As I’m sitting here watching the Heat beat up on the Pacers, I decided to write about something I miss…basketball. I miss playing, I miss coaching, I miss watching my brother play, I miss playing in the old Otway gym, just miss being in the gym period. Basketball took up so much of my time over the years, it has been hard not having it be part of my life.
I started playing biddy basketball when I was in the third grade, along with cheerleading. That’s the age you hit when you start trying out a little bit of everything to find what you’re interested in. I was definitely not much of an athlete at that time. I was clumsy and uncoordinated and hated going to practice with all of the “5th and 6th graders” because they threw the ball too hard. Every practice we would “warm-up” by doing some laps around Otway gym. I remember they had a table set up beside the stage in that gym, right on the sidelines, and I ran right into it. Yep, that’s right. I ran right into a big table sitting out on the gym floor. I had multiple balls bounce off of my head when we would shoot around. I tried to set picks like I was trying to run someone over. I was pretty much the worst player ever. Then, it happened. Dad sat me down one evening after practice and gave me this speech…”So, I think after this year you should think about just sticking with cheering. You’re cute, but I just don’t think you’re going to be much of a ball player. Cheerleading is more your speed.” And that was it. My feelings were hurt and I was determined to prove him wrong.
I was a decent player throughout school from then on. Started Varsity ball as a freshman on my high school team, and lived for basketball. There was never a break for me. I played basketball year round. I also loved the summer camps that we would hold for the younger groups of girls, so my dad and I decided to get into coaching a biddyball team while I was in high school. That was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We stuck with it for 6 years, and was able to see the girls we coached go on and play varsity ball. (And I have watched them graduate, and some already getting married and starting families of their own which makes me feel super old.) After coaching biddyball, I coached 1 year of junior high ball and afterward was accepted into a nursing program and had to give up coaching and focus all of my energy on school.
Now that I’m finished with classes that I have to attend, (finishing my BSN can be done online) I’ve started thinking about trying to get back into it. It is very time consuming to coach, but being able to teach kids all about teamwork and seeing them continually improve and know that part of it is because of all of the hard work you are putting into it—it’s worth every minute of your time that you are sacrificing. I try to not have many regrets in life, but giving up coaching is definitely one of them. So, as you read this, are there things in your life right now that you regret? Something that you have been thinking about doing, but haven't? You know what…you should just go do it. Life is too short to wish it away and have regrets. Make time for it and make it happen if it is something that you love and that will make you happy. :)
***On a side note, I said that I would update you all on doing a giveaway after my blog hit over 500 views, which happened today!! :))) I came home from work and was floored that it happened so fast! Again, completely amazeballs. Thank you to every single person who is taking time out of your day to read these posts. It is an amazing feeling to see so many people interested :) Sooo here’s the update:
If you want to participate in the giveaway, the only thing you will need to do is comment below ANY of my blog posts so far with your e-mail address. That’s it. Winner will be chosen at random, and posting your e-mail address 100 times will not get you 100 entries. Nice try. haha
After the winner is selected, I will e-mail you with how to claim your prize with directions regarding the giveaway. Again, this is going to be interactive, and I can’t wait to see how creative we can get with the participation :)
Thanks for reading, hope you all have an amazing weekend, and I’ll have some new stuff for ya Monday! TGIF!
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