How Basketball Influenced My Life

I have been playing basketball ever since I can remember. My family has always been very athletic. My siblings played basketball as well as my parents. My grandma told me a story about how I used to shoot a little basketball into a 10 foot hoop and I would make it. I play in the point guard position. I work very hard at what I do so that makes me advance in my skill for the sport. When I really started to realize I had a passion for it was in 6th grade. We had a lot of new people therefore our team didn't blend great. But even with my team being the way it was I still put everything that I had into it. Two things at the end of the season happened to me that made me realized that if I worked at it I could do great things. One parent on the

Sports have been a huge part of my life ever since I was about five years old. It has impacted my life so much. The biggest challenge that I faced was with my injuries during basketball and soccer season. I recently had to quit soccer and basketball, which was difficult for me.

Identity is a person’s conception and expression of their own. Identity can be shaped by culture, family, hobbies, childhood experiences and the place where you live. For me, as a teenager, basketball shapes my identity.

Basketball Saved My Life I believe basketball saved my life by putting me in a position to become successful. During my freshmen, sophomore and my junior high school years, the many important lessons I got to learn that carried over into success in the classroom,life and family. Basketball gave me passion that I had never felt before. It gave me the passion to succeed.

One of the activities that I took part in that I feel has shaped me as a person, was basketball. I joined the Sea Point High basketball team in the tenth grade, in South Africa. Now basketball was not very popular in South African high schools, as such we lost our coach in my junior year. The choices that were given to the team was to either end the program or to continue without a coach. As team captain I rallied my teammates and we persevered through without a coach; we showed up for intensive training and competed against other schools. At the end of my senior year I was presented with the basketball player of the year; however I feel that award did not necessarily celebrate my skill in the sport, but it acknowledged the determination and

It was the end of the sophomore year of high school basketball season, and I was considering continuing basketball in high school. I finished my last game of the season and I am at a fifty-five chance of continuing playing basketball for the next year. Our season ended well with us going 17-1 but I still was on the C-Team. I knew I put so much effort into basketball, but the coaches did not see the improvements that the former coaches said I have made. I went around to ask my friends if they were still playing basketball and to see what their futures were with basketball.

On any given sunny day, when flowers were blooming, and grass was growing, there was a game of basketball being played. I sat on my auntie’s porch watching the older teenagers and sometimes adults fearlessly tackle the game as if they were playing for the world championship or at least the national title. The only title gained was bragging rights for the rest of the day. Despite the horrible language, the twisted ankles, and sometimes busted lips, the players continued to show up daily to compete. Although I was a tad bit scrawny for my age, I desperately and eagerly wanted to join the game. I knew then I wanted to learn the sport, and it wasn’t long before I began to do so. Eventually, basketball became a passion as well as therapy for me. Every day, I dreamed of being the next Maya Moore or Skylar Diggins. Although that dream never came to be, my love of the sport continues. There are many players who agree that basketball helped them just by being on the team. Others swear that they learned to make better decisions in their lives because they played the sport as youths. Some experts even suggest that

Basketball is one of the most popular which is beloved sports that is played today. Michael Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls once said, “Just play, have fun, and enjoy the game” (BrainyQuote 2016). Whether playing with friends for fun or by professionals for entertainment or simply watching from home, basketball is very enjoyed all over the world. Beginning with a unique history, basketball has evolved over time from a simple idea into a professional career choice for those with the unique skill set.

I began playing Basketball freshmen year as a way to release my emotions and forget the thoughts that gave me stress or made me overthink. My coaches gave me the nickname of “Mean Darline” because of how tough and aggressive I would get when being on defense. Little did they know that I wasn’t good at that position because I loved Basketball but because it maintained me calm and allowed me to express myself in a socially approved activity. When the season was finished and I retired from Basketball after my sophomore year I went back to going to the gym three to four times a week. Gym workouts or any physical activity is great to rechannel one’s unacceptable impulses without others criticizing us for our actions.

In sports you often think about going pro, very few of us will in fact make it there.

Basketball has always played an important role in my life, however, one game in particular stands out above the rest. In this game we faced our rivals and the fifth ranked team in the state, Pleasure Ridge Park. No one believed we had a chance at beating this team. We have only beat them once in our school’s 25 year history. Before this game I really did not have the confidence in my abilities. But this game allowed me to believe in myself in knowing I could play among the best.

A lot of the sources I used for my personal essay, came from my own experiences in life growing up. Also having a lot of people, I know and even friends that have gone through the same thing as me. I asked a lot of them if sports have influenced their life in anyway. A lot of the people I know told me that sports turned there life around for the better just like me. They said without sports they don’t know exactually what or where they would be in life.

All throughout my life I have remained involved in a wide variety of organizations including clubs, sports, youth groups, and honor societies. My free time is consumed by all of these, and still I am still willing to venture out and attempt so much more. Despite constantly contributing my life to numerous things, it is undeniable that Basketball is what I am ultimately passionate about.

Since I was third grade I was a kid that really hyperactive and enjoyed life. And one day my

Basketball seems to get into your blood. It is said by those who play, "You eat, you sleep and you play basketball." When I was a little girl all I wanted to be was a professional basketball player. I couldn't count how many times I pounded that dumb ball in our driveway until it was too dark to see, then I would play for hours more by the porch light. Now I realize that was only childish insanity. Back then they didn’t even have a girls’ profession basketball league in the states. However, that didn't stop me from walking away empty handed. One thing I learned was how to prepare oneself for life. Well, at least, how to prepare oneself for a game.