Reclaimed Love

October 12th, 2013 | Uncategorized

My rekindled relationship with my first love. Basketball and I have had a rocky relationship in the past. There was even a day when I questioned whether or not to walk away from that orange ball that has been such a huge part of my life. It’s days like today that I am beyond thankful that I never gave up when things got rough.

To begin the day, I coached my KUBS U-17 girls team to their first win of the season, which also happened to be my first win of my (unofficial) coaching career. I was extremely proud of our girls and can honestly say it was a team effort.

I would have been happy if the day just stopped there, but it didn’t. In addition to coaching the U-17 team, Katie and I help a few of our girls from that team coach the U-12s and U-13s. The U-12s didn’t have a game today, but I was fortunate enough to sit on the bench for the U-13s. The girls fought hard and ended up losing a tough one. They are coached by one of our U-17s, Ailbhe. I haven’t been as proud of someone as I was of her today. She did such a great job directing her team and I watched her confidence grow as the match progressed. From my perspective, it was an amazing thing to watch. She was like a completely different person after the match. Watching her grow right before my eyes and helping her build that confidence is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had lately. Without basketball, this may not have happened.

To cap off the day, my Women’s Premier League team, the Liffey Celtics, squared off with Glanmire, who is perennially at the top of the league. We lost in a heartbreaker in overtime, but again, I haven’t been so proud of a group of girls in a while. We fought so hard to the final buzzer, and have nothing to hang our heads about.

After the game, I was asked by a fan why I am so smiley and happy on the court all the time? This got me thinking about how long it has been since I was this smiley on the court. Although basketball and I have had a rocky past, I can honestly say that between the amazing people I have met in the little time I have been here and my wonderful teammates (truly, they are the best), that I have regained my passionate love affair with basketball. It has afforded me so many opportunities to date and I am terribly thankful that it is still in my life and enabling me to positively affect the lives of others. As long as the ball keeps bouncing, you are sure to find me with a smile on my face. Basketball and I are officially back together. #SPORT #CHANGES #LIFE

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