It was December 3, 2008, one week before the first game of our fifth grade season and I was pumped for the start of the season. When I came to the gym that Monday the mood was electric and everyone was on top of their game trying to impress the coach. The prize was to get the position of shooting guard. Naturally I wanted to be the top man so I tried my hardest and I put on quite show. Alas, I fell short to my companion, Brendan, who was a natural when it came to shooting the basketball. Then I was shocked when the coach chose me to play point guard and he told me that the only reason I wasn't chosen for shooting guard was because I couldn't do layups consistently. So being young, I was a little dampened and beaten down but determined to be the best.
The next day, December 4, the school day ended and my determination kicked in, so I rushed to the gym to get a little more practice in before everyone else. After probably 30 layups, practice began and we hit our warm-ups which of course were layups. I promptly missed the first three and angry with myself, Coach took me aside and practiced form and technique. It seemed like I was never going to get as good as Brendan. Then suddenly he took the ball and said "enough, it’s time for plays, we'll resume tomorrow." Feeling like I let him down I walked to the stage to get picked for positions but I couldn't stop thinking about how I failed so when I got home I practiced my layups for about an extra hour and half only to be stopped by my mother for dinner.
The third day, December 5, the feeling lingered on and it even stayed during recess which I spent in the basketball courts working on my layups. When practice came around I just acted like nothing happened and started warm-ups but as soon as I took my first shot he instantly remembered and began drilling me. It seemed like it was no use, I was no better in my mind. When we finally got to the scrimmage I was rocking and it seemed that the drills paid off but I was still missing once in a while. There was improvement without a doubt. For the last two days of practice before the big day he took me aside and we practiced and after those days I was hitting all my shots.
Then came the big Game Day, and the gym was packed and the energy was high. After warm-ups coach took us into the middle school locker room and told us stick to the game plan and remember the plays. When he finished we brought it in and yelled "Saints" then stormed the court. The game progressed till we heard the half buzzer and the score was 30 to 32 and we were losing. The referee blew his whistle to start the second half, he gave me the ball and I in-bounded to Brendan who called the play "saints" and that play consisted of me going and screening for him then rolling to the net for a pass. The play ran perfectly till Brendan drove to the net and got hit in the face by a uncoordinated block attempt. This foul gave Brendan a swollen eye and he had to sit out, so with his leadership passed down to me I took my position as shooting guard and carried myself proudly. With this responsibility I led my team to victory over the Washington Wildcats 45 to 42, scoring 8 times with 3 free throws.
After the game we celebrated our first victory and the coach congratulated me for my leadership skills by taking the team to victory. When we were done celebrating coach pulled me to the side and said he was proud for the effort I was putting in and he had no doubts that I could close the game. This moment was one of the proudest of my young 5th grade life and it was all because I got the opportunity to prove myself and people believed and supported me.
The next day, December 4, the school day ended and my determination kicked in, so I rushed to the gym to get a little more practice in before everyone else. After probably 30 layups, practice began and we hit our warm-ups which of course were layups. I promptly missed the first three and angry with myself, Coach took me aside and practiced form and technique. It seemed like I was never going to get as good as Brendan. Then suddenly he took the ball and said "enough, it’s time for plays, we'll resume tomorrow." Feeling like I let him down I walked to the stage to get picked for positions but I couldn't stop thinking about how I failed so when I got home I practiced my layups for about an extra hour and half only to be stopped by my mother for dinner.
The third day, December 5, the feeling lingered on and it even stayed during recess which I spent in the basketball courts working on my layups. When practice came around I just acted like nothing happened and started warm-ups but as soon as I took my first shot he instantly remembered and began drilling me. It seemed like it was no use, I was no better in my mind. When we finally got to the scrimmage I was rocking and it seemed that the drills paid off but I was still missing once in a while. There was improvement without a doubt. For the last two days of practice before the big day he took me aside and we practiced and after those days I was hitting all my shots.
Then came the big Game Day, and the gym was packed and the energy was high. After warm-ups coach took us into the middle school locker room and told us stick to the game plan and remember the plays. When he finished we brought it in and yelled "Saints" then stormed the court. The game progressed till we heard the half buzzer and the score was 30 to 32 and we were losing. The referee blew his whistle to start the second half, he gave me the ball and I in-bounded to Brendan who called the play "saints" and that play consisted of me going and screening for him then rolling to the net for a pass. The play ran perfectly till Brendan drove to the net and got hit in the face by a uncoordinated block attempt. This foul gave Brendan a swollen eye and he had to sit out, so with his leadership passed down to me I took my position as shooting guard and carried myself proudly. With this responsibility I led my team to victory over the Washington Wildcats 45 to 42, scoring 8 times with 3 free throws.
After the game we celebrated our first victory and the coach congratulated me for my leadership skills by taking the team to victory. When we were done celebrating coach pulled me to the side and said he was proud for the effort I was putting in and he had no doubts that I could close the game. This moment was one of the proudest of my young 5th grade life and it was all because I got the opportunity to prove myself and people believed and supported me.