Hard work played as my life style to prepare myself for this particular season. Sweat constantly dripped off my face as my feet under me moved swiftly across the smooth wooden court. With my eyes on the prize, nothing could stop me. The beast inside me had been trapped for too long and it was only a matter of time before it broke free. Every shot I took longed for perfection as my arm stretched out with finger tips down. Success filled my lungs whenever I struggled to breathe while working towards my goal. All I could think about was how great the feeling would be when I finally get to prove myself to someone who looks down upon me. Sacrificing my time, effort, and life to get better at the game I love meant to put aside pride and fear as well as doubt.

My love for the game of basketball as overwhelmed me with passion that roars like sea during a storm. Little details of the game on and off the court are what I fall in love with every moment I get to play. The roundness of the ball that symbolizes no end and all the tiny little bumps that my fingers gently slide against while touching the ball sends chills down my spine. The fast pace of the game skyrockets my adrenaline every second the clock strikes down. As I am in the zone yet surrounded by the many noises coming from crowd, a type of peace releases within me and throughout my mind; I was simply calming the storm with the thought of winning. Opportunities are never delivered as a gift, they are taken. I knew it was my time to steal an opportunity that had been taunting me for years. I was finally ready for this basketball season to start.

Unfortunately, all of the sudden my dreams of becoming the best I could be shattered in a matter of one night. I woke up from my sleep with a sore throat that made it very difficult to breathe. My heart dropped down into my rib cage whenever I looked into the mirror and saw white spots on the back of the throat that had grown overnight. Although my symptoms of exhaustion and weakness stung throughout my body, my mind was determined to stay on the court no matter what circumstance came across my path. My mother ended up taking me to the doctor and tested me for strep and mono. When the doctor walked back in the cold bright room with an unpleasant look on her face, I knew something was wrong. I had come down with the case mono. At first I thought it was no big deal and I would surely recover in no time, but that was not the case. This sickness caused my body to slowly shut down by draining out every ounce of energy I had left inside me. This was only the beginning to a long journey.

Fighting with all the power I had left, I made my recovery time faster so that I could play again. I missed quite a few games and practices during that time but I never lost sight of the prize I strived for. Every day I gained back my strength and energy to preform to my advantage. Although my mindset had been to defeat my opponents and serve my teammates as an example on the court, my role for that season became to be a leader off the court. What I did not realize was that I would never step back on that court as a threat for the rest of the season. For my authority to give up on me and make me watch as all my other teammates get to play changed my way of thinking. I fell into depression because I could not express the passion I had for the game that I love. All my hard work and effort now became a waste of time. Once I faced the reality that stabbed me in the back, I learn many different lessons on how to become a warrior off the court. I developed good sportsmanship habits and taught myself how to encourage my teammates. I fell in love with game all over again because I got to see it from a different perspective. My path to victory after all my hard work had collided and swerved into a new path leading to self-respect and more motivation to become great. Even though no one else believed in me, I knew that I had to make a choice to believe in myself and keep striving for the prize. Bridges were burned but in the end, lessons were learned. No matter what obstacles I faced, I kept in mind that faith was the only way leading to victory.