Personal Narrative: Team Captains

Have you ever felt l like you’re going to just melt away from society in a puddle of embarrassment. Well I have plenty of times, this is just one.
Today was the day I had told myself, that I was finally going to play on a real team. I had walked through the entire building until I reached the gym, the doors started to get really big. Suddenly I got nervous and felt as if I was going to collapse right there in the doorway . I started to sweat even though it was freezing inside, then I got the courage to open the doors and walk in. The first thing I saw was about 13 boys just shooting lay-ups and jump shots. At the time I thought they were just finishing up their time.
One of the coaches walked up to me and said, “ Hello! You must be our latest recruit!” That was the moment I

realized that I was on a full team of boys. I just wanted to crawl into my mom’s car and go home and just lie there in embarrassment. My mind was half worried and anxious , half excited and ready to learn. I took a risk and decided ,yes I will do it!
I got in line for warm up and this kid comes up behind me and asks, “ Are you on the right team?”.

“ Yes,” I replied. For the rest of the warm up I would look up and see everyone give me awkward looks. It was time to start practice, the challenge was to pick teams and everyone had to make one shot, didn’t matter what type. The two team captains were kids named Caleb and Will . Obviously they wanted the best of the best so they called on the most athletic kids . One by one kids were picked left and right . Until they got to the bottom two, a clumsy kid ,Jack and I. You can bet what happened.
The team that got me were obviously disappointed. The coach blew the whistle and shouted, “ Start!”. I waited my turn for the ball while my teammates started shooting, most of them made it on their first time. The doubt and anxiety started to set in, while waiting for my turn. The dreaded moment came and it finally my turn. At first I looked around to see the other team and of course it was the other team’s last person also . So we both just started shooting like the ball was engulfed in flames but when I heard the “BEEP!” of the buzzer, I knew it was over. I had let myself and my teammates

down.
After that I continued to go because I wanted to get better and learn more about the sport. Eventually the kids started to warm up to me and a lot of the parents started cheering me on during games. Throughout the season I never really got to shoot during the games but, when I did I was mostly accurate. When basketball season was over even though I had dreaded it sometimes, deep down I knew I was going to miss it. By the end I had gotten faster at dribbling and running and I could shoot with accuracy! I wouldn’t do anything differently and I’m glad I took the risk.