Outline Ed Narrative-Christi

My story is about how basketball saved me.

I. At the start of my junior year, I was struggling with my end of a year-long relationship. My boyfriend, Jonathan had recently lost his aunt, and in December, our arguments became frequent and pointless. One day,we were walking down the street and we started arguing about his silence and the emotional distance he had put between us.It was after school and we were walking to Mcdonald’s on Fulton St. I said “why have you been pushing me away? I’ve done nothing but love you.”He replied and said “you wouldn’t understand .You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone so close.”His grief had consumed him, and he decided to break up with me.The breakup hit me hard. I felt like my world had came crashing down. I stopped eating and spent entire days in bed. Whenever I tried to eat, I felt nauseous, and my stomach rejected the food. I was losing weight rapidly, my jeans would hang loosely on me,falling down. I would cry myself to sleep every night, and my eyes were so swollen and puffy that I looked like I’d been punched in the face.My best friend,Shamya noticed how much I had changed and was very concerned.My mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of him, leaving me indifferent to everything else.

II. Eventually,Shamya invited me to her mother’s workout class. Her mother was a personal trainer who runs sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was hesitant because I hated working out and getting sweaty. But Shamya said, “Just give it a shot. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back.”So, I went along. We ended up in a gym, where we started by playing around with a basketball, dribbling and shooting. I was awful at it—I missed the hoop entirely on my first few tries. Shamya suggested, “We should join the basketball team this year.” I replied, “I don’t know. I don’t even know how to play.” She insisted on teaching me, and over time, I improved a bit, though I still had a lot to learn.By January, it was time for basketball tryouts. I felt so out of place because I only knew my best friend. I was so nervous; Shamya pat me on my back and said“You’ve got this.” The gym was overwhelming at first. The tryouts involved a series of drills, sprints, and scrimmages that left me feeling drained. Despite my exhaustion, I began to find some enjoyment in the process.One of the drills was a shooting exercise where we had to make three consecutive shots. Even though I had improved a bit, my nerves got the best of me. My hands shook as I tried to shoot, and I kept missing the basket. I felt a flush of embarrassment as I realized my shot lacked arc.Watching the ball repeatedly miss the hoop only added to my anxiety but my coach,Coach Anderson saw that I was struggling and decided to help me. Coach anderson said you have to use your wrist in order to create a arc for to ball to go in”. I followed his advice and the ball finally went in. At the end of tryouts, the coach announced, “Congratulations, everyone. You all made the team. Practice starts tomorrow.” I was ecstatic and relieved. For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t thinking about him. I had finally found a new passion.

III. On the first day of practice, I stepped into the gym with a mix of excitement and nervousness. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the constant thud of basketballs bouncing. The coach greeted us with a firm yet encouraging tone, “Alright, team, let’s get started. Today we’ll focus on basic drills and get to know each other.”We began with warm-up exercises: stretching our arms and legs and jogging laps around the court. I tried to shake off my anxiety, concentrating on keeping pace with the rest of the team. Once we finished warming up, we lined up with a basketball in hand.Our first drill was dribbling. We weaved through a series of cones, aiming to improve our control and speed. I struggled to maintain a smooth rhythm, my hand coordination was terrible as I ran down the court. I even stumbled and fell. The coach kept reminding me to keep my head up and stay low. His tips on proper dribbling helped me regain my confidence.Next, we moved on to shooting practice. I remembered my earlier difficulties but hoped today would be different. The coach demonstrated the correct shooting form, emphasizing the importance of a good follow-through. As I took my shots, I concentrated on using my wrist correctly, trying to use what I had learned.During a water break, I chatted with a few of my new teammates: Amijah, Javel, and Kimora. Their friendly and supportive attitudes made me feel more comfortable. As practice wrapped up, the coach gathered us one last time. “Great first day, everyone. We have a lot of work ahead, but if we stay committed, we’ll improve quickly. See you all tomorrow.”Walking out of the gym, I felt a wave of satisfaction. I had made it through my first practice and learned a lot. More importantly, I was doing something new and exciting, and for the first time in a long while, my thoughts weren’t about him. Basketball was beginning to feel like a place where I could truly belong.