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Maddie Heiner

Ms. Woelke

Pre-AP English 9

27 August 2018

The Change

One of my favorite things to do is play sports. The most amazing feeling is the

adrenaline rushing through my veins during close games. For a while, I thought that the only way

to be a good athlete was to have confidence. This was true for me, at first. After a few hard

choices I realized how wrong I was.

I started playing basketball when I was 10. It was an adventure to try something new, to

try something that I could potentially be good at. I was eager to start learning! My first practice

was a beginning course, where we would learn the basics of the sport. I was nervous that first

day since I didn’t know what to expect. As I walked into the gym, I started to get excited! I could

hear the basketballs repeatedly bouncing, sounding like heavy footsteps stomping on a hollow

ground. I could hear the squeaky sound that gym shoes make when they slide on the floor. I also

heard the exhilarating noise of a basketball swishing through the white net. The class ended up

being easy, and I couldn’t figure out why I was nervous in the first place. The next week I

decided to try out for the school team. I still didn’t have very much knowledge, but I took the

opportunity!

I ended up making the school team all three years of my middle school years. I became a

exceptional athlete who loved the sport. I looked forward to practice every week, and I even
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joined a travel team so I could continue playing the sport I enjoyed off season. My eighth grade

year was a lot different than the previous seasons, due to my lack of confidence.

I started the season off strong. I was a starter and I could easily make points and benefit

the team. On average, I would make eight to twelve points per game. I even made the winning

four points in twenty seconds during a playoff game! About halfway through the season, I

stopped making as many points in a game. My average was about four to six points, at the most.

I stopped having the ability to stop sprinting athletes on defense. Instead, they would sail right

past me and add an additional two points to their score. I also stopped believing in myself. I

would get stressed very easily, and the games weren’t fun anymore. People kept telling me that I

was good, that I was one of the strongest players! They repeatedly told me that I was a starter,

and if I wasn’t good I would be on the bench instead. For some reason, I was oblivious to these

people. It was like I was hearing the words, but not listening to them. I couldn’t figure out why I

refused to see myself like I had the season before.

Playing basketball for Great Oak was always the plan. I never doubted my decision, and

even though I was doubting myself I never thought about playing another sport. One day I

realized that I needed to stop letting myself get in the way of having fun. I needed to try

something new! I started searching for another sport that sounded fun to try. One sport that stood

out to me was water polo. I had some experience because I used to swim competitively. I made

the decision to go to the school water polo camp in the summer instead of basketball.

The first day of camp was exciting! I was looking forward to playing a sport that would

be fun and stress free. Just looking at the pool gave me a rush of excitement! I was itching to

start swimming. The moment my feet touched the silky water, I made up my mind. I was going
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to play water polo my freshman year of high school no matter if I was an excellent player or not.

I wasn’t going to let my thoughts get in the way of enjoying myself. I realized that confidence

was only a small detail in the big picture, and it was not the only thing I needed. I learned my

lesson and left my doubts behind.