Girls’ basketball is essentially a synonym for disaster at my high School. Considering the boys’ basketball team is included in the state rankings, the girls’ basketball team consists of eight players. Though, it hasn’t always been this way. I have been playing basketball from the time I was in seventh grade, all my best friends, too. We weren’t there to win; we wanted to have fun and maybe that would lead us to a few victories.

When freshman year came around, it was time to try out for the high school team. It was obvious who was going to be on which team. My friend Gerda had been playing since she was four, so they were practically waiting for her on varsity. Most of my other friends played JV, whereas I enjoyed my time on the freshman team. I wasn’t ashamed of it because I was having a great time. We were all waiting for the year that our class would dominate on the varsity level and we could all play together – at least I was. However, there was something about the varsity team that seemed toxic. Every time a player moved up to varsity, they quit by the next year, some not even staying for the full season. It was astonishing to watch as I went on to win championships at the JV level. There were ten of us that walked into that intimidating gymnasium that first day of tryouts our freshman year, and by the end of our sophomore year, there were only three left.

The beginning of our junior year, basketball had begun and our program had encountered a huge cut in the numbers. Our varsity team had ten players, only five upperclassmen. I was hesitant to continue my basketball career as I was only really playing to have fun with my friends, but I decided to give the varsity team a chance. When I first stepped onto the court, with the few seniors we had left – who obtained far more varsity experience than me – it was like a whole new version of basketball. I was out of the loop, in fact, so far out of the loop that I got yelled at by not only the coaches, but also the seniors. Physically, I was at practice; mentally, however, I was not. When the coaches were whipping up new plays, I was still attempting to master the old ones. And while the seniors were having the time of their lives, I was embarrassed to even step onto the court. The constant cycle of defeat took an extreme toll on my mental health; I was becoming someone I never thought I would be – a quitter. Yet, as much as I thought I was failing, the coaches saw something else. I was appointed team captain; this completely changed my perception of the season.

Despite my inability to keep up with the seniors or my lack of varsity experience, to the few freshmen on the team, I was a professional, or at least, I acted as such. The role I possessed as a team captain not only boosted my confidence on the court, but as well as off the court. I became fearless due to the thought of others thinking of me as a leader. The underclassmen looked to me for help and I was more than willing to provide them with such, as I had been in that position not long before them. I flipped my quitting attitude into a confident attitude – finally someone I wanted to be. This helped me earn a spot on the Student Athlete Leadership Team at our school and I received a sportsmanship award from the North Suburban Conference (NSC).

Although my view of basketball completely changed in the span of one season, I endured so much personal growth that eventually led me to success during my junior and senior year.