To the Spectator Who Cared,

Let me start with a disclaimer, I have never been the star athlete. Though I love playing sports, and being competitive in them, never will I be recruited to play anything after high school. In fact, I'm a bench warmer, but I'm working on that. But as a junior on my schools JV basketball team (who's school has a no-cut policy), who couldn't go five minutes without fouling in a game, you saw something in me. Perhaps you saw a willingness to improve myself for the sake of my teammates, or maybe you pitied how frustrated I would get when I was in foul trouble in the first half of the game. Something in your heart wouldn't allow you to let me stay the terrified little girl on the court, who had no clue what she was doing, and prayed that no one would pass her the ball. Maybe you were just sick of watching me look scared and miserable on the court. No matter the reason, you took the lead and resolved to teach me how to play basketball, something no one else had ever truly taken the time to do. Yet, whatever your reasons were for deciding to help me, I owe you more than I can give for doing it.

I was insecure and terrified to talk about my basketball playing, but you had a rule "no negativity". But this rule you gave me doesn't just apply to how I think of myself on the court, but throughout my daily life, and for teaching me that I am grateful. Your rule that I must remain positive with myself has allowed me to grow happy with who I am, and become confident in who I want to be. Your simple lesson that I must stay positive has allowed me to look for the best in a situation, and overall become a much happier person, and for that I cannot thank you enough.

I can't say it was a bright and sunny day when you spent an entire Saturday morning, with the help of an amazing friend, teaching me to ball handle, shoot, pass, dribble, and defend. It was a 25 degree windy Michigan Morning. Yet, there you stood at the outside hoop, having me run drills repeatedly, and shoot until I made more than I missed. When I tried to go easy on defending you and A, you weren't having any of it. The next lesson you taught me was "Always Put a Full Effort Into It". And sure, at this moment you were talking about basketball, but that applies to daily life to. Now I've learned to put everything I have into anything I am doing, so that I leave behind no regrets that I had more to give, and for this life lesson, I cannot thank you enough.

Ultimately, you didn't have to help me at all. You could've continued to sit in the stands silently watching me struggle and be miserable, but you didn't. You cared enough about me to make sure I was confident, and for that I cannot thank you enough. The selflessness you showed me on that freezing, windy, Michigan morning is not something I will soon forget. I'm sure there were many other things you could have, and rather would have been doing, but you gave up your time to help a scared, insecure athlete become a basketball player who knew what she was doing on that court (for the most part). But this is bigger to me than just how I feel on the court, you also taught me to be proud of myself as I go through life, and to be confident, positive, and above all, as you were that morning to me, a light to others. For that, I can never thank you enough.

Thank you for all you taught me about life (and basketball),

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