Dana Levine -- Week 16 -- The End of An Era

     Yes, I am writing about basketball once again. I know this is practically my third or fourth time, but I felt it was necessary this week especially. I owe a special tribute to my career ending…

    I grew up in a very athletic family, and since it was humanly possible, my dad taught me how to dribble a ball. I played competitive once I was 6--because “I didn’t want to play with the boys” when I was 5, so I waited until the leagues were separated. I love watching videos from those West Boca Basketball games as everyone is running around not knowing anything about basketball. At that age, it was all just people whose parents put them into a sport to test it out, and I just watched as they couldn’t dribble a ball without it bouncing off of their foot. My dad says that I was able to dribble with both hands when I was really young and he saw the most natural talent in me out of my siblings. The potential was there, but the effort declined as the league got more competitive. I have never been the type of person to gravitate towards one thing and focus on just that one thing. I have always liked trying new things and being involved in a bunch of different things. And that is the explanation of how my sister’s basketball career went much further than my own. I preferred to try the school play, dance, and tennis, instead of putting all of my attention into one sport.

    Anyway, as I grew up, my love for the sport declined, and it started to cause more anxiety than anything else. I hated all of the pressure in the travel league, since, like I said, I never fully committed myself to getting better outside of practices. I did the bare minimum and even started to not like that. So, as school work piled up on top of basketball practices, school play rehearsals, and basketball tournaments, I decided that it would be for the best if I quit travel.

    I continued on the school team from 5th grade all the way to senior year. It’s so nostalgic knowing that this past Tuesday was my last basketball game ever, after over a decade of commitment. Maybe I will play intramural in college or play for my sorority if they have a team--although sorority girls are not the type I see playing basketball. But, who knows...Either way, it was my last game with my dad as my coach, after he has been coaching me since I was 6. It’s so crazy to think about that after all of the dedication and hours I put into the sport, it is over. I can play for fun, of course, whenever I want, but nothing compares to the games and playing with Amy since we were 7. I’m not ready to let it go yet and I’m realizing that everything is coming to an end as we are all slowly getting ready for college. This is so sad and I hate thinking about this stuff, so I don’t really know why I wrote my blog about this.

   Anyway, is there something nostalgic that you are letting go as you transition into college??