It's funny how in your mind you want something to end, but deep down inside, you know you can't let go. I started playing select basketball at age 11 and knew once I started, I had to finish. It was hard at first getting use to playing basketball in general because I never really played when I was younger, but as time went on, I grew into a much stronger player. Not only did I begin to love the game more and more each year, but I gained 9 new amazing friendships that I could cherish for the rest of my life. We treated each other like sisters and maybe we weren't all best friends at school, but when it came to basketball we were as tight as a rubber band. Through all my years of select basketball, I may forget the games and the teams we played, but I know I will always remember the 9 phenomenal girls who were always there for me and truly made select basketball the joy it was meant to be.
The crazy thing is I have been playing with some of these girls ever since select started, which was in 5th grade. Obviously with sports there are many changes with teams such as, adding new girls and loosing some girls. Adding new girls to our team was never really a problem though because every girl on my team was friendly and good at making the new players feel welcomed. By the last year of basketball my team consisted of the most spectacular girls in the world! We all worked together and people may believe you don't need to be close with a team to do well, but our record for the last four years was 161 wins and 20 losses, which is really good. Our coach would always tell us, "Good teams always find a way to win." I know this quote wouldn't have worked if our team wouldn't have been so close.
It's interesting watching us work together on the basketball court, and then watching us together just hanging out. The personalities change drastically. For example, my friend MacKenzie could be one of the most competitive people I have ever met. She's aggressive on the court and doesn't stop working until the time runs out, but when it comes to just a normal conversation she is super sweet and just a regular girl. Another example is my friend Katie. She has a tendency to give people very dirty looks on the court, but off the court she's just a girl who loves everyone. The biggest change of person would have to be my coach because one second he would be screaming at us saying that we do everything wrong and the next second he would be hugging us saying were the best team he's ever coached. It was interesting watching the change in personalities with my team.
It really was amazing how well my team worked together. Not one of the girls on my team was ever bullied and we always stuck up for eachother. On the other hand there are many teams that do not work together. A team I know that doesn't work well together is the Pewaukee 8th grade boys football team. They all yell at each other and never work together. I believe that the reason why they have lost so many games is because they can't work together. Some people on the team boss others around because they think they're the best. The other half of the team just follows the people that think they're the best around. Our basketball team never really ran into anything like this. At the end of the day yes there is a best player, but we never bossed others around. We encouraged each other instead.
As time went on, select basketball was coming to an end. Our last game was full of tears. Knowing inside you would never have this team again was heartbreaking, but you couldn't just think about the fact that this team was over, you had to be happy that this team was made in the first place. For the last four years my team and I had created many good and bad memories for the future. My main memory though, these 9 sensational girls, will truly be in my heart forever. This team was more than I could ask for. The way we all worked together and cared for one another was unbelievable. I could have been unlucky and joined a team that argued all the time, but I was blessed with 9 amazing girls that I will never forget.
