Transcription
Hi, I'm Kennedy Agee, and this is my commemorative speech and a tribute to Cassidy Rowe. And this is my audience: one, two, three, four, five.
Michael Jordan once said, "If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it." This quote by Michael Jordan perfectly describes who Cassidy Rowe is and the journey of her inspiration. To a girl that I've just happened to get to know, the pain that is being faced leads to making progress to find her purpose. Today, I would like to share someone who has been an inspiration in my life, to other athletes, a mentor, and most importantly, a friend. Through Cassidy's story, I've seen her pain, I've seen her progress, and I've seen her purpose. The perspective of what is being faced determines how the purpose is going to be revealed. It is because of Cassidy's faith and inspiration that helped me to not give up and to keep what little faith, at that moment, I did have. I'm here in hopes to inspire people through Cassidy's story of relying completely on God.
Today, I'll start with Cat, or Cassidy's pain begins. She was at a tournament in Chicago, at an exposure tournament, and she went down to the other end of the floor and she took a charge. When she took that charge on the floor, the way she landed left a perfect cross on her elbow. When she fell, the University of Kentucky was sitting there at her game, watching her, and they watched her take that charge. Just two days later, she tore her ACL. She walked through such pain, but she did it with such humility and with an attitude that nothing was going to keep her down, completely relying on God to watch over her because nothing is greater than the power and love of the God that we serve. So, in that time, Cassidy had run into her wall, but in the days to come, that wall slowly started to seem smaller compared to the greatness of her God.
Now, I come to Cassie's progress. She has, she has to be the hardest working and most committed person I've ever known in basketball, in her faith, and to people. Cassidy never once quit when all hope had just seemed to be lost. She spent nights in pain, but it didn't compare to the progress that she was going to make in the days to come. And this time, I don't just mean in basketball. Sometimes, something, and some things in life, are far more important than just a game. In these moments, she hit stepping stones of progress in her faith. Cassidy told me one night that she spent every night crying and just praying that dawn would give her comfort. And she said she put all her faith in God because she knew He had a plan, even though she didn't know what it was. In these moments, Cassidy started to climb that wall, all while God was climbing right beside of her.
Finally, I get to Cassidy's progress and her purpose. Only a few days after her ACL injury, Cassidy received a call from, from Kentucky University, offering her a scholarship to play basketball. Cassidy remembers the exact words Kentucky's coach said: "I knew I wanted you to be a part of my team when I saw you take that charge." In that exact moment, all that Cassidy could think of was that perfect cross from the charge that she took on her left arm. She felt in her heart that that was God's way of telling her it was going to be okay, even after she tore her ACL and the challenges she continued to face. She felt in her heart that it was God's way of just letting her know that He was going to lead her to a greater purpose. Cassidy climbed her wall and got to the other side. Taking that charge and being marked with the perfect cross led Cassidy to the purpose that God had her to play at Kentucky University.
In closing, it's about the perspective of the situation, accepting the pain as something that can be greater, choosing to keep going, and seeking to make progress every single day. And finally, putting faith at the beginning to overcome and to see the purpose God has placed. Faith is facing the pain head-on, not giving up, and relying on God to see you through to the purpose that He has set over your life. Cassidy overcame her wall that was built in front of her, and even today, she continues to climb that wall to be better. Cassidy's faith and determination is something that I will forever be changed by. There is not a single person that has met Cassidy that hasn't been positively impacted in some way because she is just that special of a person. I hope that this part of Cassie's story is just as inspirational to you as it has been to me. She's been such a blessing in my life and to so many others. Thank you. And this is my audience: one, two, three, four, five.