1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody's Bill Courtney's Shop Talk number eight. I cannot 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: believe or on shop Talk number eight. Alex is going 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: to get pretty upset with me when I run out 4 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: of ideas for shop Talk. But maybe we'll start talking 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: politics soon. Y'all love that, won't you? Shop Talk number eight. 6 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about this. In every single race 7 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: that I've ever seen, whether it's a fifty yard sprint 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: or marathon, there's a tape at the end. There's a 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: finish line. In every single race, there's a finish line, 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: except one, the race on life, because in life there 11 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: is no finish line, because perseverance never takes a break. 12 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: We'll talk about that right after these brief messages from 13 00:00:50,720 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: our general sponsors. Oh, a few years ago, I was 14 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: in Colorado Springs at the United States Olympic Committee thing, 15 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: and I was speaking to the Olympic swim a bunch 16 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: of Olympic places, and I was invited to address the 17 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: United States para Olympic team before they went off to 18 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: I think it was uk to compete for the United 19 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: States in the Paralympics, And I'm going to tell you something. 20 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: You talk about inspiring amazing people competing for our country 21 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: in the Olympics and the Paralympics. While I was walking 22 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: around campus, i'd actually just left the swim pool area, 23 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: which was incredible because Michael Phelps was in there and 24 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: that dude is long. And was walking with a person 25 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: that was on the Olympic committee, not an athlete, but 26 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: an administrator. And as we passed by, I see this 27 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: really tall, dark headed girl, she's probably six ' three 28 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: sitting on a bench, and the administrator introduced me and 29 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: her name was Katie I later found out Katie Holloway. 30 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: And we started talking. And as we're talking, I'm just 31 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: sitting on the bench and the administrator ran off and 32 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: I had a few minutes before I had to go 33 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: in and do my nextra dress. And as we're talking, 34 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: Katie removes her leg. I swear to you, just removes 35 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: her leg and I'm like, WHOA, what's that. And she's like, oh, 36 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: I'm on the Paralympic volleyball team. And I'm like, that's crazy. 37 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: Have you always played volleyball? And she said no, I've 38 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: always played basketball. And I said you've always played basketball 39 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: and she said yeah, And I said I'd love to 40 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: hear about that. And she said, well, I'm going into 41 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: listening to speech. If you want to meet, i'll tell 42 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: you about it. I said great. So I did my 43 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: speech and there she was after words, and we sat 44 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: down at a table and she grabbed an orange juice 45 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: and I grabbed a dot coke and I found out 46 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: Katie's story. She was born with both legs, and shortly 47 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: after when she was young, she had to have one 48 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: of her legs removed below the knee. But she was 49 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 1: really athletic and her mom she wanted to play basketball 50 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: with a prosthetic, believe it or not, and her mom 51 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: took her to little league and everybody said no, no, no, 52 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: no no, But she kept practicing and she kept practicing, 53 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: and finally, like junior high, she made the junior high 54 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: basketball team wearing a prosthetic leg, and all this was 55 00:03:52,600 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: fifteen years ago. Then she made her high school basketball 56 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: team with a prosthetic leg. Then she started for her 57 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: high school basketball team and was dominating folks with one leg, 58 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: and thought of playing in college actually came around, and 59 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: that's really what she wanted to do. That was her dream. 60 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: And obviously coaches would come watch her play because they 61 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: heard her name and they saw her numbers, and the 62 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: athletic director and her high school coach were sending out 63 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: and they would come watch her play and they would 64 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: be impressed until they recognized she was run around on 65 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: one leg and they would immediately back off. So Katie 66 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,799 Speaker 1: came up with an idea. She started wearing a knee 67 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: brace on the one leg that had a prosthetic. Now, 68 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: just so that you know, you don't need a knee 69 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: brace when you don't have the bottom half of your leg, 70 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: but she wore it to cover prosthetic and she got 71 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: a scholarship to Northridge. While at cal Straight Northridge, she 72 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: played her entire time when she was there and ended 73 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 1: up I actually think she ended up winning the conference 74 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: sixth Man of the Year award and I think led 75 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:20,560 Speaker 1: her team in rebounds with one leg. All from a 76 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: kid who was told she'd never play sports. After that, 77 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: she was recruited by the Paralympics, and the Paralympics don't 78 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: have basketball, they have wheelchair basketball, and she didn't want 79 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: to do that, so she went to play volleyball, and 80 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: her first year on the Paralympics volleyball team, she won 81 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: a gold medal for the United States guys. When we 82 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: talk about perseverance, and we talk about sticking to it. 83 00:05:55,440 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: We talk about never quitting. Whenever I hear that, I 84 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: think at Katie Holloway. I think of a little girl 85 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 1: who loses her leg and gets told she can never 86 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: play sports and ends up becoming an all star in 87 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 1: high school. Hides her prosthetic because she knows what people 88 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: are going to think when they see it. She's not 89 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: embarrassed about it. She's just keeping people from knowing it 90 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: so they'll at least give it a fair shot when 91 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: they check her out. Ends up going to play college basketball, 92 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: becomes a sixth Woman of the Year for the conference, 93 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: and then wins a gold medal for the United States 94 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: in Paralympic volleyball. Katie Holloway is a phenomenal human being, 95 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: and she is now working in the Pacific Northwest doing 96 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: good work for people who need it. You see, here's 97 00:06:51,880 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: the deal. Perseverance is understanding that you just don't take 98 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: a break, you don't stop. In the marathon of life. 99 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: There is no finish line. If Katie Holloway had ever 100 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: seen a finish line, she would have quit playing sports 101 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: at middle school because she was told she couldn't. If 102 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,559 Speaker 1: there was a finish line, she would have quit playing 103 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: basketball in high school because she was told there's no 104 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: one going to be in the right mind going to 105 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: give a scholarship to girl with one leg. I played basketball, 106 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: And if she'd have quit there, she wouldn't have represented 107 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: our country in the Paralympics and have a gold medal 108 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: to her name. But see, she never saw a finish line. 109 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: She never saw a tape. She didn't say a place 110 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: to stop. How's things going in your marriage? Is there 111 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: a finish line? How things going with your kids? Are 112 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: you persevering? How's things going at work as you listen 113 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: to an art normal folks? How are things going in 114 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: your quest to fill the void in your part of 115 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: the community that desperately needs it? Y'all, Perseverance never takes 116 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: a break. There is no finish line. There's always going 117 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: to be need, There are always going to be those 118 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: that aren't as fortunate as you, and there's always going 119 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: to be an army in normal folks. Their numbers and 120 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: their effectiveness completely depend on you deciding. Perseverance never takes 121 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: a break, and there is no finish line. I hope 122 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: you'll think about that next time you listen to army 123 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: and normal folks, and as you listen more think about 124 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: how you can persevere and how there's no finish line 125 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: in the work we're trying to do and the work 126 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: that you can do in your community to help somebody 127 00:08:53,880 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: around you. That's shop talk, And before we go, I 128 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: want to let you know if there are any topics 129 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: you'd like to hear a shop talk on societal, political, racial, 130 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 1: faith or cultural. We'd love to hear about them. You 131 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: can email me anytime at Bill at normalfolks dot us. 132 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: Drop me a line on some topics you think might 133 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: be appropriate for shop talk, and if I feel like 134 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: I have anything to offer them, well, I'll open my 135 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: big mouth and share them with you. I'm Bill Courtney. 136 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: I'll see you next week.