Hey old friend,

The first time I ever got to truly experience you, I was 5-years-old and playing at a local Girls Club. I was really, dreadfully awful and they taught me to shoot my free throws "granny style" because I wasn't strong enough to shoot the ball the correct way like some of the other girls. Even though I was indeed bad, I was hooked from the beginning.

At my elementary school, unlike many others, competitive basketball began in the 3rd grade. It was the real deal. We played against all of the other schools in my county, and it was actually pretty intense. After I moved up to the 5th and 6th grade team, I was actually alright. My team was really good and we went undefeated many years. At this point, I had been playing your game with most of the same girls since 3rd grade and man, were we hooked on you like a drug.

Moving on to Junior High basketball, and you consumed my life. I played for school, of course, but then you began to consume my summers, my holidays, and many late nights in the gym. Boys weren't important, basketball was. Our team was really good, and we had played together for so many years that we were like a well-oiled machine. Of course, we had our bad games, but overall we had made you a priority in our lives and therefore we were excelling.

Fast-forward to high school. I remember our team being so excited but really nervous. We had always been so good, but now we were a bunch of freshman about to battle against seniors. You taught us that things didn't come easy because Freshman and Sophomore year weren't highly successful. As we adjusted, though, we got better. Junior year was a great one. In fact, I still think about it often. This was the year that we went to state. I'll spare you all the details, but it was a really difficult journey to get there, and we did it! We were beyond ecstatic, and even though we didn't win state, I think we all agreed that it was the experience of a lifetime, and we owe you big time. When Senior year rolled around, we expected to go back to state. Truth is, when we were Seniors, we just weren't as focused. Whereas you used to consume us, you were now only a small part of us. We were in relationships, we were applying for colleges, and we were preparing for the rest of our lives. We had a good season, but not what was expected from us.

The last game I ever played was one of the saddest days of my lives. What was I going to do now? This game that had been a part of my life for 13 years was now over, and I would never play competitively again. My teammates and I graduated, and we all went our separate ways.

I am now a sophomore in college, and I would be lying if I said you don't often consume my thoughts. I miss you, and I miss everything that came along with you. I miss the cheering crowd, the pre-game meals at Taco Bell (weird, I know), the homecomings, the stinky shoes, the team sleepovers, the tears of joy from a big win, and even the tears of defeat when we lost a big game. What I miss the most is having little kids looking up to me, and knowing I could help shape the way they play the game I love so much.

Even though I do miss you and all that you entailed, I realize as I'm writing this that you are still with me every day. You taught me humility, leadership, and teamwork. You taught me how to make friends with everyone. You taught me that I had to work for everything I wanted in life because God knows I was not born with the natural athletic ability. You taught me to be strong and to always look adversity square in the face and do whatever it takes to conquer it. You helped me realize that I owed every talent I possessed to God because it all came from Him. You taught me to be patient, and you taught me to always have respect for those of authority. You taught me to try my very hardest in school, and that your education is always the most important. In fact, now that I think about it, you greatly molded me into the person I am today. All of those years were definitely not years wasted because all of the lessons you taught me are lessons I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. Thank you for all of the memories and for making me, me. I will always owe you, love you, and appreciate what you've done for me.

Love,

#23