Basketball: countless hours spent in the gym, sweat dripping off my body, aches in every muscle, and the normal handful of ibuprofen swallowed with dinner at seven thirty at night, shower, do homework, fall asleep, and then wake up the next day just to do it all over again. This is a sport that I played for many years, with many friends, and many different coaches and mentors. This is a sport that became a passion, and a passion that became a lifestyle. For years basketball was my everything; eat, sleep, and play. Three words that I had stickered on my bedroom wall, along with pictures, practice jerseys, and even a seven-foot-tall nerf basketball hoop that would echo the sounds of a game all night until my parents said I had to be quiet. From the age of 8 basketball was all I knew, all I loved. However, the sport changed as I grew and so did I. Middle school practices were exhilarating and what I looked forward to throughout the entire school day. I would go home, eat dinner and pack a bag with two water bottles and my shoes, ready to go out the door long before it was time. Then finally, all the parents would drop us off in the evening as the sun was setting and we all walk in the gym with energy and excitement to practice and play against one another. I lace up my shoes way tighter than needed as if I may lose them and begin to shoot around with all my teammates, my friends. Practice is fun, we do drills, work on our shooting and dribbling, and end the night with a
No other sport will mean so much to me as basketball will. Every time I step on the court, I lose myself and become a whole other person. When I hear my name yelled in the crowd, I get an adrenaline rush to my brain, causing me to swiftly move quicker and focus on the game. Deep down I know that I am not here to win the game, but to enjoy myself. Each basket I make are like my worries trapped into the ball, and then expelled when it goes into the basket. This game is where my mind gets lost in the sounds of the dribbles. When the game is over, I look back to my team and give them warming hugs knowing that the game is over, and we will not stop playing the sport because there is always time to get better. Although I frantically wash my jerseys the nights before games, and leave my stinky shoes in my car all season, I would not trade pulling a jersey over my head every Friday night, dancing to blaring music in the locker room, and lacing up my shoe for the world. It means a lot more to me knowing that it is more than just a game. While I know I am having fun with my best friends and some of the greatest mentors that I have, I know that I am learning true values of life, which will make me become a better
Basketball was my favorite sport growing up. I’ve played since I was little and I still play the game today. I played basketball at my elementary school, St. Cecilia, from Kindergarten till 8th Grade and also played AAU basketball for about 2 years before entering High School. Going into my freshmen year of High School, the first sport I played was basketball. Tryouts began in about the start of November and ended about 2 weeks after. I had made the Freshmen A team. I was excited and as the season progressed, we didn’t win many games but I still had fun playing. Nearing the end of the season, golf was another sport coming up that I also wanted to try and play. I say “try and play” because at the time, I was also going to play AAU basketball. I had set in my mind that I was going to play basketball for all of my four years of high school, but my parents pushed me to tryout for golf. When the basketball season ended, golf tryouts started. Tryouts lasted for about 2 weeks, and I made the JV team. When I found out I made the team, I was very surprised. I hadn’t put in the hard work as others before tryouts came around, but the coach saw potential in me and that I can become a great player. The coach saw so much potential in me, that every week, I kept progressing in skill and fine tuning my mechanics. Halfway through the season, about 4 or 5 weeks after I made the team, my coach gave me the chance to play with the Varsity Golf team for a couple days. I was excited and eager to
I was only in first grade when I picked up a basketball for the first time. I had observed my father, my brother, and my cousins all play it before me. Little did I know that the sport would lead me to new opportunities, incredible friends, and numerous championships.
Basketball is not just a sport, to me it is a lifestyle; there is something about shooting the orange sphere through the net and hearing that “swoosh” sound that can force any problem to instantly go away. Nothing can compare to the satisfaction that is felt when stepping onto the court or feeling the padded outer-layer of the ball clash with the tips of my fingers after bouncing up from the ground. The court is a second home to me. I have been playing basketball since I was eight years old. It seemed to come as second nature. Once I reached middle school, I competed for a spot on the seventh grade girls basketball team and earned myself a spot. Those girls meant everything to me. I can recall practices when we got off task and goofed around for a bit, but we always got back to work.
Basketball is all I have ever known. I started playing when I was about 3 years old. At the time, I was living in a big house in the suburbs of Vallejo with a large backyard as well. My father had acquired and assembled one of the little Fisher Price baby basketball hoops in the backyard for me; it even came with a baby ball! For the duration of all of my summer, I was in the backyard, playing with the basketball, pretending I was as marvelous as a professional player like Michael Jordan. I spent so much time outside practicing, I’m surprised I didn’t get sick of it. Eventually, as time carried on, I outgrew the baby hoop. When I became of age, I started using the regular sized hoop my father had in the backyard. And I fell into the same routine
The word cool is valued differently by each individual as everyone has a different view on objects or thoughts in life. How cool is defined is basically something that one cherishes or has passion for as it could vary from playing sports to having a pet rock. Playing basketball is cool because it is a sport for anyone who has passion for the game as each player holds a different position on the court allowing a team to function well. Not only is basketball a sport for anyone, it also acts as a stress relief. Basketball allows individuals to be put in a relaxed state of mind allowing their minds to clear up from the stress that they may possibly had to endure throughout their day. The definition of cool could change as one progresses in their life because their enjoyment for certain things may change as they age. Unlike other sports, basketball is life and it is a sport meant for any age groups because it does not require a lot of physical strength. Basketball is more of a mental sport because each individual would have to push themselves to become better each day by doing drills to brush up their fundamentals. A passionate basketball individual will go through hell just to improve a slightest bit because basketball is life for everyone for finds passion in the game. For example, Kobe Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers Legend, spent most of his life playing professional basketball and Michael Jordan, a living basketball legend, even had his own brand under Nike. Both basketball
Achieving a goal could be such a strenuous task especially if you weren’t born with any talents at all. Some people asked me “How come you choose this particular sport?” Tall or built were crucial to be outstanding but it didn’t divert my thoughts. Coming to America is where basketball caught my attention. I was impressed due to the diversity the school had although making friends were one of my biggest struggles. Moreover, I was shocked there was walking skyscrapers as I walked down the halls. Socializing myself with people who played basketball wasn’t the best idea during that time where prompted me to be a solely stranger. Weekends were my favorite days since my older cousin would bring me to the playground to play basketball. Things were less tense as I went to high school and found comfortable friends having similar interests.
