in my mind I was able to go there and so like it's cool because basketball is the lab the opportunity to go everywhere. I write about to make it where where is God in all of this and how did you find face with those kind of no obstacles in your life did he resent the fact that you were a little short on some of these abilities like hearing and speech. We went to church like every week we're there Sunday when I go to church on Sunday, we can participate in activity by think like most African-American families like you go to church and it's just an expectation from your parents and you don't do church on Sunday. You're not allowed to do any activities not during the week and so like for us it with that and we went to church.

I went out with kids his kingdom all day and we did all of that as far as I can. My own personal like so when I graduated high school and went to University of Tennessee and a member like Hannah own decision and I still get to play basketball. You notice more like that Rob and then the end of freshman year, going in my sophomore year we came in with the Fab four; Randall Kristin claimant Teresa Jeter and myself. This is University of Tennessee Sargasso.

I would drive around and Pat gained the permission of move off campus after well yeah I would getting ready to move off campus, but I find when I thought a big billboard and it was promoting the guest speaker that was coming just great guys can be off the message.

I remember going back to her dorm like hey guys I we need Gottlieb do this like when you go to church. We need to hear this guy like everybody in the billboard was absolutely amazing.

Just kinda pulled you in like it was just the right moment for all of them so we ended up going. We all came from different backgrounds.

He talked about who's your daddy and just how cottage your dad no matter what kind of relationship you have with your earthly father you always have a heavenly father that you know supersedes all of that and so the four of us.

We all had different relationship with our father mom and daddy got divorced when I was in sixth grade.

One of her dabbled around all the time.

Other another one hi dad. She had seen her dad in like four years you know that another one like her dad just, like with In-N-Out and it was just like very sporadic. So like hearing that message me with all the like kind and we all came down and we dedicated our lives and so like everything that moment really like my whole mind is just shifted and I knew so I started to mean walking around campus, I met a young man and he introduced me to Fellowship of Christian athletes. So I started going to that to an on that point on it was just kinda like like this is cool, that is great. I gave my life. The Lord of the Fellowship of Christian 15th but that was the moment you would save know you going to church, became your own. Your faith became your own. Jesus became real to you that divorce you went by that pretty fast in terms your father and your mom how old were you when they divorced. I was a thick grade man and I just remember at that point basketball became everything like that was not God because I can go outside to play and I can practice tonight. Nothing else really mattered and now that I made my goal seventh grade like that. What I want to do what it was, like my way of being able to get to everything without having to talk about it and just like basketball quite a story today overcoming a lot of challenges in life from our guest on Focus on the Family Tamika Catchings Smith.

She's written a book capturing all the details of her incredible journey.

It's called catch a star shining through adversity to become a champion. We have copies of that here you can find out more by checking the episode's go-ahead in here more now of the conversation with Tamika to speak. I want to highlight something you said that it is important for the listeners to know when you talked about the Lady Vols University, Tennessee. You went 39 and no that one season and that was one of the great feats in women's sports and that team particularly was noted is perhaps one of the best women's teams of any sport that had to feel special to be part of something so so perfect. It was often made out my freshman year in college. So remember to sit back like every single year of like this.

You put a lot of my life but you know it was just the thing that made it special every single day like we work in that one day that what blood was shed on the court and it would just because I didn't each other like we was so competitive but was somewhat better, and it made it effective. The coach Pat Summit had a list of imperatives and let's talk about a couple of those and will list those on the website so others can see it, but these are great principles to live by. What were the I think for me. Overall, like an kind of summing up all her definite dozen you know the big thing for Harper were just making sure that we were great people and so, like going to her definite dozen amine attitude put the team before yourself and I can say the put the team before yourself are big for me I see coming in my first year I freshman and really light up until that point had never been told that I hadn't done something right. You think you are selfish. You perceive yourself itself. Now I see myself as selfish. I just perceive myself that I knew. Like most teenagers I knew everything I know about this crazy lady when she said when she see in you was irritating her and she called you out on right on the court when a defense.

