What Basketball Taught Me

When I was a sophomore in high school, I tried out for the girls' basketball team. It was my Plan B after my parents quashed my dream of becoming a school cheerleader.

I thought I would make a good cheerleader because I loved being a part of Sanderson High, had a lot of enthusiasm and school spirit, enjoyed shouting for our teams, and yes, wanted to wear one of those cute pleated skirts that the other girls got to wear on game days.

However, it was not to be as my parents admonished me to "Be on the team, not just cheering for it."

And so, with perhaps thoughts of my dad's own glory days as a basketball player for his high school and college teams, I tried out for the team at my school. As a 15 year old who had shot baskets on her driveway with her dad through the years, and could barely dribble the ball through her legs, I was rightly and justly cut from the tryouts and lost all my hopes of joining the team.

A few weeks later, however, my math teacher approached me and said that one of the girls he coached on our basketball team was missing too many practices. He said that if I could commit to attending all of the practices and to coming to all of the games, he would like me to join the team in her place.

And so I said yes!

As a member at the bottom of the lineup, I played in practices like the rest of the team, learning and running through the plays countless times while helping to sharpen our starting five.

And I ran laps around the court and suicides back and forth with everyone else, though I was often red faced and hyperventilating by the time we were through.

I dressed out for games and huddled with the team as our coach marked out with x's and o's the best strategy to defeat the team before us.

I loved my team and rooted with all of my heart for them from the bench from the beginning of each game until its final moments. If there was a minute or two left on the clock when we had a strong lead, I was sometimes called onto the floor.

What emotion surged through me as I was suddenly out there and facing the other team. My rational thoughts went away as adrenalin took over as I tried to catch and pass the ball and put it up on the backboard for a possible 2.

During those moments I remember looking back at the bench to see Linda, Ann, Teresa, Gwen, Diane, Susan, and the others standing up and yelling and waving their arms and rejoicing to see their third string teammates out there doing our best in the midst of it all.

We were a team, each one with an important contribution to make, each one pulling for the other, for the team, and for the school as a whole. Yes, something greater than basketball was there, and it is with me still.

Love,
Ronda

Location:Lylebourne Ct,Apex,United States