CONTINUED COVERAGE
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Carla Cortijo has the look of someone who dreams big. When she speaks, however, it is instantly obvious that grace and humility are still important goals in her life.
A Carolina, Puerto Rico native, Cortijo is the first Puerto Rican to play for a Women’s National Basketball Association team and she’s also the only Hispanic to currently play for the Atlanta Dream.
The road to success wasn’t been an easy, she said. Recently, she her personal story with students at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross.
Her passion for basketball began when she was small. “I always wanted to do what my older brother was doing so following in his footsteps, I started playing basketball,” Cotijo said. “When I was nine, I began playing on some teams.”
She knew early on the sport would play a pivotal role in her future. “I always knew I would play it for life,” she said. “It was through that process that I discovered a Carla who was lazy, but basketball helped me to grow in that area.”
The point guard is hoping that the Dream’s preseason successes will be indicative of the team’s regular season performance, by following a regiment that includes mental preparation.
“It’s hard, because you’re always practicing and that can drain you. But you have to manage it. Change your mentality,” said Cortijo. “After that, rest and a healthy diet are important. You have to keep your mind positive. Things happen in life. You have to stay positive.”
Even when discussing defeat, Cortijo is quick to put a positive spin on things. “You have to know how to win and how to lose. It’s part of being an athlete. If you lose, you have to take that defeat as something positive and change it in order to figure out how you’re going to work on the next game.”
Cortijo doesn’t put pressure on herself. She respects her body, and she takes breaks. She knows how to listen to herself. One year, for example, Cortijo decided to take the season off, and she took a break from the sport. She returned to her native Puerto Rico and even played on the island’s national team.
A different crowd cheers Cortijo on at Meadowcreek High School, where the athlete has come to talk about what she would tell the Carla of five years ago if she could.
“Dreams do come true. I never thought I would be in the WNBA at 28 years old,” she said. “I believe that nothing is impossible in life. You can’t think, ‘that’s never going to happen.’ I believed, and look where I am now. Dreams become a reality if you have faith.”
The event came about through a partnership between the Atlanta Dream and Meadowcreek High School, as a way to inspire the student community, where “more than 70 percent of the student body is Hispanic,” confirmed Community Outreach Specialist Lynnette Aponte.
“The objective of the event was to inspire our student athletes to never give up and believe in themselves. Our biggest challenge is getting our student athletes to have faith in their own ability to be athletes beyond high school. We want them to see athletics as a vehicle and opportunity for post-secondary education,” added LaShawn Smith, the school’s athletic director.
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