I have learned a great many things from participating in High school Basketball. It has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. In the eighth grade, I was shy, had low self-esteem and turned away from seemingly impossible challenges. Playing Basketball altered all of these qualities.
On my first of try out practice, I was Petrified. There were these large, muscular, solidly built boys who looked like Norse Vikings. As well as the scrawny, pathetic looking kids who looked like they would fly away in the wind; like myself, all standing together. It was true that I had quite remarkable ball handling skills, but the sheer confidence and masculinity of the other kids made me doubt my abilities. We warmed up with a game of 3v3 knockout. The players were split up and the game began. However, during the game, I noticed that I was not running as hard as I could, nor did I try to evade my defender and get open. The fact of the matter is that I detested the thought of receiving the ball, and I did my level best to seem ineffective to the game. I did not want to be the player at fault who dropped the ball and subsequently ruined the play. I tried to repel the responsibility of helping my team because I was too afraid of making a mistake and letting down my teammates. This aspect of my character dictated my behaviour during the first years of my high school life. Being a highly self-conscious, 14 year old adolescent, I also refrained from asking questions in class, afraid