Opening Ed Narrative-Christi

In the beginning of junior year,my boyfriend broke up with me. He was grieving the loss of his aunt which made us grew apart.I was so depressed.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 feeling helpless.Eventually,Shamya suggested“We should join the basketball team this year.”She thought this would give us something to do other than academics. 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 already 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 an 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.

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 one of my new teammate, Amijah. She said “you’re doing really good,just keep it up.” That meant alot to me since she was one of the best.She was really good at 3-point shots and her footwork was super impressive.Her 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 so satisfied. 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.