Standing in front of a fresh-faced group of female high school athletes from across the Kansas City metro, Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark spoke to highschool teams including the varsity girls’ basketball team at the T-Mobile center on Feb. 4. Head girls basketball coach Mike Allen expressed that the speech kindled anticipation for the beginning of their season, and that with hard work and perseverance, anything can happen.
“Clark is close to their age group and she can give a true account of what it is like to be a high school student athlete,” Allen said.
One of the most impactful messages to senior varsity captain Avery Kurt that Clark spoke on entailed the importance of failure. Clark reminded the girls that even though she seems flawless on the court, she has failed plenty of times.
Throughout her speech, Clark shared stories about growing up and playing with her brothers, which ignited a competitive spirit in her. Giving 110% at practice every day grants Clark the confidence to succeed on the court.
Senior varsity player Kristina Erskine’s favorite moment came when Clark shared how she grew up a Kansas City Chiefs football fan, and applauded Kansas City and the KC Current Soccer Stadium for KC’s women’s professional team.
“It is cool to hear Clark support KC and its ground-breaking involvement with women’s sports,” Erskine said.
According to Kurt, simply getting to see Clark in person was an accomplishment in itself.
“Her message was clear: you can’t succeed without failing,” Kurt said. “Whether we face adversity as a team or as individuals, the key is to always get back up.”
