0
0
I could move on, look ahead, stop being emotional.
But I don’t want to.
Not yet.
Not today. Allow me time, just a little more time.
I want to reflect about Caitlin Clark, about what she’s meant this past month to all of us, to little kids, to middle age adults, to sick people and lost souls and older adults all over America. It’s incalculable how many people she’s touched positively. It’s certainly a huge number.
This has been a human-to-human story like no other. In this 2024 basketball season a young lady from idyllic and somewhat isolated Iowa led her team to the national title game and broke every scoring record you can think of. Not from New York City or Los Angeles or Chicago.
From Iowa. Don’t you love it?
I wish it didn’t have to end. But all things do end. Childhood ends. College ends. Jobs end. Careers end. Life ends.
Blogs end, too, eventually.
But not for awhile, not this one.
People wince when I start talking deep. Well, I need to. It’s what feels honest. You wouldn’t want me to be dishonest because it wouldn’t come across as real.
I want to capture this moment, these feelings, and they are feelings of wonderment and amazement and gratefulness that we were able to watch this young lady hit long shot after long shot after long shot – nothing like it ever.
It wasn’t just cool; it was magical. It wasn’t just impressive; it was spiritual. It wasn’t just great; it was triggering for the rest of us to get up and do what we do, work at our crafts, share what we are here to share, maybe on a whim proactively call someone up and invite to have a cup of coffee.
Put another way, this is about embracing life, these precious hours, making our time here amount to something.
I may not be here right now typing this if not for Caitlin Clark. I could be taking the day off, not writing. But then I thought today about what Caitlin would do, I figure she’s probably at practice again today or thinking about it. Writing is to me what practicing shooting is to Caitlin. She’s great at what she does. I’m a work in progress getting a little better slowly.
Getting better – this is what we’re supposed to do. Share what we have – it’s our duty.
There will be no quitting. There will be no exceptions. There will be no excuses.
When you lose or I lose or Caitlin loses. Especially when all of us lose. Caitlin’s team lost yesterday – it’s hard to type that — but does anyone think Caitlin Clark is a loser because of that?
The score at the end of a game does not define whether you’re a winner or not. That definition comes from how you prepare, how you behave, how you speak, what you do for others, the effort you put forth, what’s in your heart.
For inspiration I went to my main guy, Texas A&M hoops coach Buzz Williams, who always has what’s important in perspective. He was being interviewed about leadership on a podcast and talked about what he looks for in a recruit. Character is number one. He wants to know what kind of person this young man is first of all. What kind of character are you, am I, is Caitlin?
This is an important question, maybe the most important one. Caitlin showed us she has strong character. She an admirable person and this should help us all try to be better humans ourselves. You can be great at what you do and still treat people well.
I’m going to miss this Caitlin Clark story profoundly. I’m so sad it’s ending – at least the Iowa chapter – and what a riveting chapter it was. Could it be the best chapter of a book any of us has ever read?
I got all caught up in it and am unembarrassed to admit so. It touched a nerve deep in my heart, striving for greatness, rising above critics, bringing people joy simply by doing what you do exceptionally well.
Gosh I wish so much she won the national title. The tenor of this blog would be different, probably more cringeworthy than even this one is, but I can’t apologize for that.
We sure as heck don’t always get what we wish for. Wish we did. Life is frustrating sometimes; often, to be candid. The Rolling Stones captured this idea in a phenomenal song lyric: “you can’t always get what you want, but you can get what you need.”
We didn’t get what we – at least many of us — wanted nor what Caitlin wanted: a national championship. But we did get what we needed – a reminder to keep persisting every day no matter how much criticism, regardless of the mistakes, despite choosing the wrong words or uninteresting topics, no matter if people ignore your writing or like it or wonder about you or delete anything sent from you.
Caitlin Clark has taught me to just keep going. And keep going no matter what.
It’s important to realize we’re here for a short time. The lesson, therefore, is this: Maximize the potential impact you have on others right now.
She did that. I don’t remember Americans being, collectively, more excited about one human being than they have been about Caitlin Clark. She reminded us of how exciting life can be, how well we can become at doing something, if we dedicate ourselves completely. She distracted us from all the negatives of life like elections.
We got to put that aside and focus on her, a young woman, an amazing human being, who will forever be in our hearts and in our visual memories swishing a rainbow shot from way outside.
Author Profile
-
Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
Sammy Sportface Has a Vision -- Check It Out
Sammy Sportface -- The Baby Boomer Brotherhood Blog -- Facebook Page
