LoveWorksStill

One of the unexpected opportunities here recently in my life of busyness has been to support a college girls’ basketball team.  I fell in love with basketball at a young age, and it has and forever will hold a special place in my heart due to why I ever started.  I will share that story another day.

I asked recently if there was anything that I could do to help the coach with the ladies.  During football season, a few of them expressed their interest in having a female influence around.  I know how I am, I overcommit myself.  So many things can and will thrive without my input and with that running across my mind, I talked myself out of doing it.  Being forced or led into opportunities that I didn’t have time for has caused me to “put a pin” on the idea until a later date.  Talk about self-sabotage. 

Around January of 2022, I decided to just be around for game days.  Embrace the echoes of basketballs hitting the floor, the rim, and me during warmups.  I prayed for the girls before and after the game.  I kept a record of the goals for each game while trying not to overtalk from behind the bench.  Then the thoughts of, “Do you know what you are talking about?” and “You don’t have the college experience of playing ball to guide these ladies. What are you doing?  They shouldn’t trust you!” rolled in.  Yep, this is the kind of thing that I found myself playing over and over in my head.  Funny thing is that when I stepped in the locker room the first day, I didn’t give them a chance to find out my credibility.   It was given up front.  But what I didn’t tell them was my “WHY”.

Season is over and now I get to build a rapport with them. The thing I can do without feeling unqualified is workout like a crazy person.  Let’s work.  I can sit and eat with them.  I like to eat.  “Hey, can you come tomorrow to scrimmage with the girls?” WAIT, WHAT?  I had to ask, “Am I playing or am I watching?”  Didn’t get out of that too fast.  Coach told me that I would be the tenth player.

I laughed with an internal fear because now I have to produce what I kept talking to them about in the season.  I had not played full court or even pickup basketball in over 7 years!  Ugh, I thought about how this was going to go.  It could either be bad or REALLY bad.  Either way, I was going to show up.  Oh, but was I scared!  

Stretched it out even though I felt totally like an old lady!  I am a beast with working out, but playing basketball again was beyond my body, so I thought.  I don’t even think I own a good pair of basketball shoes anymore.  My ankles were crying, “Be careful and don’t embarrass us!” My teammate shot to see if we would be on offense or defense first .  She missed and that put me right in my comfort zone.  DEFENSE BABY!

I was the Defensive Player of the Year 3 years in high school.  I also held the rebounding record for a few years after I graduated.  Give me the “trash baskets” and stick me on your most solid, all-around player.  

Let’s just say that I didn’t feel like I embarrassed myself at all during these games.  I actually impressed myself at my speed, my ability to move, and my eye for the court.  The last time I played at my high school reunion game, I don’t remember playing this well.  The thing that I feared most was to lose these girls  respect due to not being able to produce what I preached.  I mean, I shot a few air balls from the baseline as I was trying to find my range, but I will take that.

We don’t always know our own potential until we put ourselves to the test.  Do I miss playing? Yes, but I gained so much more by not playing in college.  So playing pickup games is a great challenge for me.  I finished three games with these college athletes and knew I was going to be unable to move the next day.  And I was right!  However, it was worth it.  

Something that I learned about myself in high school was that I could see potential on the court even if I couldn’t produce it.  Being a coach has been a thought but not at the expense of my family time.  So standing in as a support to the team is the best of both worlds for me.  Our college students are finding themselves in a world that is really unknown to them without parental guidance on a daily basis.  It’s not as easy to stay on or get back on the right path during college years.  This is my way of meeting them where they are.  I remember what it was like, and it is so much more challenging for them now. 

I may not have had the support or opportunity to play at a collegiate level, but one thing I know, between defense and snatching boards, I will bet on myself even if no one else does.  Every sport played has a life lesson that can be taken from it.  It’s so easy to give up when you get tired.  But it is when you are tired that you prove how bad you want it.  Don’t give up on yourself before you know what you are capable of doing.

Most importantly, go back and help others find their “WHY” so that they can thrive 

Time for me to stretch now!

Until next time, #loveworkswhenourwordsdont! 💚

~Jenae

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