I played several different sports when I was in High School. I was not the best athlete in our school but I worked hard to earn a spot in several sports. I ran Cross Country for two years and earned a Varsity letter in my sophomore year. I also played shortstop for two years on our baseball team.
But my favorite sport in High School was basketball. I made the freshman and Junior Varsity teams and I played on the varsity squad in my junior and senior year. My teammates voted me the captain our senior year.
I loved the ebb and flow of basketball. It was non-stop up and down the court. We did have some set plays that we tried to run but you learned to adapt to your opponents different defensive strategies.
We normally had two games a week against other schools in our division. But we also had practice every day after school on non-game days. I remember shooting free throws at the end of each practice. We had to make ten free throws in a row before we could head for the showers. Our coach reminded us that free throws could make the difference between winning and losing at the end of a game. The most points I scored in one game in my high school career was thirteen and most of them were free throws!
My position was point guard. My job was to pass the basketball to other players on our team to help them score a basket. I think my coach preferred that I pass the ball to the better shooters on our team. He told me to not shoot the ball unless I was all alone under our basket! I also had to stop the other team from getting a fast break or open shot at their end of the floor. I didn’t score many points but I had a lot of fun.
Let me encourage you to encourage your teens to join a sports team, orchestra, choir or club at their high school. Every student needs a place to belong. There are service clubs and special interest groups that offer many different options for high school students. Help your student to find a place to connect on their campus. They will be glad you did and you will too.
Read 365 more stories by the author in his book Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper. Purchase a copy for only $20 plus postage ($5). Order your today at markh@efreedb.org.
Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper 