When one door closes... by Taylor

When one door closes... by Taylor - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

The lesson I learned outside the classroom took place on the basketball court, or rather, sitting on the bench next to the basketball court. I had been active in sports for several years, but I had only joined basketball as a freshman.

Even though I'm only five feet two inches tall and about 100 pounds, I became really competitive at sports in middle school. I even went to state as a varsity cross country runner in the eighth grade. I thought I could excel at basketball if I practiced hard enough and gained some skills.

I played on the JV team in the ninth grade and "paid my dues" for a chance to play in varsity games my sophomore year. Things looked hopeful for tenth grade when the coach named me a team captain and a starter. In the first game, I injured my finger which benched me for two weeks. When I finally got to play again, we were two minutes into the game when I got knocked down by an opposing player who landed on my ankle. Fortunately it was not fractured, but the recovery time for this bad sprain meant that I would not play the rest of that season. I was discouraged, but I did not quit the team. Instead, I functioned more like a manager, washing uniforms and helping out with drills at practice.

Since I didn't travel to a lot of the away games the rest of that season, I had more time to focus on my other interests, like music. I had been in choir and learned to play the piano and drums, but I joined the pep band and played the drum set. Playing with an instrumental group was a whole new experience, and I really liked it!

Now I'm a senior, and I'm still playing the drums for the pep band. Plus, I've participated in drama, vocal ensemble, Student Council and kept my grades up for college. It was hard to give up basketball having not accomplished my goals, but I feel like I am better prepared for what lies ahead in my life than I would have been if I had kept sports as my top priority. I believe the lesson I learned from my basketball injuries my sophomore year is that taking a new path doesn't mean you failed at the old one. Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”