"Unkbeknownst to most historians, Einstein started down the road of professional basketball before an ankle injury diverted him to science."
--Gary Larson
I love basketball. I used to play back in high school, but I didn't play after my sophmore year because of an injury,... or because I wasn't good enough, still debating it in my head. I get together with a group of girls every Thursday night and play a pick up game. Usually I'm the youngest there, and most days I'm the most out of shape one there. Most of them are either runners or bikers, and I'm just a, well I don't really do much of any athletics these days. I'm sure back in my high school days I would have at least been able to keep up, but now I'm definitely just sucking wind as they cross me over. I think I better start jogging or something. Anyway I'm getting off track. Basketball is something that has changed my life. I remember trying out my sophmore year and getting all the way to the gym doors, where I paced back and forth for a solid 10 minutes before I walked in. Finally I got up the courage to walk in and I instantly regreted it. Now I'm a tall girl, about 6'0 at the time, but I shrank to about 4'8 just looking at what I had gotten in to. I think my coach got excited to see me only to be let down later after seeing my lack of cordination with a basketball. We started doing drills, none of which I was familiar with, which didn't help my nerves. I'm fuzzy on the details, but I'm pretty sure I was dismal on my first day. At the end of the day we started doing sprints. I've never ran so hard in my life and I'm pretty sure I puked in the trash can in th hall. By some whim of mere faith in my height, the coach didn't cut me that first day and I couldn't believe it. I got home tired, but proud of myself. The next day I had nerves in my stomach all through my classes, but the second day of tryouts weren't nearly as bad as the first. Sprints were much, much worse and I came the closest to passing out that I ever have from exhaustion. He cut anywhere from 15 to 20 girls that day, but amazingly I was still there and I was begining to wonder if he'd forgot to cut me. But sure enough I was there on the third and final day. It was down to 13 girls, and I knew he wasn't going to take all of us. I did fairly well with the drills but I couldn't help the negative feeling that I was going to be the last one cut. As I expected I was called in to his office right before we start sprints and I braced myself for the rejection and promised myself I wouldn't cry. I don't remember anything he said but his last 7 words, "We'd like to keep all of you." After that things happened so fast. They lined us up in the locker room and gave us all our gear; sweats, shirts, uniforms, hoodies, warm ups. I was still in a state of shock walking home with all of it. To this day, that was one of my greatest accomplishments. I've never been worked so hard in my life, practicing nearly 3 hours a day 6 days a week. Looking back at all the blood, bruises, sweat, and tears, I wouldn't trade those 4 months for all the money in the world, honestly. Its one of the few things in my life that I stuck to and suceeded. I was by no means a very good player in the begining. But by the end I was starting the games. I tried out my junior year and fractured my ankle in the third day of tryouts, I still can't help but wonder if I would have made it other wise. By senior year, I was a year behind in expierence and not in the shape I needed to be, but I tried out anyways, not wanting to have to wonder the rest of my life if I was good enough. It came as no surprise that I didn't make it, but thats probably the second thing I'm most proud of. It took a lot for me to go back and try out after my coach had personaly rejected me the previous year. To this day I have no regrets about basketball.
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