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Essays on how anxiety affects sport performance
Athlete perceived stress
Essays on how anxiety affects sport performance
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August 22, 2016 was the day my basketball career sadly came to an end. Ever since middle school, basketball has always been my one true passion. I loved basketball with all my heart and aspired to compete against the best one day. However, regardless of my strong ambition, I’ve learned that things aren’t always meant to go your way. Throughout my basketball career, I suffered from a great deal of emotional and physical strain. I was constantly injuring myself to a point where my body could no longer utilize its full athletic capabilities. Yet, I never let the reoccurring pain discourage me from performing on the basketball court. Nevertheless, what truly wrenched the most was the fact that no one supported me. Both my family, friends, teammates,
Basketball is a chart-topping sport that is loved by many fans. It’s been a hit since 1891 when it began, starting in Springfield, Massachusetts. It grew rapidly in popularity and spread around the world. Many people found it comforting to play, such as Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy was an outstanding basketball player, who was committed in going far with his teammates. Although he seemed superb, he had a troubled life growing up at his family home. His parents were abusive and uncaring towards him, therefore he used basketball as an alternative. In My Losing Season, Pat was able to obliterate the thought of his abusive parents. His comfort was playing basketball with a team he will never fail to remember. The outcomes Pat acquired were admirable,
Alonzo Mourning has always been a gifted individual ever since he first laid hands on a basketball. Around Mourning’s middle school years, he was already looking like a promising basketball star. By the time Mourning had reached his sophomore year of high school, colleges were already out trying to recruit the young Alonzo. Alonzo Mourning is a very talented player, but what he used his talents for is what is so amazing. In Alonzo Mourning’s book, Resilience, Alonzo talks about his struggles and obstacles that he faced and still faces today. After graduating Georgetown, Alonzo had a promising future and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) and chosen by the Charlotte Hornets. There, in his rookie year, he managed to help the team advance to their very first playoff game. He also came in second place for Rookie of the Year, won gold at the World Basketball Championships, and participated in the All-Star team. Alonzo was eventually traded to the Miami Heat after his rookie year and he had his sights on nothing else but a NBA championship. His goals were set and nothing was stopping him until he had to put his desires aside for something more important. Alonzo Mourning had been diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease called focal glomerulosclerosis. Mourning was forced to retire in the prime of his basketball career. Alonzo has always been a very religious person. He knew that God had a plan in store for him and he was ready to take on the challenge. Alonzo Mourning gives his audience inspirational tools, tools that can be applied to anyone’s daily life. Alonzo Mourning’s motivational key points can be beneficial to whoever applies them in to his or her lifestyle.
“You need surgery.” Just a few weeks before a national basketball tournament, these words would change my life forever. Basketball is my true passion that is a part of who I am. Unfortunately, I experienced failure at meeting my athletic aspirations, due to an injury. Although my particular injury was out of my control, I constantly felt ashamed that I could not completely fulfill my athletic goals as I had hoped. I felt I had let everyone down who had been there for me and supported me. This injury has also shaped me and changed my perspective on how I see and appreciate certain things.
Starting my freshman year at County High School, I played basketball and loved every minute of it. I wouldn’t be conceited enough to say I was good, but God did bless me with the talent to play. My life revolved around the sport of basketball; some would say I slept, ate, and breathed every part of it. I spent all my time training and practicing to make myself a more dedicated athlete. This dedication not only helped me as a player, but also molded me into the person I am today. It somehow helped to prepare me for what defeat I would face with back surgery in the future.
As a former point guard and shooting guard for the University High Hawks, I, also, had a shot to play Division I, in Michigan for the Wolverines and Spartans and West Virginia for the Mountaineers, and Division II, in West Virginia for the Fairmont State Falcons. With all this excitement, I was told that my talent stood out but, I was the best vocal player these four schools have seen but, my dream of playing college basketball ended when I received a brutal knee injury in the beginning of the season of my senior year in high school.
There I am, starting my first varsity basketball game while only being fourteen and a freshman at Ballard High School in the suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky. The loud and rambunctious crowd driven by the rowdy student section yelling chants and jumping up resembled the same atmosphere as a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium. As the other team comes up the court, I run up to to the ball handler to try and defend him. However, about three steps before I get to him, I heard a pop in my knee and fell to the ground in immense pain. As I grabbed my leg while squirming around, I was scared because I had no idea what had happened to me or what was going to happen. Fast forward a few months, I am laying on a table in a doctors office while facing the bright ceiling lights, I couldn’t keep still and desperately trying to ignore the dreary situation. I was trying to focus on staying warm in the oddly cold room, but the events from that one night kept running through my head— The pain, my overwhelming fear, and my mothers frantic face when i was being rushed to the hospital. The doctors told me I had torn my ACL and part of my meniscus. I can remember the innocence of my response to the news: “So
When I was younger, I loved to play sports. Basketball was my favorite and I was always one of the best on the team. I could jump high to get rebounds, I could use my long arms to steal many balls, I had a great shot and I did it all with grace. It was a beautiful thing and probably the only time I ever felt completely included in a group of people. Even though I was a valuable asset to the teams I played on, I was never the best. I missed many practices because I was too tired to play. I missed some games because I was sick, and I could never run as long or hard as any one else. My parents, teachers and friends reduced me to a lazy hypochondriac and by the power of suggestion, I almost believed it. At the end of the eighth grade, I could not do it anymore. I needed to sleep all afternoon, and sharp pains stabbed my legs with every step I took. Furthermore, I had just realized that I was a lesbian and the stress was causing me to be excessively distracted. How could I have existed with something so powerful living in my body for so long and not know it until now? I guess society’s expectations had blinded me. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20; as I reexamined my life as of that far, I could see that it had always been with me. So with the fatigue, stress, pain and illness I called it quits just a few games before the end of the season.
