When it came to winning the popular icebreaker game Two Truths and a Lie, Caitlin Bickle always had an ace in the hole.Shed say her room is pink, she plays basketball and rides horses.They would always think the horses were the lie, said Bickle, a junior at Cactus Shadows (Cave Creek, Arizona). Everyone was like, What? You dont do that. But I did.Bickle didnt play with dolls as a 5-year-old. Instead, she started horseback riding. She was adept at a variety of styles, including saddlebred and barrel racing. Up until March, Bickle and her horse, Abby, traveled from state to state to compete.Thats where she developed leg and core strength -- not to mention uncanny balance. Each piece has helped her on the basketball court, where shes a 6-foot-1 wing and the No. 34 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2018 class. She also enjoys basketballs version of H-O-R-S-E. When she visited Berkeley last month, she played (and won) against a Cal coach and an Arizona Select AAU teammate.But early returns on horseback didnt always net the best results. She was thrown off, and even had her hand stepped on by a five-gaited horse.I honestly fell off so much, but I was like, Might as well keep doing it, Bickle said.Her perseverance has certainly paid off, notably in a different arena.A lot of kids who are tall in basketball are awkward, said her mom, Lyn. Caitlin, shes just always been very dominant on the court.She also had a knack for being a fast learner. The first time she rode a bike, she didnt need help, though the surface was grassy and uneven.She just got on and rode, no training wheels, Lyn said. It was the craziest thing.The glueIt was important to Lyn and Caitlins dad John, a doctor in family practice, that their daughter be well-rounded. In addition to basketball and equestrian, Caitlin played softball and soccer.By fifth grade, she realized basketball was the right fit. Thats when she started playing for Ben Boyd at Arizona Pure, which later became Arizona Select.Caitlin has two older brothers: James (19) and Danny (21), a reserve in the U.S. Marines. Both attend Grand Canyon University, where Lyn works. And both study accounting, but Caitlin envisions studying therapy or law in college.The brothers helped instill toughness in Caitlin from an early age. It was always like, you wake up and youre competing with your brothers, she said.The first time Caitlin hit the court hard during rec ball with a thigh contusion -- dead leg -- her father came down from the stands after Lyn nudged him.But his daughter wasnt interested in help.Shes on the court, and she looks up at me and goes, Get away from me, John said. Like, What are you doing here? I was like, Oh, OK. She got up and shook it off and kept playing.Bickle has been part of a transformation at Cactus Shadows. The Falcons won a combined 16 games in the two years before she enrolled. With her in the lineup, they won 51 games over the past two seasons.Shes changed the whole dynamic of our program, coach Richie Willis said.Bickle led the Falcons to a No. 6 state ranking last year while averaging 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. She also earned first team all-state honors.Willis describes Bickle as a worker and contributor. He has even tweaked some portions of the playbook based on her suggestions.Our program has been on the rise, and Caitlin is a huge part of it, Willis said. Her IQ for the game is ridiculous.Basketball isnt Bickles only team activity at school. Shes part of the Break-away Leadership Team -- a group of student leaders who work to make the school inclusive. She has helped with fundraisers, handed out papers with compliments to students, and brainstormed ways to stop bullying.Away from school, shes working to get stronger. She regularly visits EXOS -- an athlete performance center -- before practice.Above all, her coach and parents say, she keeps her team together with an intrinsic confidence.She really serves as the glue for a team, John said. It makes me so proud when other people and evaluators say those things.You know its true because you can see it also.Which Bear will it be?Bickle narrowed her college choices to Michigan, Louisville, Cal and Baylor in August. Recently, she picked a top two: Cal Golden Bears and Baylor Lady Bears.She hopes to commit before the AAU season kicks into full swing in June.It isnt really a goal for me to go far away from my family, Bickle said. That was a big decision for the two. ... I have a very good relationship with Cal-Berkeley and Baylor.I love their coaching staffs and their campuses.While she mulls over her options, Bickle and Cactus Shadows are on a mission. They fell 49-40 to Seton Catholic last postseason in the Division II state final.I do want to make sure that our team gets to that point, but also past that point, she said. That would be amazing to be able to achieve.Bickle and Cactus Shadows will undoubtedly face some challenges along the way.No worry, though.A basketball is much easier to control than a 1,500-pound horse with a mind of its own.Hopefully Im there for another 10 or 15 years, Willis said. I dont know if there will be another player that I will be blessed by the basketball gods that will come through the doors like Caitlin.You never know, but Im a lucky guy right now. Custom Miami Heat Jerseys . 