It was a cool dry summer night at the park. I was playing basketball listening to the echo of the ball bounce on the court, I cross over to the left, step back, and watch the ball soar threw the air as it swishes threw the net. This is my stress reliever. Basketball is something that I've learned outside of school, its taught me many important life skills. Such as a great work ethic which helps me in practices and translates to my school work. This game has helped me overcome a lot of challenges, from being short in a tall sport, to real life struggles. Also, basketball is a sport that’s taught me sportsmanship, and how to win and lose, which lead to respect. Another thing basketball has taught me is to follow my responsibilities, such as remembering my gear, and doing my homework to obtain good grades.
Score! “Lee County takes another point in the volleyball tournament” says the announcer. The team starts to fall apart as we lose our game towards Lee County High School home of the Lady Trojans. The score is 24-14 as we fall behind. While i’m sitting on the bench waiting to sub in with my other teammate I began to feel nervous. What if I mess up the game for everyone. “7 for 40 you may go.” says the Ref. I start to play with my hands which is a sign of me getting nervous about something. All the players in Lee County are very serious and aggressive, which is a good thing just not to the extent they are. The whistle begins to blow for the girl on the other team to serve the ball. Right when she hits the ball I noticed the ball was heading straight towards me “Mine mine mine!” I said. My arms extended out into the playing position and I passed the ball to Nicky which is our setter. The setter on the team has a hard position because they constantly hear us call for the setter to set us a ball to hit and they have to be able to get to the ball to receive a second hit. Unfortunately Lee County got the winning point to this game but the next time we play them we will have the winning point.
I awoke on Friday morning to the smell of crispy bacon and hot eggs, my usual pre-tournament breakfast. I bolted out of bed to get to the kitchen. I devoured that pretty quickly, then headed to get ready for the weekend. I had already packed the night before: 2 uniforms, my swimsuit, pajamas, my bathroom bag, nice clothes for when we go out to eat as a team, and most importantly, my softball bag. I bolted out to the car as soon as I made sure I had everything ready to go. Everything was packed, and we embarked on our long journey to the Quad Cities.
They were through the halfway point of the season with the best record in the league, but that didn’t let Gregory allow himself to relax one bit. He pushed further and further, wanting not only to continue winning, but for the winning margin to increase. Being a veteran on the hockey team, he understood how teams can collapse or come together during the second half of the season, and he wasn’t going to let his teammates relax with the first half of the season performance. He held workouts for his team in the early morning before dawn, a routine he used to only hold himself accountable for before this season.
iThe school day was over and the kids were rushing through the doors and overflowing the hallways. “Today is the day to try out for the middle school basketball team!” I thought.
“Pop”! I collapse on the cold hard floor as immediate pain rushes to my left knee. All I manage to utter are groans as my friend asks if I’m okay and tries to lift me off the ground. I limp off in his arms as I’m assisted to the nearest bus stop. Once I’m off the bus I observe that I’m limping badly and my knee is swollen to the size of an orange. A little voice in my head told me this wasn’t the common mishap that happens during basketball. It told me I wasn’t going to be able to slap on an ice pack and be okay the following day. However, I temporarily disregarded this voice, and, being the optimistic person that I am, hoped for the best. I figured I would be back to normal within weeks. This wasn’t the case. My mother eventually decided
With eleven seconds left on the clock, my team rushed the ball up the court. Getting trapped in the corner, my teammate heaved the ball to where I stood at the foul line. The ball left my fingertips just as the buzzer sounded. I watched in hope as the ball slowly rotated in mid-air. The shot appeared perfect, but it wasn’t until I heard the clank of the back of the rim, that I had realized I had missed. I went home that night, having to swallow a 22-20 loss to my greatest enemies: my best friends.
I would come here at all times. If I was mad at my family, bored, or had just watched Lebron James highlight mix tapes for the past hour, I would get whatever ball I had at the time, at most times worn down to a fuzzy or sandpapered surface and would migrate toward the alley. Leaving the real world behind, I unlatched the gate and stepped out of my boredom and stress and onto the rough, gray, paved runway for my enjoyment. My fascination of basketball started somewhere not far from there.