This year. This team. This moment. This was everything.
This was my senior year of high school. Yes, I’m the tiny brown-haired midget in the front, and yes, believe it or not, I actually played basketball…on a championship team no less. While this group was extremely talented, we were not expected to win. We were not favored. Not many believed that it was possible. Except for us.
And for us…winning was a decision. We decided that we were good enough. That we could work hard enough. That LOSING WAS NOT AN OPTION. We put in the work. Our coaches pushed us. We pushed harder. We stuck by each other. We did not leave any teammate behind. That year if one person screwed up and had to run sprints…the whole team was running sprints right there alongside that person.
We knew that we couldn’t just step onto the court and win the championship. It had to be earned. But we also knew that we were capable of doing so. We took it in small steps. We said before each individual game, “On this day, we will not lose. On this day…WE WILL WIN.” We made the decision. We created the vision. No hiccups, mistakes, or even horrible injuries would get in our way. We would persevere. We would prevail. And we did.
And we did it, while LOVING it. I remember walking the halls or through the gym with my teammates smiling or laughing, shouting, “I SAID ‘I LOVE BASKETBALL!’” We were living the dream. And while it was hard work to get there, we loved every minute of it.
As a former athlete, I have craved for years to feel that passion again. That feeling that if you work hard enough, you can truly achieve something great. That if you work together, you can do great things. That team bond that you share day in and day out. That sisterhood. That if you just believe in yourself, anything is possible. And the fact that you have a team who also believes in you just builds you up. That if you just DECIDE together that you will do it…you will.
It’s difficult to find something in adult life that emulates the feeling you get of playing team sports in high school or college. It’s also difficult to find something that gets you in shape like you once were in those days! Life is not so simple and carefree anymore. Yes there was homework and college applications and boyfriends back then. But in retrospect, that was simple compared to husbands and children, jobs to do and bills to pay. It seems our schedules get busier and busier each year and we have less time to devote to our passions and interests, let alone our health and fitness.
I don’t ever know if I will feel that SAME feeling that I once had of being on that high school basketball team. I think it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. However, I do feel that I have come pretty close.
I am building a career out of helping others, while at the same time keeping myself accountable for my own journey. I am a part of an INCREDIBLE team of individuals who build me up each and every day. We believe in each other and we believe in ourselves. And I know we won’t be giving up, because once again LOSING IS NOT AN OPTION. We made a decision. We have created our vision. And together we will be building better lives for ourselves and our families while helping others do the same. And the bonus? We truly LOVE it. We wake up each day excited about what’s to come and the potential on the horizon. We are consistent every day. And ON THIS DAY…WE WILL WIN.
XO,
Gina
