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
Monday’s Pen to Paper: History
The first time I wrote my backward history I cried. I also smiled. This simple writing prompt can pull unique and forgotten thoughts from the past.
That was nearly 20 years ago, my life has changed drastically since then. Husband, dogs, kids, jobs, life. It might be time for another stab at it.
WRITING PROMPT: Start with a description of you today. (stick to 1 or 2 lines) then below it write “Before that I…”, and continue from there.
Example:
-I am a mother of teenagers, a wife, a high school basketball coach, a writer/author, a poop scooper for two beautiful boxer dogs and a bad housekeeper.
-Before that I was a volunteer coach, a classroom helper, a mom of a gradeschooler and a middleschooler, a slave to the house, a dog walker, a writer, and an avid hoopster.
-Before […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: No Regrets
I don’t yell much at the players that I coach, but sometimes it’s necessary. We are in the middle of District Playoffs and after my recent pre-practice talk on No Regrets and being intense in practice, I had two girls walk to our first drill. I was not happy.
I blew the whistle and went “old school.”
“On the baseline!” I yelled. “A set of lines!”
The first set of lines was ugly. The girls finished and then trotted to grab some balls for Scramble Passing. I snapped. In the past my daughter, who is one of my players, has told me that when I raise my voice and get after them in practice she smiles on the inside because she knows me well enough to know that I’m not really mad, that I’m just trying to pick up the energy in practice. This time I was mad.
“On…the…line!”
I got after a couple of […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: No Rules
I wrote a poem last week. I wanted to do something special for my friend Jenny for her birthday. I’m known to write silly rhymes, but I’m not the type to write a serious poem. I have never taken a poetry class. Never even read much poetry.
So when I sat down to write, I stared at the blank page.
Finally, I wrote some words. I crossed them out. I wrote some more. Then crossed them out. Then, instead of trying so hard, I simply thought of Jenny and of our friendship. I jotted down what came to mind. I liked what I saw. I shifted words, played with the rhythm, the thoughts. Linked them in my mind and on paper.
Was this poetry?
Perhaps there are no rules to creating something you like. Something that you can share with others. An artful expression of thought…
FRIENDSHIP by Sonya Elliott
Thursday
True freedom. Open.
Pens will flow.
A […]
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