The clock was slowly ticking away as we progressed in overtime. We were down by two, and I received the ball. With no time to spare, I shot the ball just inside the three point line. I missed, and the buzzer rang in my ear like an annoying alarm clock that you never want to hear. “Game over,” I thought. Just then a whistle was blown, and the referee announced that there was a foul on the final shot. There was a mix of noises from the crowd, and that is when I realized that I would be the one to determine the outcome of the game; this time by shooting free-throws. Just me, alone on the court with the pressure of having to make both free throws; otherwise we lose. That is when the nerves set in. Steve Nash once said, “You have to rely on your preparation. You got to really be passionate and try to prepare more than anyone else, and put yourself in a position to succeed, and when the moment comes you got to enjoy, relax, breathe and rely on your preparation so that you can perform and not be anxious or filled with doubt.” Being nervous is a common state of being for me whether it is in school, talking to people in public, and, of course, athletics. However, if I know I am prepared and trust in my training, it is important to remember that the rest will come easily, and there is no reason to doubt myself.

Ever since I was young, I have always dreamed of playing varsity sports. Watching my sisters and cousins play influenced me to work hard in order to achieve these goals. The first game I was taught was basketball, and I fell in love with the sport instantly. I would go outside and shoot hoops for hours not only to make my shot better, but because it gave me pleasure. My friends also loved the game, and we participated in scrimmages every Saturday against other girls at our school. Because of this, my friend’s dad mentioned to the parents that we should put together a traveling basketball team. He coached a few of our sisters before, so it seemed like a great idea. This was a big deal to me. We would travel to other schools and compete against teams that we had never played before. As the season continued on, we grew and improved each game and even began to play at more competitive tournaments. This was a completely different experience, and it gave us a taste of how physical the game is. Even though this experience was scary at the time, it definitely helped make me a better basketball player, and my love for the sport continued to grow.

As I continued to grow and mature, I started to realize how much work it would take to reach my first goal for basketball which was to play varsity by my sophomore year. I begged my mom to let me attend Snow Valley, for my friends had gone before and told me that it was a great experience. I ended up going two years in a row, and I can honestly say it helped me improve my fundamentals, become more aggressive, and grow as a player. Our team also went to several team camps over the summer to give us more experience, and I tried to make it to every open gym that I could. During my freshman year, I played on the freshman level and also got playing time on the junior varsity level. Our practices were challenging, especially the first week, but I was constantly trying to push myself, as was the rest of the team. Our team was solid, and we only had one loss so far, but our next game was against Monticello which would be a challenge. We spent that whole week preparing for the game and when the time came, we knew we had prepared ourselves enough to be successful.

Dribbling down the court, I looking for a girl to pass to. The only person open is Brenna, so I quickly gave her the ball, trusting that she would make a move. She scored, now onto defense. I remember finding my girl and thinking, “Do not let her touch the ball.” We were already in overtime due to a last minute shot made by one of our post players. We needed three points to win and two points to go into double overtime, and time was running out. Timeout called. There was less than 30 seconds left on the clock, and we had the ball on the opposite end of the floor which was a major disadvantage. We set up a play, and when our 30 seconds of rest was over, we darted on to the court like a swarm of bees.  Within a matter of seconds, the whistle was blown, and Stephanie was frantically looking for a girl to pass to. She inbounded the ball, and after a series of passes, I received the ball. I knew time was running out, and I would have to shoot the final shot that determined whether we lost or went into double over time. At the very last second, I shot the ball just inside the three point line with a girl guarding me. I missed and the buzzer rang in my ear like an annoying alarm clock that you never want to hear. “Game over,” I thought. Just then a whistle was blown, and the referee announced that there was a foul on the final shot. There was a mix of noises from the crowd, and that is when I realized that I would be the one to determine the outcome of the game; this time by shooting free-throws.

Down by two points in overtime, no time left on the clock, and me, just me, on the court left to shoot two free-throws. This meant that even if I made one, it would not benefit our team enough to help us have a chance at winning. Even though it was a JV game, the stands were becoming full, and the JV boys of both teams were standing in the corner waiting for their delayed game. My teammates were trying their best to reassure me that I had the capability of doing it, but I was not sure. I remember the referee coming up to me and saying, “If you make both of these, you will be the town hero for a day.” He may have been exaggerating, but his comment made me even more nervous than I was before. He passed me the ball; I suddenly felt weak. I looked at both teams. My team was trying to hide how nervous they were, and our competition seemed happy, almost as if they were positive I would not make both shots. I did my normal routine. Dribble, dribble, spin the ball, line up my shot. My hands were sweaty which is unusual for me. I stared at the rim and let the ball slowly release from my hand as I finished my follow through. Swish. The crowd was cheering, and I was happy for a second until I remembered I had to shoot another free-throw. The same routine happened; dribble, dribble, spin the ball, line up my shot. As I watched my release, I knew it did not feel as smooth as the one before. The whole gym watched closely as the ball hit one side of the rim, hit the other side of the rim, and miraculously fall through the net. My team and the stands went crazy; I was overcome with emotions. I have never felt so relieved, happy, and in awe all at the same time. As we were cheering, one of our teammates quickly reminded us, “The game’s not over yet. Let’s finish this.”
During double overtime, the game was close, but not as nerve wracking as it was before. It was evident that our team was more prepared and shape compared to them because they could no longer keep up with us, and our lead started to expand. Fortunately, we won and during our team huddle afterwards, my coaches and teammates were overjoyed with the outcome. We could tell it would be a story to tell for a while. When leaving the locker room, several people continued to congratulate me and talk about my nerve-wracking free-throws. My family could not contain their excitement, and they all had to give me hugs. People were texting me, tweeting at me, and telling me “Good game,” even if I had never talked to them before. It was a great feeling. Throughout the following week, the teachers and students continued to talk about this crazy experience and there was even an article in the newspaper about it. The one congratulations that I will always remember came from one of my teammate’s moms. Not only did she say nice job, but she recognized that I did not let this moment get in my head. She noticed that I stayed humble afterwards, appreciating the thanks, but letting them know that even though the game came down to my free-throws,  it was completely a team effort. Knowing that she saw such good character shine through me, made me feel even better about this victory. In conclusion, even though this experience was terribly nerve-wracking at the time, it helped me realize that if I have come prepared and trust in my training, there is no reason to doubt my abilities, just like Steve Nash said