PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Is it time for a break?
Basketball Twenty-four Seven? I don’t believe in it. You’re probably thinking, “What? A high school coach and former Division 1 college athlete doesn’t recommend that a player dive into to the game all the time?” Nope. I don’t. Unless of course it is ALL by choice. Every kid, and adult for that matter, needs a little nudge here and there throughout life, and when a kid is on the court, I expect 100%, but that’s part of the reason I don’t believe in practicing and playing all the time. It’s overkill. Basketball, or any activity, all the time can equal burnout.
I’m 45 years old and happy if I can get in a couple of days a week on the court playing basketball. After college I would play every day if I could. But before that it was different. During college I would take about a month off during the summer. College was intense and because of that, I needed the mental and physical break.
I started playing organized basketball in 7th grade (during the season) and by 10th grade I played on an AAU team that played in a couple of spring tournaments. My last two years of high school I played on a serious AAU team. That team practiced once or twice a week, played in a few games and tournaments and went to the Regional and National Championships. But that was just during the spring and part of summer. Not year long like many kids today. I loved playing basketball, but I ran track, played volleyball, sang and hung out with my friends too.
When I ask kids about their weekends these days I often hear, “Oh, I had another tournament.” Occasionally their eyes light up but more often than not, there is one word along with the […]
June 30 – Book Reading/Signing at Aunties Bookstore
Date: June 30, 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Aunties Bookstore, 402 West Main Ave., Spokane, WA 99201
June 28 -Book reading/signing at Ritzville Library
Date: June 28, 2012
Time: 3:30-5:30 pm
Location: Ritzville Public Library, 302 W. Main Ave, Ritzville, WA 99169
Inspiration
Recently, my daughter and I went to the Write on the River Writer’s Conference in Wenatchee. Charli, just turned 15-years-old and it was part of her birthday present. We loaded our 89′ Volkswagen Vanagon and headed to Wenatchee. Charli spinned tunes on Pandora and we sang along to the songs we knew and chatted through those we didn’t. The two and a half hour trip flew by.
The conference was smaller than I expected. Ideal. Jonathan Evinson, the Key Note Speaker, was a riot. His F-bombs didn’t faze me a bit, even with Charli by my side (I know she’s heard worse). Jonathan told stories of torching rejection letters and burying novels. He wandered and paced the stage, divulging his wisdom. I breathed it in. I smiled and laughed and gave Charli hug. I felt a burning in my soul to put pen to paper.
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: Escape
Though I’ve been known to write on my lap in the locker room at the YMCA, it often takes the right environment to get me going. A cozy cafe’, Norah Jones on the stereo, a hot latte’, it’s not always easy, especially because life seems to get in the way.
This morning I’m heating up some red wine and mulling spices on the stove top. Not to drink with my breakfast, but to fill the room with, what to me is, the fragrance of fall. And when I finish this blog I will make a cup of “Constant Comment” tea, turn off my wi-fi, and escape to my writing.
How will you construct an environment in which to write, or create?
WRITING PROMPT: Write about a time when you felt inspired to write, or were simply inspired.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Halloween Spirit
Halloween spirit
I finally put up a couple of skeletons, a gargoyle and some pumpkins yesterday to mark that Halloween is about to arrive. It’s almost basketball season so my mind has not been on this ghoulish holiday.
But yesterday, when my husband and I thought about costumes for a party this weekend, I realized that our family hadn’t carved pumpkins and there were no hints of the upcoming holiday to be seen in our house. This is what happens when the kids get older and priorities shift, I thought.
I used to always throw a party for the kids before Halloween. It was actually the only holiday that I didn’t leave out. The focus was decorating cupcakes. The kids dressed in costumes, bobbed for apples, unwound a yarn web that spun through the house and then loaded their cupcakes with candy. […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Forget and Move On
I’m running behind today.
It started with both cars refusing to start this morning and continued from there. But now I am at the computer with a cup of hot tea, ready to put in some writing time, and trying not to think of the new master clutch slave cylinder, serpentine engine belt and re-wiring for the jeep and the tow I will need tomorrow for the van.
Yep, I’m going to forget it all and move forward with my day.
WRITING PROMPT- option 1: Write about a time when your car left you stranded. (Feel free to share your experience in the comments).
WRITING PROMPT- option 2: Danica chewed on her lip as she walked to her car. She could not be late to work today so she had given herself some extra time. She hopped into her Jeep, set her brief case on the […]
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