The Golden Basketball Necklace : The Golden Basketball Game

It is the first round of the Basketball State playoffs, and with eight seconds left, the talented Northwest team is down by three. The star point guard speed dribbles up the court, the tension on and off the court is immense, the pressure is even greater. Everyone during and prior to this game, had witnessed a season full of promise, and the consensus conclusion for most recognized this team as the best team to have ever come out Northwest High School. This was our best and likely only chance for success. So as the point guard puts the ball up, time nearly stops, it has a chance, but in like in life, the game of basketball is unforgiving, he misses. As most made their pre-conceived predictions of the future, or lack thereof, a young sophomore and his Junior Varsity teammates, we were inspired by our elders walking off the court, and the doubters going home. Bonded together, and we believed we were destine for something historical, and mythological outside our small circle. Thus two years later the 2016 Northwest Varsity Basketball team, the discourse community, where I developed relationships with the people I still call my brothers. A community which has shaped my work ethic, and has given me the knowledge of the amount of effort and work it takes to be successful. All of which was in efforts for a goal not even pronounced among our teammates, to us the future was still a mystery, only realized to us a one

Walking out onto the opponent’s brightly lit turf field setting up for the kickoff of the second half just gave me the feeling that everybody knows, my hair starts to stand up, butterflies began to flutter in my stomach, and everything seems to slow down. Looking into the stands and seeing that our hometown fans had traveled four hours in order to outdo the home crowd gave me a sense of comfort. Looking into East Jefferson’s stands and seeing that our fans, despite having to travel all the way down south, outnumbered their fans by at least 70 people. I found myself thinking that this meant just as much to our town as it did to our school and team. This feeling would be just the motivation we needed in order to finish this game

The score was tied 2:2, and the clock was winding down like a time bomb. I had the ball. I dribbled it past the halfway line on the left side of the field, and saw my teammate who I will call Bob on the other side of the field. Bob was slower than a turtle, and he would not have the speed necessary to beat the defense, so instead of passing to him, I booted the ball as hard as I could, towards the opposing goal. The ball curved towards the right, and hit the top left corner of the net. I had scored!

Finally, the day of our first game had arrived. All of us had butterflies in our stomachs. It was the type of feeling you get when you know you are well prepared for something, but you inexplicably still feel nervous. As soon as the ball was kicked first, all of the anxious feelings I had melted away and the game became quite fun. Just as the prior years, the first game had the easiest opponent to beat and my team and I had no problem securing a victory against them. The second game was a bit more of a challenge, but defeating that team was nothing we were not prepared for. The true challenge came in the third and championship game. Although we enjoyed a bye game due to our two previous victories, the other team had the advantage of some truly God-gifted athletes. In particular, number seven was a beast of a thirteen-year-old. He stood at an impressive six feet tall and he towered over us on every snap. During the first drive, we had marched the ball down the field slowly but surely and on the four-yard line we fumbled. Of course, number seven picked up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown. At halftime, our coach sat us down and had a long talk with us. Even though we were discouraged by their touchdown, we picked ourselves up and started scoring. We scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter and one more in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Not only did we come back from a losing

We can all agree that basketball is almost becoming popular around the world. So many people play this sport but do people know how basketball started and how it evolute throughout the years since basketball was borned? So like every other sports and creations, there has to be a inventor and in basketball there was a man by the name of Dr. James Naismith. “Created in 1891 in a Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA gymnasium has grown into a game played worldwide by more than 300 million people”(historybits.com). So this game has been out for a very long period of time with many changing of the rules in basketball throughout the history. When it was first played in the late 1800s, there were different rules and even different looking basketball. As for the rules, originally there would be 10 people on the court but it first started with 18 people on the court which after couple of years it changed to only 10 people. Substitution was also different and the rule for this was at first no one can enter until the next game. “The rule was changed in 1920 to allow a player to re-enter the game one time. In 1934, the rule was expanded to allow players to re-enter the game twice, and, in 1945 the rule was finally changed to permit players to return to the game an unlimited number of times”(hooptactics.com). The first basketball looked very alike a football but round. The backboards were made out of straight wood and the baskets were made out of peach baskets or square boxes. There was only

My emotions were slowly building up throughout the day. Adrenaline was running through my body from excitement as I walked towards the locker room, which we called the clubhouse. I arrived at the front door to be greeted by music and some teammates changing into their uniforms. I slowly walked to my locker when it suddenly hit me… we’re in the semi-regional finals. The thought staggered me as I stood there staring at my lightly stained uniform. All the noise muffled out of my mind as I’m trying to focus. I snap back to reality as I hear my coach calling my name. He simply hands me the folded American flag as if it’s almost routine. Putting up the America flag has been my unofficial job for home games. Once the flag is up I make my way back to the clubhouse, pick up my gear and stroll down to

The day the team got together and fought threw a tough battle facing pinnacle high school. It was our second home game and our record was 1-2. After all of the hard work we had put in over summer, we realized we could not lose, especially in front of our home crowd. At the beginning of the game we did our usual warm-ups, I have never felt so much adrenaline pushing threw my veins in my life. After the warm-ups the whole team got in a big huddle, we chanted a chant that will never be forgotten and one day make history for the pride. After the chant we got ready for kick-off, lined up and ready to go. The crowd started cheering at the first 2 seconds of the game “go pride go, go pride go”. This made the whole team nervous, not just because there was so many

