I'm so sorry that it's been 2 whole months since my last post. Fall 2014 has been jam-packed with fun and adventure, and sadly my writing took a backseat. But I'm back and ready to dive back in. So here we go.
Today I would like to talk about Life and Basketball (yes, this was meant to conjure up happy, nostalgic memories of the 2000 hit Love and Basketball, probably my most favourite movie of all time, but I digress). In October, I made the decision to get involved with our local intra-city, basketball association. As a stay at home mum for just over a year and a half, I was starting to feel like I was losing myself a bit in my full-time role as mummy. After exploring a number of volunteer opportunities, I (not surprisingly) found myself drawn to this particular basketball association.
For anyone that knows me, you will know that basketball played an integral role in my teenage and young adult life (beyond being a heart healthy activity). For me, it promoted healthy relationships (when I found myself running with some rough crowds), it taught goal development (when life's obstacles seemed too tough to surmount), and self control (when my attitude was rearing it's ugly head) and encouraged dreams (when my young mind felt muted). I have nothing but utmost respect for my fellow players, coaches and referees, all of whom helped direct me down the path I am on today (which is a pretty darn good one).
I was excited to again be a part of the sport which had given me so much over the years. After joining the executive, I was given the opportunity to co-coach two teams. The first being a group of 5-7 year olds, the second a team of 14-18 year old ladies. While I could anticipate the challenges a large group of little kids with basketballs could bring, I was in no way prepared for the challenges that would come with the teenage girls. After all, I was a teenage girl not that long ago, so I would totally "get" them, right?
Right?!
Wrong.
I was a 14 years old, 14 years ago, and in teenager-land, that makes me one of the furthest things from a teenager.
I might as well have walked into that gym with a walker.
However, after the inital shock of old age wore off, I realized that I was staring straight at myself (or 8 of me) 14 years ago, and I began to think. If I could go back and talk to myself 14 years ago, what would I want to say? Or better yet, what would 14 year old me want to hear?
It was time to reflect. What I loved so much about playing basketball, was that it allowed me to have a hint of control over one aspect of the chaos that is teenage life. With sex, drugs and rock n' roll hiding around every corner, the basketball court was a place of predictability and stability. It was a rock for me. My coaches didn't try to be my best friends, and they didn't try to be my parents. They treated me like an colleague, a grown up, they let me make decisions and supported me through the outcomes, be they sucessess or consequences. Most of all they never hesitated to convey how much they believed in me, not just as an athlete, or player, but as an individual capable of doing great things in life. They didn't always do this by holding my hand through tough times, or patting me on the back when I did good, but through challenging me to be better, to be my best.
I could never thank these men and women enough, and they will never know how much their presence in my life impacted me. These people were all volunteers and didn't have to be there for a group of (sometimes obnoxious) teenagers, but they were, every week, for the better part of many years.
Now the tables have turned, and I find myself standing in their shoes (mighty big shoes to fill). Do I feel a bit like an imposter? Of course. Do I worry that I will say or do the wrong thing, and send these girls down a path of chaos and destruction? Every time I enter the gym.
So I've been challenging myself to step back and appreciate that by simply showing up, I'm giving these girls a great opportunity to be in control of that small piece of their worlds. Likewise, they are giving me an opportunity to reclaim a bit of myself that has been tucked away under my mum jeans.
And I'm cool with that (for the record, that is NOT what the kids are saying these days).
Until next time friends,
- A
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| Taking a break from my Masters to shoot some hoops! Circa 2012 |
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