When I was seven years old, right after my family had moved from Moberly to Renick, I had grown attached to the sport of basketball. It was the only sport i took an interest in. At that time, basketball was all that was on my mind. I would always come home from school, find my younger brother, and my basketball, and we would practice our shots. Nothing could come between me and my addiction to this pastime. Or so i thought. After arriving at Renick, i realized we didn’t own a basketball goal. To fix this problem, we would always get on our bikes and ride up to the park. It was a little tiring, as we did this every day for the longest time. One day after returning from the park, my father had told me and my brother that he knew someone who was selling a basketball goal for extremely cheap. …show more content…
After a few days, i had given up on the goal. But about a week later, I came home to a basketball goal sitting right on our porch. Already put together and ready to use. My dad had even got us a new ball to use. For months on end my brother and i would shoot. After a while, my brother started getting tired of the same old thing. But i just couldn’t stop. I wanted to be the best I could be so that when i got into sixth grade, I’d be ready to participate in some real basketball games. After a few months it started getting colder, leading me to go inside sooner. Eventually, it got to the point to where i didn’t want to go outside because it was too cold for me to enjoy the game. This led to boredom, as my family did not own anything other kind of entertainment system besides an old PlayStation 2, but my older brother was constantly on it,
Joes High School’s total enrollment consisted of sixteen girls, and twenty boys. Ten of the boys that had enrolled there played basketball. All of the boys were over six feet tall. Lane Sullivan, the new coach of the basketball team, had never even touched a basketball before he started coaching. Sullivan had never coached anything at all before he started coaching the Joes basketball team. In order to gain knowledge about the sport, he got a book about it. He started coaching in 1927, but before the 1928 basketball season, Joes High School didn’t even have a gym. Instead, they’d practice outside on a dirt court, and two times a week they’d take a bus to the nearest gym, which was ten miles away. In order to play home games, the boys had to play in the local dance hall. The “court” was nowhere near regulation size, and the ceiling was so short that the boys couldn’t shoot an arched shot. The people who attended these basketball games had no place to sit and watch the game, the all stood around the edges of the court and on the small stage. Joes High School finally got their own gym around Christmas time because the people of Joes donated their time and material in order to make it happen.
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,
Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place
The movie “Basketball Diaries” is based on a series of journal entries written by Jim Carroll during the early years of his life, these entries would later on be published as a novel. Growing up in the slums of New York City, Carroll was exposed to many instances of drugs abuse and as a result of his life being filled with stress such as him living in an unstable household without a father, and losing his best friend he began to engage in substance abuse. As a teenager, Carroll was willing to go to extreme lengths just to fit in with his peers. He was an avid basketball player who seemed to be devoted to the sport and was knowledgeable when it came to teaching others what he knew about the sport. Based on the opening scenes of the movie, one can tell that Carroll was a very impressionable teenager. Like many teenagers, Carroll was left open to the influences of his environment and so he was misguided because instead of trying to steer him on the right path, the older folks led him to what would inevitably become his destruction. This paper will provide background information of the ...
Sport has a powerful influence over our society. For example, Mr. Patterson showed students a 1994 documentary film directed by Steve James “Hoop Dreams” in class. The film is centered on William and Arthur, two poor talented African American high school students living in Chicago. Along with, their dream to play professional basketball as a way to escape poverty.
Basketball lies in the midst of many other sports offered to teenagers in today’s world. Even with so many options available, basketball is the sport that Sam Logwood’s heart chose. Logwood moved from Texas to Indiana with his father around his eighth-grade year when he began playing basketball competitively. He quickly realized that he loved the game. From that time forward, he would work to make the most of it, in any way possible.
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.
I ran back into my house and took my basketball from its case on my chest. I ran back down the stairs and stormed out of my house, trying to get my breath back while sweating profusely, and got back on the bus. The bus was filled with excited young peers’ ready to attend the first day of classes at a familiar school with friends; however, I had no reason to be happy. I was without my long time friends who I spent ten wonderful years with at Yeshiva Ohr Chaim. Nevertheless, I used my basketball as a means to get me through my first day of school because it was and will always be my “insurance policy.”
As most children did, I had the choice to play whatever sport I wanted. Considering my height, 5’10, most would assume that I played either basketball or volleyball. No one expected me to play tennis, and was surprised when I said that I did. During my elementary years, I played softball for seven years, and when I hit eighth grade, I decided to play tennis. My decision came about because of my sister. I had always followed closely in her footsteps because I looked up to her a lot, so when I saw she was playing; I wanted to try it out too. I had never really thought about what it would be like to play tennis. I didn’t hate it, or really know what it would be like to play it. And little did I know that playing would demand so much time, energy, and effort.
In the year 2012 I became a freshman at Thomas Stone High School. The year 2012 marked the start of timeline that I knew would be one of the greatest of my life. I started my tenure of high school sports with basketball. When I began to play sports at the high school level, I didn’t realize it would shape me into the person I am today. I didn’t realize that sports would not only evolve me into the captain of a team but, the captain of my future.
Growing up in Alabama where the weather changes as quickly as a couch potato's remote and football is the epitome of life lead to an interesting childhood. Scarred knees, dirty clothes, and climbing willow trees were part of my every day life. As I progressed through middle school I began to associate with kids older than myself because we would indulge in playing basketball during recess. Although I was eleven at the time I could hold my own on the basketball court against the fifteen and sixteen year olds. It was during these times at the basketball court they would share their experiences in life amongst us and I often felt left out. Being t...
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.
“Life is like a basketball, it bounces up and down.” I love basketball. I feel affection for the taste of victory, when you win a game. However, I also find losing a worthwhile experience. I worship the feeling where you score a point. It’s slow motion at first, as you gaze at the shot you’ve made, wondering if it is going to manage. Then the taste of your salty sweat and the sound of your pounding heart are back in action. *Swoosh* the ball rapidly swirls into the hoop and falls through the net. It is so stunning, and so breath-taking. “Beautiful shot! BEAUTIFUL!” the coach would yell. Everyone would give a little cheer, and I would smile and look down. I am proud to make the shot, but not cocky about it. It’s for the team, teamwork… I would think in my head. Afterwards, I would be focusing on how to get my head completely into the game, that’s how addicting it is.
When I was four, I received my first Fisher Price basketball court. The court was in my house and the basket was only five feet tall. My parents placed it in the living room since it was the only room in the house without carpet. I practiced shooting every day. I would wear my father’s sneakers and imitate basketball moves that I had seen on T.V. At that age, I did not yet have any self-awareness about my potential for the sport, but my father knew it was very likely to become a passion. By the age of five, my father was taking me out to the park with a basketball and I can actually remember the day I made my first basket. After that, I went on to play in basketball leagues, as well as work out with my father in gyms every night. Those were the best of times.
Sports, a very popular past time today, have been around since ancient times. Greek Olympic Games featured events from chariot races, javelin throws, to wrestling. In addition, a game similar to soccer was played in China by the second century BC. In England, a violent rugby type game was even played to settle feuds between villages. With the development of the industrial revolution and the creation of the first public schools, sports decreased in violence and were played more recreationally and constructively. Basketball was invented to help the youth in New England spend their energy in the winter months. Since the early 1900’s sports have been a key experience in the United States (“History of Sports”). I have played sports for many years, and the experience has helped me grow significantly as an individual.