I have played basketball for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure I was holding basketballs before I could walk.
I grew up with the game and I grew to absolutely love the game. It was my passion and I thought I would play forever.
That being said, one of the hardest decisions I ever made was deciding not to continue playing basketball in college. I made the decision for a variety of reasons and I do not regret it.
However, the decision did impact my life greatly in the following ways.
1. The loss of a team
One of the things I miss most about basketball is the team atmosphere. It brought a group of girls together that would normally not hang out and made them into best friends.
There’s nothing like the friendship that results from suffering through many suicides, getting yelled at, practicing day after day, and winning rival games together. It brings people together in a way that the normal friendship does not.
Since high school, I’ve had to learn how to make friends in different ways. I’ve learned it takes being intentional with your time and making sacrifices to make true friendships. As opposed to being with my teammates at practice all the time, I have had to constantly make an effort to be with my friends.
2. Exercise
The freshman fifteen is real. I believe one of the main reasons for the freshman fifteen is that new college students are not used to not having workouts incorporated into their schedules like they did while playing their sport.
It was really difficult for me to realize that I was the only one that could motivate me to eat healthily or exercise. It was even more difficult to build this into my schedule, as opposed to my basketball coach doing it for me.
Like with friendship, I have had to get in the habit of making a conscious effort to keep a healthy mentality.
3. Identity crisis
The hardest part about leaving basketball behind was that I no longer had the identity of “the basketball girl”, an identity I had taken comfort in for most of my life.
It was hard to realize that when people asked what I did for fun, I couldn’t answer basketball anymore. It was hard to not be busy with practice all the time. It was hard to go from loving my height because I outrebounded others, to disliking my height because it made me stand out.
Over time, however, I have gained a new identity, an identity as me. I am not “the basketball girl” anymore and I didn’t take on a new identity as “the sorority girl” or “the weird friend” (although my friends may beg to differ on the last one).
I took on the identity as me- a woman, a Christian, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a sorority girl, possibly the weird friend, the former basketball girl, and so many more. Although these labels make me up, I am not these labels. I am just me.
4. Ultimately, I miss it
I decided not to play basketball in college for many reasons, but my love of the game did not affect that decision. I loved the game. I still love the game. I miss everything about it.
I miss scoring, blocking shots, rebounding, just everything. I miss my coaches, my teammates, and even some specific opponents. I miss the rush of winning a big game or the proud sadness of losing a game that you played your hardest in.
Yet I don’t regret my decision, I will forever miss the game that was once my passion and, even more, everything it gave me.
