PLB Friday: The Fun/Work-Work/Fun Factor
One thing I say to my kids when they are headed out the door to a game is, “play hard and have fun!” It probably falls on numb ears after so many years of hearing it, but I mean it. I have no great coaching advice at that last-minute that will make a huge difference (they should have been paying attention and working hard in practice) and I’m not going to go ad nauseam about what they should do because that too will bore them and be lost to them, but what I can do is reach out and suggest they do two things that can make a difference in their performance. Make their best effort and find joy in the game.
What could be better for them (and their team)?
But this is not an easy task. Working hard in itself is not super fun. And often you’ll work hard and have a bad practice or a bad game and think, “What the hell am I doing out here? Why am I playing basketball?” But it’s the hard work that allows you to be the very best you can be, and ultimately gives you the ability to do what you want to do on the court, which translates to more fun.
To this day there are times I need to remind myself of why I play the game. Even when I was in college I would be burned out at the end of every season. So as you can imagine there were times during the season that I was tired of giving my best effort. Giving your all during games and practices may seem like a given, but how often does it really happen? Many kids today play one sport year-round, which means tons of […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Finding Fuel
What fuels you to write? For me it’s open space, quiet and stillness.
Unfortunately, that is not the life I live so it is a constant challenge to keep up with my writing so I go in search of other ways to stay on task, such as meeting my friend, and writing partner, