Oveercoming an Injury - Not giving up

Select a person you admire or a significant life experience. In what way has this person or experience affected you?

Running in a line, clumped unevenly together, my team ran out of the locker room with a burst of energy as the crowd slowly acknowledged our arrival on to the court. I glanced around to see who might be watching this anticipated win, and to look for my mom’s face up in the stands. I nervously waited for the ball to complete my first lay-up of the night, to ease my way into the game atmosphere. My fear of getting hurt again haunted my mind, and the fear was affecting my athletic performance. The thought of spraining my ankle again chilled my body with apprehension. It really hurt me as a player not being able to play the sport I loved. I knew that the only thing to do was to stay strong and cheer for my teammates.

The game had begun and my team had the ball. I watched my teammates hustle around the court and look for an open shot. Scrambling for time and an open player, the girls tried to keep the ball under control. Eventually, a point was scored and the other team brought the ball out. I can still remember cheering for my friend, after her fifteen-foot jump shot. I yelled more encouraging words to my teammates hoping that my coach would somehow notice my efforts. I sprang up out of my seat to acknowledge a great steal by another team player, and I gazed with excitement in suspense for her to score.

I watched and cheered throughout the whole game. I finally heard my name called, "Trace!" said Coach Hanover; and she gave me my directions. I patiently waited for an out of bounds ball to come so that I could get on the court. The buzzer rang, and the referee signaled for me to come in to replace one of my teammates. My mom cheered frantically because she knew my playing time was at a minimum, and she knew how important getting a few minutes of playing time was to me. I remember distinctly that I ran to the left side of the court and set in position for a corner shot. I seemed to have perfected this shot while being out because of my beat up, bruised ankle. I made eye contacted with my teammate, and the ball was passed to me.