I tried out for the High School basketball team the summer of my sophomore year. Up to then I had never played basketball in my life. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know anything about basketball. I just woke up one day and thought to myself, “I think I want to play basketball”. So I tried out. The team roster was printed out on the boy’s gym door 3 days after tryouts. So, I casually walked up to the list, and skimmed through it, and to my pleasant surprise, my name was on the roster! I was extremely happy, because I didn’t think I would make it. I knew I actually had a chance of being good at it. And I wanted that more than anything else. I started practice with the team that summer. It was no surprise that I had never played before and didn’t know anything about basketball. The whole team and the coach all noticed that they had their work cut out for themselves. But, I was determined to be good at everything I did, and since I played basketball, I wanted to be good at it. I tried and tried, but kept failing at what I wanted to achieve. I just couldn’t seem to get it. Basketball is an extremely hard sport. A lot harder than what I had expected it to be, at first. You have to be in some of the best shape you’ll ever be in your life. There is a TON of running. You have to work hard every day in and out of practice and games, otherwise, you won’t be as good as you want to be, and may or may not get to play. You have to study and practice all your plays and know them. You have to have utmost respect for your coach, teammates, and opponents. Basketball is a sport full of effort, dedication, and character. If all the conditioning and learning the game wasn’t enough, I had to put up with the seniors. They seemed to be some of the biggest jerks. Always telling me what to do, and what I need to work on. Even stuff that had nothing to do with basketball! It made me so mad. I had to just keep my mouth shut and push through it, though. Thank God I did, because I’m actually pretty good friends with them now! And, I actually learned from what they told me! I would’ve never thought at the time that what they were saying would actually help me. I just endured through it, and it paid off in the end! Over time, I slowly started to pick up the game. I started learning my positions and the ins and outs of the game. I worked hard and it starting paying off. I could definitely see results. Everything that we were doing as a team was finally starting to pay off. I slowly got better and better. I finally got to the level where I could compete. That was only a year and a half ago. Now, I’m a junior in High School. I start on the varsity high school basketball team. And if I can say this without sounding too prideful, I’ve gotten pretty good! I mean, after all, I am six-three and can dunk a basketball now. I’m