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IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (5/13/24)

"Promoting Education Based Athletics in Indiana"

One of the most popular names in all of sports happens to be the first pick of the WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark, of the Indiana Fever.

She spoke recently about how she was inspired to participate in basketball and the moment she decided to take it seriously.  It happened ten years ago when her dad drove her to a WNBA game in Minneapolis from their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa.

The star player in the WNBA at that time was Maya Moore, and going to see her play changed Caitlin forever.  It wasn't just her talent that was remarkable.  It was that this player, Moore, the league MVP in 2014, took the time to engage with her as a 12-year-old, after Caitlin ran up to her and gave her a hug.

Clark says she remembers the moment like it was yesterday.  The Indianapolis Star quoted her as saying, "Ten seconds can go a long way in somebody's life.  That's a good lesson whether you play sports or don't play sports, how you treat somebody matters."

How do you treat your teachers, coaches, teammates and fans?  Are you kind?  Do you engage?  You may never know how a ten second interaction with someone unsuspectingly could be remembered like Clark described.  What you say, how you act and how you treat others is more important than any performance you may ever have in sports!

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