Why I Love Basketball

In my free time, I enjoy a plethora of activities but I have come to the conclusion

that basketball is my all-time favorite pastime. Watching the sport

on television is just as enjoyable as playing it. Strangely, basketball has

always seemed to permeate my life in one way or another. Sometimes, I feel like

I was born to dream, live, and even sleep thinking about basketball. Basketball

is such an amazing sport and I cannot fathom living in a world in which the

sport did not exist. Nonetheless, basketball has impacted my life in such a

phenomenally positive way and definitely has molded me into the individual that

I am glad to be.

When I was about the age of 7 years old, I began playing basketball for the

city in which I resided. My parents had tried soccer, t-ball, swimming, and

even hockey but I was not interested at all. Basketball captured my heart. I

loved learning the defensive and offensive plays. When I played offense and

actually had the ball while dribbling down the court, I became unstoppable and

nobody could touch me. Adrenaline set in and nobody could stand in my way. Of

course I was on cloud nine when I shot a basket and actually made it. My

parents were always so supportive and cheered for my every move. They were

always so proud of me. I scored many points game after game. I was often the

MVP during the majority of my games during my early basketball

experiences. Also, my coaches loved me because I was definitely a true team

player and not a ball hogger. Game after game, I always felt so elated because I

was always able to contribute to my team in a positive way no matter if we won

or lost the games. However, it was always a much better feeling to win a game

than to lose as a young child.

As I became older, my experiences with basketball blossomed even further.

I played on a traveling/club team. Our team name was the Gym Rates. We played

in local tournaments and even some out of state tournaments. The highlights of

the year were the two national tournaments in Las Vegas, Nevada in June and

July. I enjoyed playing for the Gym Rats but I did not like the grueling 3 hour

practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. My parents made me realize

that in order to be the best, I have to put in the time. Thus, I kept plugging

away at practice and it did eventually become a more fulfilling experience as my

skills greatly improved playing against stiffer competition. While on the

traveling team, I simultaneously played for my middle school basketball team.

There were four schools in my middle school league. Our school had to play the

other schools at least one time. Although my middle school team was horrible

and lost every game, I still enjoyed the competitiveness of the game and still

understood the meaning and necessity of teamwork.

After middle school, I continued my quest to play basketball in high

school. I had future hopes of becoming a professional athlete but I knew that

the road to become a professional athlete would be grueling and intense.

Luckily, my skills were so impressive that I made the Varsity basketball team

and I was only a freshman. I knew many other students would be jealous of me

but I could not let that dissuade me. I had painstakingly earned a spot to be on

the Varsity basketball team. Before the week of tryouts, my parents had

enrolled me in several endurance, strength training, and skills camps. They

knew that I had to stand out from the crowd. So when the tryouts came, I met

every workout with ease. When the season began, I had to become accustomed to

the 3 hour practices but I actually loved them. We did a variety of activities

which made the time pass quickly. I always tried my very best because I

remember my parents telling me that I had to put in the time. I made a

concentrated effort to being the best basketball player that I could...