More Than A Game by Brooklyn

More Than A Game by Brooklyn - December 2013 Scholarship Essay

As a kid, extracurricular was practically my middle name. I mean, from the time I could walk my mom put me in just about every sport or activity you can think of. Let’s see, there was gymnastics, at which I was awful (something about flipping in mid air with the potential to land right on my head just about scared the leotard right off me). Then there was soccer, and I wasn’t terrible at soccer however as a kid I didn’t understand the concept of offense and defense, so the fact that I never scored a goal lead me to believe I was no Mia Hamm. Then there was cheerleading and dance both which I thought I was great at until I look back at old pictures or see kids on Dance Moms doing moves I’ve never even heard of. It wasn’t until 8th grade that I found my true passion; Basketball. Basketball didn’t come naturally to me; I had the height, but nearly no skill so I had to work at it. At first, it was just another sport to check off my list and say I had done, but it wasn’t until I developed a love for the game that I realized just how much basketball had to offer.

Through basketball I learned the value of hard work. As I said, it didn’t come natural to me, so I had to work hard to achieve every goal that I set for myself. As much as I wanted to step on the court during my first day of practice and realize that all these years I had unknowingly been the next Michael Jordan, that just wasn’t realistic. Countless personal training sessions, travel teams, and Saturday morning workouts showed me how much hard work had to go into playing and every year I got to see my continuous hard work put me in positions that a normal high school kids don’t get. My first trip to Disney World was with my basketball team. I got to meet so many influential people like Pat Summit, and WNBA star Tamika Catchings. All these things I would have never gotten to experience if it wasn’t for basketball coming into my life. Basketball has shown me what it’s like to be apart of something that’s much bigger than just you. It has shown me how great things can be when people come together to achieve a common goal. There is nothing like the feelings that you get before your hometown rivalry game or winning a buzzer beater. These are all experiences I got because of my love for basketball and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

After high school ended, my love for basketball carried on to college where I became a manager for the Women’s Basketball Team at Georgia Southern University. I do not even like to refer to this position as a job simply because I love it so much, its no job for me. At Georgia Southern we are more than the Women’s Basketball team, we are family. With the team I have a home away from home and that is the greatest gift of all. I am an only child, so to have 16 sisters that will forever be apart of me, is more than I could ever ask for. Sure, growing up without siblings was hard, but gaining 16 sisters in college was just as good. Hey, better late than never right? Being an only child, selflessness was a hard concept for me. It wasn’t until I experienced happiness from watching the girls work hard and achieve their goals that I could understand and grasp the concept. Georgia Southern Women’s basketball has truly changed my life.

As you can see, since I found my love for basketball in 8th grade, it has never left my side. Hard work, teamwork, selflessness, passion, and commitment are all life lessons I learned from basketball. I am working at obtaining a degree in Exercise Science with hopes to become an athletic trainer and impact the lives of athletes much as this game has impacted my life. The great Confucius tells us “Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” and that is exactly what I plan to do.