I will try and demonstrate to the underclassmen the “pride, tradition, and courage,” of Tumwater High School the way that others taught me. The change in my mind has been slow, but considerable over the last three years. I know now that the most cherished prize is not the win, but the ride. The prize is the entire process leading up to the competition, and winning is simply an added bonus that you do not always receive. The prize is the pride you feel in your team despite the fact that you lost your district, state, and regional title in a single season. The prize is growing nearer to one another through the losses and accepting each loss with dignity. After traveling home from Regionals, I wrote a poem for my team and the final verse fully articulates the way I now feel when I rush into the

My “Gold Basketball Medal” was selected to be in my portfolio since it demonstrates to employers my teamwork skills, as playing on a team teaches important teamwork skills which are transferable in the workplace, moreover playing on a winning team demonstrates my excellence in those skills. Teamwork skills are crucial in a team, since we have to communicate, advice, help, listen, and work together to reach the common goal of winning our games. Without having teamwork skills I and the team comprise the entire team, considering the team is dependent on each and every player.

We walked together to the field, the spikes on the bottom of my cleats clicking with each step on the parking lot pavement. A huge field with onlookers filling the bleachers on the far side came into view, lit up by the soft evening light. I spotted the girls on my team and my tired looking grey-haired coach. Me and my dad split up, me going to warm up with my team and my dad going to sit with the team parents. As I was passing with my teammates I watched the opposing team carefully. I observed how neat their drills were and how accurate their shots and passes were. They all looked so athletic and that really made me doubt myself. How was I supposed to prove to everyone that I was a good player if I had to play against a team this good? What if I mess up and the other team completely destroys my team? The loud buzzer that ended the warm ups sounded and both teams went to their side of the field. My coach called today’s starters out, and luckily he didn’t choose me. Relieved, I went to go sit on one of the hard metal chairs they provided for the teams on the sidelines. The chairs were uncomfortable but that didn’t bother me. I had other things on my mind. I sat shivering watching the events of the game

Running into the gym with my team, knowing it was my last middle school basketball game, but first championship game I felt elated and truly blessed. My knees quivered with anticipation after seeing all the bleachers filled with people. After realizing even the press and other media was in attendance I grasped the moment like a newly elected president at his inauguration. I am warming up doing basketball drills, when I began to look at the flags on the gym wall depicting the history of the basketball team. The years and dates of the last championship game, Historically a championship game had not been won since 2007 . The more I stared at the flags, the more it made me want to win this game and make history in this gym. As the crowd and cheerleaders start to chant, cheer and get loud, I started to feel more comfortable and rowdy more than I had ever felt in any other game that I’ve played. Waiting for the referee to blow the whistle for jumpall to start. I felt my fingertips tapping the side of my leg, which for some reason gives me a sign to myself that I am pumped up and ready to play!

Basketball was invented by Dr. Naismith. (He looks like teddy Roosevelt) Dr. Naismith, with all of his imaginative planning, could not have imaged his Peach Basket game would turn into my favorite indoor sport. Originally, there was no set rule on the number of players. The idea was that the game could be played by any number of players at one time. However that never worked, so they changed the rule from any number of players to 9. But In 1897 they changed it to five because nine was too many players. Originally, the game was played with peach baskets or 18 square boxes hung from the balconies of the running tracks of most indoor places. So every time someone would make a basket someone would half to get a ladder to get the ball back.

The Golden State has been portrayed and imagined as a state that had the potential of becoming a beacon of modernity, originality and beauty. Boosters of the region sold California as a romantic destination that rivaled scenarios from the country it tried to emulate, Spain. This imagination brought forth growth, both economically and socially, to cities like Los Angeles but with danger and controversy in their way. In the process of building a defining image for California, these boosters embraced but erased the people and cultures that existed in California before the arrival of the Anglos. They essentially took away what these cultures had built upon in California and took them as their own while keeping these cultures out of the picture. This racial exclusion persisted throughout 20th century California. One city where this exclusion was persistent was Los Angeles which throughout much of its 20th century history, the habitants of Los Angeles practiced racial exclusion both explicitly and implicitly. Such arguments like the rise of suburbanization, natural disasters having a double standard in terms of social class and the exclusion of the races in California’s history warrant that the city and state alike had problems in dealing with racial tensions; so much so that the booster tried so seemingly to hide from everyone else. Regardless, everyone living in Southern California was put in danger by these boosters who kept information about the nature of the area from all its

In 1891 a simple game was invented that changed the world. Basketball is a athletic sport usually played on an indoor court where two teams of five each attempt to score by shooting the basketball into one of two baskets at each end of the court. The team who scores the most baskets wins the game. Because of its continuous action and frequent scoring basketball is one of the most popular spectator sports in the world. Basketball can be played outdoors as well, it was invented to serve as an exciting indoor game for the winter months and to be played with less contact than football. It quickly became a spectator sport. Now basketball attracts larger audiences than ever especially in the United States, South America, and Europe.

I looked up at the scoreboard and the time read 8 minutes left. As I looked at the scoreboard I felt a jolt of energy enter my body. I had felt as if a fire was lit under me. My eyes opened as if I had just seen a ghost. I remember thinking to myself, “how can we lose this game?” I made a promise to myself that I would win 4 state titles while being at Battlefield High School. This was my sophomore year of high school and I had already won one state title, how could I give up now and let my dreams be crushed, I worked too hard for that to happen. In that moment I knew there was only one result I was going to walk off the field with, and that was with a win and another State Championship. I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “My team needs energy. They need a leader.”