Triumph by Tessa

Triumph by Tessa - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

When I was younger I always looked up to Nancy Lieberman, the famous basketball player from New York. I’ve always been tall so I was bound to play some sort of sport that utilized my height. Being 5’10 at 12 years old wasn’t necessarily easy, however I was always ensured that I was going to be a starter in any basketball game I played. I went to basketball camp every year during the summer since I was seven years old right up until I was seventeen. I just had an indescribable love for the game and no matter how much I played I always wanted more. During the day I would fantasize about playing basketball in college and at night I would dream of making it in the WNBA.
The summer leading up to my freshmen year in high school my only focus was making it onto the Junior Varsity league. I practiced non-stop for months, I practiced with my friend’s older brother who played on Varsity for the senior high and he would give me pointers. I lived and breathed basketball for an entire summer, preparing myself to make it on the team. I was playing on a select league at the time, focusing on winning games and championships. However, it was all for not. I broke my ankle playing in a pick-up game a week before school started. I wasn’t able to play, and was in a cast for 9 weeks because the break was so bad. I was devastated and angry; I never wanted to play basketball again.
Try outs for the junior varsity team came and went as I sat on the side lines; afraid to try. Even once I got my cast off I felt like there was no point in even picking up a basketball ever again. I had to go to physical therapy 3 times a week, and my ankle has never felt the same. I was lost and static in my life, I had no other hobby and listening to my old team mates talk about playing the game that I used to love the most really kept me down. I couldn’t run like I used to, and even with a fully healed ankle I felt this dull pain in the bone, that I still feel to this day. Months pasted since I got my cast off and winter came. I was speaking with my parents and they mentioned putting me in a regulation basketball league just for fun. I was hesitant at first but eventually gave in.
Playing again felt good, though I was a little rusty. I made great friends on the team and it felt good to play focusing on the love of the game rather than the need to win. I wasn’t able to do all the foot work I used to and sometimes I can’t run as fast, however I got back out there. I kept playing even though I’m not as good as I used to be. Getting over the pain of having your own body go against you is a huge accomplishment to me, and I love getting to play basketball as I come and please today. I play for the love of the game today, and that’s the most important thing.