The basketball court is a place that I deeply appreciate and appreciate. I literally call this place my second home. Whenever I need to relieve stress or just play for fun, it does it for me. This place varies in appearance but serves the same purpose. It doesn't matter if it's indoors or outdoors, it's still a ball and a dream. I'm so happy to play basketball because it really highlighted so much of my life. Looking at me knowing that I play basketball and that's what I love, you probably think I played that for a while and that's all I did growing up. Well, I actually started out as a dancer. I danced from 2004 to 2007 at Rhythm Technique in Greenville. It wasn't until I was about seven that I started playing basketball. My uncle, Big Trayal, played basketball for his high school and AAU in the summer. I went to all his games to see him put on a show. At his AAU games, I would carry a basketball and bounce next to the bleachers while he played on the court. At halftime, I was the only girl on the court, shooting the ball with two hands and my feet kicking backwards as I rose from the floor literally standing two feet in front of the basketball. This was as they gathered to talk about the first half and discuss what they would do better in the second half. Then I would have to go back to the stands sitting between my grandmother and grandfather after they kicked me off the field to start the warm-up to prepare for the second half. This experience is what inspired me to write my basketball court essay, in which I detail the significance of this place and how it shaped me into the person I am today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay I basically grew up being outside playing from dawn to dusk with my brothers and cousins. We went from playing tag, swimming, kickball, basketball, or any other activity that involves running or teamwork. Basketball was obviously our favorite and what we played the most until someone got angry or hurt. At my great-grandmother's house, it was a small, porch-sized patch of red dirt surrounded by grass, with about an 8-foot piece of wood plowed into the ground that also held up the wooden backboard. Wood plowed into the ground was spray painted the color of gingerbread brown. The backboard was off-white in color and was barely attached to the wood due to the basketball bouncing off the red clay and hitting the backboard. That was our “basketball court”. My cousins, brothers and I shot for “captain,” meaning if you shot behind the clay you could pick your teammates first and get the ball first. Our grandparents' favorite phrase was, "Don't get your ass out there in that red dirt!" So, we found a way around the problem, even if it meant shooting basketballs off the grass or passing people from one end of the yard to the other while pretending we were still on the court. When I was in fourth grade, I played basketball for the Upward Stars at Brushy Creek Baptist Church. It was basically a church basketball league where every Saturday you played against a team of your age and gender group. Obviously I knew the game and I probably thought I was Maya Moore at the time, but if I compare myself to today, my game has changed drastically. After playing, our team would be rewarded with 1 star to iron on the jersey we received at the start of the season. Our actions, attitudes and words on the dayof the match will determine which star we receive. Each star was a different color and each meant something special. The color of the stars was white, blue, gold, gray and red. A star would represent one of these actions; effort, sportsmanship, attack, defense, or Christlikeness. I think that's when my journey finally began and I saw what potential I have mentally, athletically, spiritually and socially. In fifth grade I played basketball for an all-boys church team. We practiced at Temple Evangelistic Baptist Church (ET) every Wednesday, but every Saturday we played a different team from the church. Playing with all the boys and being the only girl turned me into the basketball player I currently am. I was exposed to a completely different style of basketball that really improved me and helped me become a better basketball player. It made me more aggressive, faster and more advanced than girls my age. I also learned valuable skills that I probably wouldn't have learned from playing against girls all the time. After the championship game, while I was playing church ball for ET, a middle-aged man named Rick Boone, came up to me, introduced himself, and asked me if I played AAU for anyone. Of course I didn't, so my answer was, "No." He was basically telling me that he had never seen a girl for one play on a boys basketball team and for two with so much potential at this age. He wanted me to play for his AAU team, Upper Level Pride. I was shy at first, but my grandmother encouraged me to go out and see if I liked it. I played AAU basketball for Rick Boone every summer from 6th to 11th grade. We trained every Monday and Wednesday to prepare for the tournament next weekend. The tournaments were local and out of town, including the states, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. If they were out of town, they were more than likely exposure tournaments where you showcased your skills in front of college coaches to get looks and scholarships. Playing with other teams from around the world has made me a better team and individual player. In 7th and 8th grade, I played middle school basketball for League Academy. It was a little scary playing organized basketball for the first time. In seventh grade I earned a starting spot through hard work in practice and we lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Personally I think we had an overall better team in 7th grade than in 8th grade. Our team was much smaller, it was as if we only had guards and no stations. That's why I was surprised that we went to the championship and won it. We also didn't lose a game on the season, so our overall record was 15-0. Now I've gone from middle school basketball to high school basketball. The speed of the game is different with greater intensity on the pitch. You're playing freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, all on the same team. Freshman year after tryouts, the head coach, Coach Burrow, and the two assistant coaches spoke to each player individually in his office and asked them how they thought they performed during tryouts and if they made the team. If they were on the team, they would play JV or Varsity. Trying out freshman year with nearly 60 girls, the coach only filling a few spots for Varsity was already exhausting, but walking into the coach's office was more intimidating. When I sat down on the couch, the first question he asked me was, "How do you think you did in the auditions?" I replied, “I think I did well, I guess,” with my voice shaking. He said I had been part of the.