By: Emily Bott
For the past three seasons I have
played on the Davis High Girls’ Basketball team. I have learned valuable life
lessons about hard work, service to others, and how to have a positive outlook
on life in tough situations from my basketball experience.
When I was in seventh grade I was cut
from the basketball team. I was crushed. However, I knew I really wanted to
play basketball. From that point on I began working on my game. During every
summer following my seventh grade year I practiced dribbling and shooting.
Eventually I became a starter on the high school team. My senior year I started
every game. I know through hard work and perseverance that any dream is a
possibility.
During the three Christmas season’s
our basketball team had the opportunity to volunteer for the “Shop with A Cop”
program. This is a program where local cops come together with under privileged
children and shop for Christmas gifts. Knowing these children had grown up with
practically nothing made me truly grateful for my blessings. It was an eye
opening experience for me to see people living in situations that I was not
accustomed to. It helped me realize how much people suffer, and yet these
children who had nothing in the world’s view still had so much love for their
families as they tried to stretch their $100 to provide Christmas for their
entire family. Seeing the joy in the children’s faces as I wrapped their gifts
and listening to them excitedly share with me the significance of each gift was
a pivotal moment for me.
During my junior and senior
basketball seasons I served as a captain on the team. I was the only
underclassman to be chosen my junior year. It was a good opportunity for me to
learn how to work with the older girls, my peers, and adults. This was a huge
leap for me because I was now representing myself and Davis High in a bigger
way. This past year as a senior I also
was a captain but this time with the girls my own age. This taught me a lot
about responsibility. Whether it was texting the girls to remind them about an early
morning Saturday practice, giving small Christmas gifts, hosting team parties
and dinners, or just an encouraging “good job” or high five these simple acts
of service helped me develop a deep bond with all of them. I learned a great
lesson in team unity through this experience; whether you’re the star or the least
talented player on the team everyone is important and means a lot to the
success of the team.
I also learned how to have a positive
attitude when things are tough. Girls basketball can be challenging with so
many different personalities brought together every day. My attitude affected
my performance as well as the team as a whole. Even on the days that were hard
I learned that keeping a positive outlook on life enabled me to go far! “Attitude
is altitude” has been a saying that I have found to be true. The more positive
I am the more things that go right.
Davis Girls’ Basketball has taught me
how to work hard, serve others, and how to stay positive when things get hard!
This is a submission for the 2012-2013 graduation scholarship sponsored by <a href="http://www.honorsgraduation.com/">Honors Graduation</a>.
