Me: "Oh person, that's easy. It's the sound of basketball shoes squeaking on a gym floor!"
Someone: "Really?"
Me: "YES!"
I love basketball. I love to play and I love to watch. I love to yell and cheer and scream until I'm hoarse. I love the teamwork and the energy on a court. I love that in a few short seconds momentum and leads can change.
As a general rule of the universe these last few years however, it seems that the basketball gods have been against me because all the teams I cheer for are terrible. Lose by 30 terrible. Win one game a season terrible. It's been a bit devastating to see my Runnin' Utes, who at the time of my youth and when I was a Ute dominated (well, they were good), turned to the rubble of the basketball world. It's been hard to watch my brother give so much of himself on a court for a losing, head case team.
This year though....
This year is different.
At least for the Wolverines! The Utes? The suck worse than ever and I just cannot bring myself to talk about it. But the Mighty Wolverines started their season this week and (knock on wood) are 2-0 and there is a spark on the court that gives my basketball gene a brain freeze.
Last Wednesday's game against East High School was truly one of the most fun high school basketball games I've been to in my life. We came back from behind and were the WINNING TEAM. Something that never would have happened for last year's bad news bears. Yes, the fans taunted my brother, calling him Albino - which he is not by the way. He's just very pale! Yes, we came from behind and no, East high fans we don't "still suck".
Fast forward to Friday night. The opponent was Logan high school a team that got the opportunity to beat our guys twice last year while taunting with racial slurs and bigotry. I think all of us watching, and maybe some of the boys were a bit nervous and going down by 20 in the first quarter definitely didn't bode well for a victory.
But, these boys rallied. They jumped out of the gym and rebounded and ran plays and boxed out. They cheered each other on. They locked arms on the sideline. They smiled, they laughed. They were excited. They loved basketball.
And they won!
They rallied and they won.
There are a lot of things that I find fun in life but there are few that compare to the energy in a gym when your team is winning. It's easy to always find fault with youth sports and as my brother has been through so many programs I'm often one of the first to jump on the complain train. But....BUt....BUT....seeing these boys who I know, seeing my brother and his team win? There isn't really anything else more fun than that.
Well, there is one thing more fun. Reading my brother's tweets after the games. That is pretty fun.
1 comment:
Can't wait to see them play!!!!!
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