Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
Blog
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Lucky
Last night my parents came to my rec-league basketball game. I started off a little shaky. My left knee was hurting and I missed my first two shots. But when I finally warmed up (at 47 years old, it takes a while), I was able to get some boards and steals and went on to score 14.
After the game my mom and dad told me how much fun it was to see me play. Over twenty years ago they thought they had lost me forever when I was hit by a train and nearly killed, so they certainly never expected to continue to see me on the basketball court.
I gave them each a big hug. It was their support that helped me to survive and them being at my game reminded me of how lucky I am to be […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: How Do You Write?
Writing is hard. Writing a book seems impossible. Even if you’ve done it once, it still seems like an insurmountable task to take all the bits and pieces of a story and bring them together as one. And what is interesting is that everyone goes about this process a little differently. What works for one person may not work for another.
I remember my writing instructor, Laura Kalpakian from my University of Washington Memoir class, telling us that each day she started from the beginning and journeyed toward the end of the story. This is how my daughter writes.
I don’t work this way. I write in bits and pieces. I write sections of the story that come to me, that seem vivid and alive in my mind, and then overtime bring them together and find an order […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Start Your Day Off Right
It’s been over an hour since my kids headed to school, but I know it’s almost time for the local grade school to start up because there is a ball bouncing outside. Every day, rain (and it can be dumping!) or shine, my neighbors youngest son hits our basketball court before leaving to school.
What a perfect way to start the day!
Start your day off doing something you love.
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