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He fidgets and frets, to his own detriment. For a man so gifted at swinging a golf club, it can be maddeningly frustrating.This week, Bubba is own best friend.He has embraced the Olympic golf experience unlike just about anyone else in the mens field. Instead of bemoaning how it would impact his schedule in a crowded golf year, he never wavered on his desire to be in Rio.And he has taken advantage of being at the Olympic Games in a way that is refreshing, trying to attend as many sporting events as possible, meeting other athletes, posing for photos, posting frequently on social media.Even when Watson played relatively poorly in an opening-round 73 at the Olympic Golf Course, he remained upbeat.And now, after a third-round 67 that has him in a tie for fourth and just 3 shots out of a place on the podium, he has a chance to earn an Olympic medal.Its absolutely amazing, Watson said. What a privilege and honor that golf is in the Olympics and to be a part of this. Right or wrong, its hard for me to focus on golf because of the fact that its just a dream of a lifetime to be associated with these great athletes.Perhaps Bubba is onto something. He has played steadily better each day, overcame a bizarre stubbed putt on the 14th green, signed his card and couldnt wait to get back and watch ... badminton.Playing for gold on Sunday will enter his mind that morning.Itll take another strong effort, but the way Watson has improved each day while reveling in the experience has been something to behold.For instance:We went to fencing first, Watson said in explaining how he has taken in the various Olympic events. It was Russia against Estonia womens for (the) bronze medal. We didnt know. We just had tickets and we went and thats what was happening. And fencing was unbelievable.I always talked about learning how to fence, and so going to it was special. It was amazing watching these girls Im going to say girls, Im going to say Im older than them. These girls, the athleticism to move around it, was just amazing. And they were screaming and hollering and I guess I would, too, if I won a bronze. It was amazing.That is just one example. Watson is like a kid in his Pensacola, Fla., candy store (Bubbas Sweet Spot), taking in the sights and sounds, watching the other athletes, getting to know who they are and appreciating what they have accomplished and what it means for them to be here.He has been inquisitive, gotten involved, figuring maybe something will rub off.Just like any athlete, you ask questions and you learn from them, he said. At dinner, we are asking how theey train and what they do and how they prepare and what strategies they take in their event.ddddddddddddThats what Im taking in this week is just how amazing this is to be able to see sports that weve never seen, and golf just gets to tag along and say were athletes now.Maybe that has rubbed off on his golf. Maybe Watson got a reality check by coming to Rio and realizing that hes got it pretty good, playing for millions of dollars every week, getting to travel on private jets, staying in five-star hotels.That is not the reality for most Olympic athletes, certainly not the ones who toil in obscurity and aspire for greatness in sports that get little attention or publicity.Watson has been known to think too much, complain too much. He gets frustrated when a golf course doesnt fit his eye, and lets it affect his play. At times, he mopes. Here, it seems, nothing can bother him.A couple of back-nine bogeys put a damper on what was shaping up to be a great third round Saturday. One included a strange incident where mud dropped off the bottom of his putter in mid-stroke, distracting him. He tried to stop, and ended up hitting the ball only 6 feet -- when he was 35 feet from the hole. It was one of those freak things, he said. Thatll be talked about for years.But Bubba persevered.Even with all the stuff going on this week, even if youre sitting in your room watching the other events on TV, youre so focused on what an unbelievable experience this, youre not going to focus on golf that much off the course, Watson said. When you come back tomorrow, youll start thinking about it. But when youre at your house or around eating in the cafeteria, theres definitely no thoughts going through my head.That strategy might not play at Augusta National or St. Andrews or even in a few weeks at The Barclays or the Tour Championship. And it certainly wont be a good idea at the Ryder Cup, where time constraints all but negate any ability to relax and enjoy.Watson acknowledged that at a tournament like the Masters, he grinds. The golf course is so difficult, it requires that kind of concentration. And yet, there is something to consider going forward.This is a dream of a lifetime, golf just gets in my way, he said. Im taking it all in and learning. It shows how lucky and blessed golfers are. Its my profession and income and its beyond belief. We should never be disgruntled about anything that happens in our life.Who would have thought Bubba Watson would become such a great ambassador for golf in the Olympics? ' ' '