I can't remember how it was that I decided to go out for sports those years, but I had a lot of fun playing both. I mean isn't the point to have fun? I had none of the mad skills that some of the other girls had like dribbling behind my back or serving overhand. The girls on the "A" and "B" teams probably had older siblings to teach them a thing or two, or parents to pay for them to go to specialized camps. I tell you, to this day, dribbling behind my back and serving overhand still elude me. Consequently, I was on the "C" team for both sports, both years.I wasn't particularly distinguished in volleyball. I could play all the positions, but not spectacularly. For one thing, I couldn't jump high enough to spike the ball over the net. For another, I had this strange (warranted?) fear of the ball hitting me in the face. When you consider how fast that ball is flying and how much it stings your arms when you bump it, it's not unreasonable to think that it's going to make a mess of your face if ever it makes contact. Thankfully, I never had that experience, but I suffered plenty of mangled fingers and bruised arms.
Basketball was where it was at for me. My mom recalls that I was one of the star players, but I think I was just more aggressive with the ball. Aggressive, but not competitive. I played to out-play the other team, not to demolish them, although that was certainly a desired outcome. You could almost say I played for the love of the sport, but not in such poetic terms – I don't even love it enough to watch others play it on TV. We had a great team both years, very tight-knit. A lot of us also played volleyball together and so it follows that we would be more coordinated together on the basketball court.
My cherished memory was getting to play in the state championships both years. The first year, we played our hearts out and took first place! I'm sure we don't have pictures of the event because it came on us all rather unexpectedly. And that was back in the day when they only had the one trophy for the school's display case and nothing but a pat on the back for the players. The second (and last) year was kind of bittersweet for me when I think on it. That year we took second overall and I think it was due to two things. 1) In the span of a year, something happened to some of the girls on the other team which gave them (what seemed to be) an extra six inches over most of the members of our team. I remember very vividly one instance in which I had diligently dribbled the ball to this great position near the basket. Mind you, the entire game was pretty hard fought with these girls being so gargantuan. But maybe I hesitated a little too long in making my shot because as I looked up to get my orientation these three girls were literally towering over me to the point that I could hardly see daylight through their fingertips. They were that monstrous! :) Needless to say, I balked at the shot and decided on passing it off. 2) The inexplicable substitution of a girl from the "B" team during that final game. That year, none of the other teams, "A", "B" or "D", made it to the championships for their "divisions". (The previous year, I believe both the "A" and "B" teams took something home, whether it be first or second place.) I might not have been so suspicious of her if it hadn't been for her behavior after the game. Most of our team members took our loss as, "Oh well, at least we got second!" or "We made it this far." But she put a damper on things by weeping bitterly at what she called "possibly her last chance at a trophy". Naturally, I've always wondered whether she herself or one of her parents convinced the coach that she needed to be on our team for that championship game, whether we needed her or not.
The next year in junior high I tried out for basketball only. That was a wake-up call for me, i.e. people take this sport (and any other sport for that matter) very seriously. First of all, I was amazed at how many girls were trying out. You know, in grade school, they let pretty much everyone play. These were more realistic tryouts and I was not entirely prepared for the fierceness of the competition. Not only did girls get taller – I hit my growth spurt rather later –, but suddenly they were also sprouting all these professional-ish skills. Secondly, I had the impression of an absurdly young male coach. In my mind, a lot of his final-cut selections weren't based solely on skill. And so I went home dejected and jaded, never to play organized sports again.
