LBPSB Child and Family Development Consultant inducted into Concordia University Sports Hall of Fame
by Darren Becker
With a basketball career spanning more than 30 years, the recent decision to induct LBPSB employee Cat Tull into the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame would appear to have been a slam-dunk.
At the induction ceremony held this past September, Cat was recognized for, amongst other things, being a two-time All Canadian, a two-time Quebec conference MVP, a three-time all-star, helping her team earn three consecutive berths at the Canadian nationals and leading her team to three titles in the Quebec Student Sports Federation division. She received another accolade in 2020 when she was named by U Sports as one of the top 100 women basketball players in Canada of the century.
Cat is an FSSTT Child and Family Development Consultant for the Lester B. Pearson School Board where she works in collaboration with the Director of Student Services, identifies priority mental health needs within FSSTT school communities, and establishes objectives and plans for addressing them. She has been playing basketball for as long as she can remember. She grew up the youngest of seven and was extremely active playing multiple sports. “Soccer, football, baseball, field hockey. You name it, I played it.”
Still, eventually basketball became her sport of choice. At the time, she was a 12-year-old student at Centennial Regional High School located on Montreal’s South Shore where she found herself playing with girls who were sometimes four years older than her. It wasn’t long after that her exceptional skills were noticed while she played in multiple tournaments and for several provincial teams. At the same time, multiple basketball scholarship offers from Division 1 schools from the US were being made.
And then, following some family and personal issues that arose as well as some soul searching, she abruptly decided to hang up her basketball shoes and walk away from the sport, opting instead to take a job with an insurance company. “At that time, I just didn’t have the passion and love for the game,” Cat said.
She would eventually find her way back to the basketball court a few years later thanks to the encouragement of one of her Concordia peers and convinced her to meet the new women’s basketball coach. “And the rest is history!” she said.
Despite having retired from basketball as a player years ago, Cat is still deeply immersed in the sport. She currently coaches Dawson College’s Women’s basketball team 5-days a week, in addition to her other full-time job at the Lester B. Pearson School Board. And while she may not have a lot of free time on her hands Cat says she wouldn’t change a thing as she feels the sport is a way to help inspire and empower young girls both on and off the court.”
“When passion aligns with purpose you can do anything. Basketball has always been my driving force for many years. When you have a vision and focus, you should not let anyone dampen your dreams. It’s important to seize every moment when you’re given an opportunity to be a part of something you love doing. Basketball has propelled me forward into the person I am today, and I am extremely grateful for having an amazing support system throughout my entire basketball career,” said Cat.
