I awake on a chilly Thursday morning November 5th; it’s the very first day of the beginning of the Abington Friends School basketball seasons. I hop out of bed with more excitement than I’ve ever had, this was the reason why I went to three basketball camps and one basketball program. This is the day why I practiced outside everyday during the summer.
As a walk towards my closet I couldn’t help but notice that my entire room had expanded in size. I assumed that I must have gotten up too fast and became a little dizzy. I reach for my cloths in the closet but my reach ends up short. I must have missed the hanger. I try again no luck, I stop reaching to find myself looking up at my cloths in the closet. What in the hell is going on I’m not crawling am I. I walk over to my mirror to discover that I can only see the top half of my head when I used to seeing my entire torso. Wheat’s even worse I not on my hands and knees at all I’m standing straight up. What’s going on here I think, I hastily sprint down to the living room to grab the tape ruler. I quickly sprint back up to my room. I measure my height in inches…54 inches. Somehow in my sleep I had shrunk a full foot to a height of 4’6. On the first day of basketball season, what was ever body going to think when I walk into the Hallowell Gym 4 foot 6. My second worst fear had become a reality, instead of growing for basketball. I shrunk a full foot.
As if I wasn’t short enough for basketball, but I couldn’t do anything about it now it was time for school and I had to get ready, So I threw on my over sized cloths and went down stairs. In an attempt to reach the top self for my bowl for some cereal I feel short I had to grab a stool and stand on it to get my bowl, the same for the cereal box and milk. It’ was a struggle to even reach my toothbrush over my sink to brush my teeth. This was going to end up being an absolutely school day I’ve ever gone though.
The only way I could cope with this depressing fact was to get some early shots up outside. I grab the basketball and just throw the ball at the rim nonchalantly. Swished it, “must have been pretty lucky throw I guess.” I say to myself. I grab ball and take another shot this time I try to, another swish. I keep shooting swish, after swish, after swish, after swish. I can’t seem to miss a shot after shooting for a good 15 minutes. Now something weird is going on, with my eyes closed I completely throw the basketball as hard as a can in the opposite direction of the rim. The basketball somehow manages to ricochet off of a tree in front of the rim and swish. Either I have just gotten an extreme hit of luck, or losing a foot in height came with the weird and wonderful perk, the ability to swish any basketball shot I took in any condition. The bus finally arrived after a discovered my strange new oxymoronic power. As walked to the bus with a backpack nearly half my size I knew that only thing I had to manage to do was make it to 3:10pm when practiced started.
The entire school day every student is shocked about my crazy shrinkage in only one night. The day is filled with every student telling me that I was to short to play basketball; even friends mock me of my height because at a time I used to be at a normal height. and then they have to throw in that I love basketball as well. I’ve even had some full grown adults come up to me and ask what my favorite sport is, I reply that its basketball. And those adults have the nerve to say basketball? But your too short. I know it may sound like nothing to some people, like so what they called you short no big deal but I get a different impact from it all. Basketball is the only activity that I feel proud about calling my only talent and passion. It’s the only thing that I know I can do and do it well. But when you have other people telling you that you’re not fit to play laughing that your physical appearance isn’t typical for the sport you can’t help but feel discourage. You can’t help but feeling disappointed in yourself because your not fit to play the one thing you never get bored at doing. I can only do one thing in retaliation to there commits and out downs that’s to prove them wrong, To prove to everybody that being a little short than everybody is not a physical disability when you’re on the court. It’s how you play the game not what you look like while your doing it. My time has come, it’s 3:10 its time for practice, its time to prove them wrong.
As I walk into the gym I can’t it’s a little discomforting because everybody in the gm is at least over five feet, and I’m four inches under. However I know that there is nothing to be afraid of for I’m the best player in the gym for that matter. The first five minutes of practice is a simple shoot around. Like I expected, I make every shot I take without breaking a sweat. Next full court lay ups, for every body else they’re running down the court with the ball an taking a lay up but not me, and my short stature. I just throw the ball up against the farthest wall opposite to the rim, the ball takes about three big bounces across the length of the court and swishes at the other end. Next drill the five on five scrimmages; this wasn’t your normal drill the first practice this basically determined who would be coming in on Saturday and practice with the varsity team. What a perfect time to show off in front of everybody. There I am middle of the court ready for show time. I’m out with every body else that the coaches expect to play on junior varsity. The ball goes up for the jump ball and its tipped to me. I take about six steps while dribbling to the foul line shot an open three, its good.
The scrimmage is only five minutes long but that’s how the game continues. I’m on fire, and I just can’t miss. Every shot contested or open good I’m on top of the world. The horn sounds the scrimmage is over I score more than half the points. The coach C calls us all over to the center court to dismiss the practice. This is the moment when he tells us who would be coming in on Saturday and practice. Everybody on the first group which was all varsity was automatically going on Saturday. Including three other people put me.
I scored and played as good as anybody can get any yet no dice. Nope I’m not tall enough height is always the only thing that matters in basketball.