I was completely disoriented. Basketball was my identity, basketball was what defined me. If I couldn’t play basketball I would be a nobody. My friends would start to think I was lame and I would become a social outcast. More importantly, what would I even do with my time? For weeks this question went unanswered. I had no idea what to do, I just sat around all day feeling remorseful for myself. My grades plummeted and I was letting myself start to get out of shape. Then one day, after sitting on my couch for hours I came to a life changing decision.
I felt connected, and I sat there, watching the game, and ignoring everyone around me. This world, where nothing seemed to matter besides that one moment that encaptured the love for the game, became my world and I held it close to me. But, this could not last, as that fateful day came to pass where I began to look over the very things that first inspired my love for the game, from the cheering crowds to the hardwood floor, with a dull, indifferent gaze. On that day, I looked over the game I once loved and remarked, “Look at the court, a small, dirty place where no one is safe from the banter of others, the giant scoreboard that only highlights a team’s failures; the banners representing the achievements of the greats upon the wall, only bringing unachievable goals and expectations upon players; the cheering that boosts up one’s own morale but seeks to ruin the spirits of the opponents, taking away from the sportsmanship values that the game was originally created with and bringing misery to others; the mascot etched into the court, representing the entire school’s hope and desire to win, and placing this immeasurable burden upon the shoulders of young individuals, who are nothing but high school students like everyone else around them; the pounding of the ball, which only adds to one’s anxiety with each dribble, and the sense of terror individuals get as shots are made into their own basket, only
Vignette #6: My Basketball Life ( on paper) I want to be a professional basketball player. I want to step on the waxy court and feel fresh like honeycrisp apples. I want to be that one player that everyone looks at during the game. I want to be like the new Elena Delle Donne.
Walking through the arena looking into the rafters and one day hoping to see my jersey there is a honor like no other and for a lot of young children this is their dream. As a young boy I played and enjoyed them so much that I wanted to continue playing them throughout my life. Coming up on my first year of middle school my mother as always decided to put books over sports; she sent me to a middle school that had no sports. Mainly known for their academics Seventy-First classical middle school is where I started school in the year 2009. At this time of the year travel basketball was just ending and everyone was preparing for the season. Public Middle school sports only consist of 7th and 8th graders, however private school sports do include the 6th grade. As my travel coach decided to help open a school he also decided that he wanted me along for the journey. At the beginning my
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.
When you look at a basketball what do you see? Most would see an orange, sphere, shaped rubber ball. There are black lines and real leather. If you look closer, you would even see the size of the ball in which you are playing with. A basketball could be just a toy for many, or even represent a release for others, but for me, it means a lot more. A basketball represents my blood, sweat, tears, passion, sacrifice, and most of all, a sense of belonging, like a family. At this moment in my life, there are only three things I devote my life to- family, friends, and basketball. Basketball has shaped my life probably more than anything else. Basketball has instilled in me a vicious will to achieve and embrace my ambitions instead of fearing them. Basketball gave me an open opportunity to try something new. New opportunities and experiences are not such a big deal anymore. From academics to personal matters, the lessons that I have learned from basketball has impacted my life.
It was the start of summer 2002, and the Mid America Youth Basketball (MAYB) national tournament was taking place in Andover, Kansas. Along with the rest of the team, I was excited to play some basketball for the first time since the middle school basketball season was over. Our team, Carlon Oil, had been together and played every summer for the last four years. We were a really good team, with an overall record of 65-4 over those four years and were hoping to continue our legacy. Lonnie Lollar, our coach for the summer, was also the coach of our high school basketball team. I had a history of groin injuries, and every summer it seemed that I would have to sit out at least a game on the bench icing my groin. But this summer was different, and I along with everyone in the gym wouldn't have expected my summer to end with a injury such as a broken leg.
My elementary school had a team and though I can’t remember my motivations towards initially joining, I reflect on those times and feel so grateful for making the decision to join at ten years old. Amidst my years in school, basketball has always connected me to my school and my peers. In highschool, I met my core group of friends, participating on the team. Following the four years of weekend tournaments, late night practices and road trips to distant games, we have developed together not only as players, but also have grown as a family. Last year, I had a taste for glory as my team qualified for the 2017 Basketball BC Championship. It was an incredible feeling to be placed with other girls my age who were so talented. The entire experience was one to remember as we placed 8th in the province, a feat that took our underdog team by surprise. This year, I have focused on appreciating the sport to the fullest extent while attempting to expand my leadership skills as one of the oldest members on the team. Playing through my senior year has taught me how fast time flies and I am now realizing how much I will truly miss these girls, following