For anyone who has ever been passionate about being the best at something, whether it is athletics, music, art, theatre or any number of other endeavors, it is painful to come face to face with someone who is more talented. I have lived this experience in college basketball.
While never a great athlete, I enjoyed a fair amount of success as a high school basketball player, mostly because I am 6’8” tall. During my junior and senior seasons my high school basketball team tallied a record of 44-13 and made it to the regional championship twice. At the end of my senior season I was named First-Team All Conference, as well as named to the All-Area Team. Needless to say, as my senior season came to a close, I was incredibly excited about how my
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That summer I took a job in the Wheaton College athletic facility so that I could train everyday after work. Over the course of those summer months, I spent countless hours lifting weights, playing pick-up basketball games, and running on the track. By mid-August, I was in the best physical condition of my life and ready to start the basketball season. Then something happened that would greatly affect my life for the next two …show more content…
I will likely be the starting center for the Wheaton College men’s basketball team this season. However, the honor of starting for the basketball team is not nearly as important to me as it once was. More than the honor of awards and the glory of personal recognition, I can now appreciate what basketball has taught me about myself. I have learned that I crave competitive environments, even ones where I am not the most gifted or talented. My basketball experience has also taught me to enjoy intense preparation and working with a team toward a common goal, even when there is little personal reward or recognition to be found. I have also learned to remain persistent amid disappointments. I hope to apply these lessons in a career as a litigator in a corporate law firm. The intense preparation required for trial, the need to work as a team toward a common goal, and the ability to perform all of these tasks without seeking personal glory are all lessons that I have learned on the basketball court over the past three seasons. These are lessons that I want to apply to my life and to my eventual career in
The buzzer going off, the crowd cheering, for the first time in school history, Trinty Clinton Township are state chapions. That team made history, acheiving far more than what any spartan was thought possible, but this team accomplished far more than a state championship. There has been Trinity greats that have made a mark in the Trinity basketball program history. I knew, this being my last year at trinity, that I had had mighty big shoes to fill if I also wanted to make a perminet mark at trinity. "The differance between successful people and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will"- Vince Lambardi.
When football season finally arrived, I found myself on the varsity team. I thought it was going to be a repeat of my past two seasons of me just being another benched player. But I actually started for more than half the season as defensive linemen. Even on games where I didn’t start, I was getting a lot of playing time. That really pushed me to be even better for my senior season.
There is no denying that people consider me a decent player, but that doesn’t mean that I’m the best. There is a vast amount of better players that are even younger than me training to the maximum of their capabilities. I discovered something new, and my drive to become a better player and person came with it. The sport has taught me that not everything will always be what I initially expected, but that shouldn’t stop me from reaching my goals. For example, my team and I had won three consecutive district titles for our school.
Everything was going well until I faced my first real incident my junior year. Our team was successful during the last couple years, however it was not without sacrifice. Practices were long and grueling and our bodies were pushed to their physical limit, but the cheer of the crowd and the glowing feeling of winning made it all worth it. It turns out however, that the aches and pains of practice were not the only sacrifice to be
Basketball has taught me two important life lessons. Competition is inevitable if you want to be great, no matter what you wish to accomplish. Not only must you compete against yourself and make sure you're always working your hardest, but you must compete against others. There will always be someone else out there who’s working harder than you are, no matter how hard you think you’re working. In order to achieve your goals you need to start small.
The ironic part is it sparked something in me; I was determined to heal quickly and push myself past my limits. In the end, I became more aggressive on the field and one of the best players on my team. The coaches noticed this huge change and awarded me the Coaches’ Award at the end of the season. Knowing I had more potential, I pushed myself even further and my talents were recognized by the new coach my senior year. I achieved my goal of starting every game and played a majority of the eighty minutes of regulation time.
withbasketball;basketball was my identity and connection to others. But during my sophomore year in high school, everything didn’tseem togo the way I wantedto be. And it was because of the injury I had, my life completely change since. This long story begins with a goal that I made for myselfduring my freshman year in high school; I wanted to play high school basketball for four years straight, and this goal seems pretty neat for me.
Fortunately, I have seen a lot of success with two school state championships and competing at the nation’s highest level for the club. But this year, having graduated the majority of our school team, we began the season without much collective experience or talent. As the team captain and only returning starter, I knew that leading the team would be a challenge. Previously, I only had to do my job, but now, my maximum effort and personal commitment to perfection were necessary for our team’s success. My integrity on the court in practice and games had to grow this season, and I am incredibly grateful for this team that is so different from others on which I have played.
I don’t watch March Madness I don 't like basketball at all. I watch the first one a little because teachers said we could but otherwise I don 't care. I hear people say I have 99% on my bracket or like I got 10%. I never did a bracket but I might do it next year for fun.
I will never forget that encounter the intense sun, the endless horizon, the infinite shades of blue that dissolved any boundary between sky and trees. The views were like swimming into a kaleidoscope, deceptively plain "Lake Winaukee" sign on the outside, but a show of colors on the inside, waiting to shock and, mesmerize me. Those colors! Sails on the horizon covered the lake; streaks of sunlight illuminated them, the swaying wildlife creating a dance of rhythm. Beautiful, preserved life synchronizing every movement with the camp sight creating one living entity.
Accepting a position to play with the top team in the next highest age group in my club was a great opportunity, although I was certain that it would present obstacles to overcome. Being the youngest player on a team with incredible athletes who display their talent on the court is an exceptional achievement. However, this accomplishment can comes with questions, hesitation, and stereotypes. Yes, I am only in eighth grade. Yes, I am small.
(Theme: do not change yourself to fit society's expectations) Bob is a very nice gentle and smart kid, but people's view of him as a top recruit basketball players often gives them the wrong view of him. On the court Bob has to be very aggressive and loud, but off the court he is a totally different person. But, even trying to prove what type of person he really is comes with its own challenges because he knows if the real him comes out people won’t respect him as much wherever he goes. He knows if his teammates find out they will tease him and heckle him.
It was game day today. My teammates and I had a game against our rivalry high school Alta and we were pumped because we have beaten them every year since 2014. This year felt like we would keep that streak up and in motion. They had 6 really tall players while we only had 2. It made us all nervous for a while until we seemed to get over it.
Growing up, I spent most of my time playing sports and trying to stay active as much as possible. As I got older, I became more serious with field hockey, and I was determined to make the varsity team my junior year of high school. All summer I spent working on my stick skills on the field, and my endurance in the gym in order to do everything I could to make the varsity squad. When tryouts started in the end of August, I hadn’t performed the way I wanted to, and girls I thought had no chance of making the team, played so well over the three days. However, I was hopeful I still had a shot on the varsity roster.
On a hot, sunny day of June I went to the park and played in a 5 on 5 basketball tournament with a few friends I have been playing basketball with since the 3rd grade. We didn’t have many people with height our tallest guy was just about 6’2 but that didn’t stop us from setting a goal to win this tournament and show no weakness to the other teams. We had the talent, the heart, and the discipline to push ourselves and to try and win this tournament. We started warming up on half of the court while our first competitors in the orange jerseys warmed up on the other half, the official finally blew the whistle and told us to get our starting 5 ready and on the court.