I struggle yeah that was the first practice. Literally, I got yelled at what she Sadie wall so we were doing a drill. And, like often defense and I came up on the defense and play defense. The way that I've always played defense which is what has she liked Tamika down which arms out and I might okay and I get beat like three or four times consecutively so go back there. And now she's like in the corner of the gym Habakkuk to us like totally like not even paying attention so I get back up and I get my stance the way I know. And all of a sudden, my shield and I turn around I step in a right I got quiet just like that is so like our mad she's mad, yelled back. She called me today and it a baseline she's just like I have to handle you and that's a way of like you're playing like a girl and she hated when people say all you play like a girl that was away and she would like to buy.

Need to send you back to the Texas like no man something I'm laughing now within them.

I know in my mind like she don't tell me my mom some. I will stay here and get killed and I'm fine with that: yeah yeah definitely did, and she just like you know you need to basically buy into what was going to do at the team and felt we got to practice after practice like I showered and went after that, I apologize, and that was the first and only time that we ever had money like that mean you know she got on me about other stuff but yeah we were couple of the others. Just read the listener click so one respect yourself and others to take full responsibility.definition one of Harvey's people made excuses to why they didn't. You know how I could be in help because I had to do this in his site. When you watch the tape when you get to see you got basketball players around that I know you know when you watch a film you get to see you everything you said you thought you did do.

You didn't really do take full responsibility. Develop three. Develop and demonstrate loyalty for learning to be a great communicator. Five. Discipline yourself and no one else have to. That was a big one for six make hard work your passion. Seven.

Don't just work hard, work smart. Eight. Put the team before yourself. Nine. Make winning an attitude can be a competitor of 11 changes a month.

That was my struggle. I think, and then 12 handle success like you handle failure. Well, that those are good things to live by fed nominees those of my kids, life issues and the very biblically based those of the right things now you get into the women's and be at the WNBA and you were drafted. Were you surprised you got drafted so high and then what happened. This first seasons. I think get some injuries right. I told Maceo my thing in college said anything to really finish the senior year know I'm changing the day. 2001 and 70 in my knee and my right knee, and so I just remember like were literally four months from the draft. Nobody didn't want me to them. Injured is almost like going to a store and buying something that's already built like why would you do that and select, like what I thought about you know from the draft perspective so number one pick. When I'm like okay number two for client number three Indiana, 9 o'clock at night. They said my name. I had to sit there for second my claimant that my night so I jump up so glad I am going to Indiana. Greenfield was 1/3 person. WNBA and they were trusting that you need to come back and you do okay, but what happened so I set out the fascia and then in July we were in Houston, but by the comments and that was the first low trip I've been on. I got cleared to start running so they like all we want you to start getting acclimated to the team and I saw the Sally and I were just running straight and I felt a pop in my knee so my home please.

Not now.

Slowly I fly back and ended up turning my meniscus so I had to do another surgery and I might at least have a brand-new knee so nothing else Lord will and will go wrong and so literally set out the whole year and then played in another semi Pro Lee up in Chicago. I drive back and forth in between. So that was like the afternoon started playing in 2002, so that it took off right just started clicking that man.

It's amazing that you said hard work pays off, but that's been one of your credos.

You work hard at what you do that so beautiful to see how the Lord work in your life right here we are in the Olympic season.

You've been on the 04 Olympic team. The 08 Olympic team. The 2012 Olympic team and now the 2016 Olympic team. That's quite a run. That that's crazy fun and what were the metals.

Did you metal in every year that we got cold in every year on sale of the that's got to be such a heady experience to win a gold medal. Every time around on the floor in the Olympics for Olympics in a row that 616 years so you well and I guess I feel like amazing is something you really can't describe me, you really can't. When you're there and they're going through. It means we you work so hard and like evening intensity level and just like training together and all of that like it's just as a whole another level and then when you get there and like your standing with the final game is over.

Gold-medal game is over and you're standing on the podium and you look to your right you look to your left neither teammates like will almost like standing there waiting and start playing the national anthem the flag coming down to just like you almost in your mind you hear the fireworks going off now because it's that moment and just like client because many people get an opportunity to represent their country be to go and play in an metal at all bronze, silver or gold like not a lot of people don't get that opportunity but to do it three times. It's just been a blessing. Tell us a little more about the foundation what you're trying to do their while we started in and not actually 2001 when I came Indiana cannot go To choices one to be mad go to practice come home and just lay around, sit around like to be whatever you want to do or to be mad go to faxes, you know, do my training and then come and figure out a way to get involved in the community. So that's what I chose and liked the first event we did to the fever where they are basketball camp at a local community center. We got done doing it. The guy that headed up the facility came over and he would like you, often with kids like have you ever thought about going on back okay so that was the beginning to make a catching basketball camp that year so this is what we celebrate 16 years in December and I'm passionate about giving back. You know, I think what we do with the foundation of Texas. We focus on boys and girls aged seven all the way up to 16 and really liked the overall message to goal setting to my faith is through setting like helping them reach their dreams and our goal is. I look at my life and although like I went through all my adversity and all those my parents lousy strong in my life, but it was my coaches my teammate my teachers that help me pass my classes, you know like there were so many other people that played an important role in my life. And so, like now I feel like kindly pay it forward like I feel like it's my time to do the same and be able to offer the kids hope you know for the future and you must when they look at you you shop at the camp and these are kids you don't really know and I'm sure you have lots of sideline time where your talking to little seven-year-old girl. Maybe she has hearing-impaired issues, or some other issue. How do you relate in that moment after traveling all the steps you've traveled, seeing God's faithfulness in your life would you say that seven-year-old to keep pushing and I do I talk about my experience.

I'm very open now like it far. How I dealt and how I cope with everything you know growing up and so a lot of the kids that we deal with come from underprivileged families and so have been neglected. To an extent we not all of you know that some of them have been neglected or have felt like there's nobody that cared so like me in that moment you know really just talking about my hearing problem and talking about how I made it to actually one of the first camp that we did.

I had a mom come up to me and tell me like her daughter doesn't like to wear a hearing aid won't wear hearing a fight show talking about anything speech therapy know any of that is familiar yeah that would be me, but definitely size know she was telling me that she had a sick boy so sick boy then in her little girl and so she asked if I would be her big sister.

We actually work with big Brothers big sisters and informed like that partnership with them. A selection of the analysis to Danang graduated play backbone college graduate from college.

Now she try to play golf professionally overseas so kind of in the midst of that but it's been cool for me to be a part of her journey and to know that like I've been one of her role models in somebody that she can look up to. That is a great place to wrap this to make it sounds like you are deliver hopefulness in the Lord's been faithful in your life you really extending that little boys and girls that is precious. It's a wonderful thing. Thank you for being a memorable conversation with Olympic gold medalist and basketball great Tamika Catchings Smith send as the games are starting today. I do hope that you been inspired by her story and of course as I mentioned earlier. She captured that journey of hers in the book, catch a star shining through adversity to become a champion and it is packed full of stories about Tamika's childhood in formative years and really illustrates how faith in sports can intersect. You can donate and get your copy of catch a star all the details are in the have a great weekend and join us on Monday hear from Pastor Ted Cunningham easily challenge you to find a godly community that will support your marriage. Who is it that you're letting into your marriage and into your life so I'm grateful for Focus on the Family being a good backup singer to marriages who lead your duet off key. Don't just turn down that you need to mute them altogether on behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team. Thanks for joining us today for Focus on the Family I'm John Fuller inviting you back once more help you and your family thrive in Christ are you looking for an informative and encouraging and engaging resource for your team daughter.

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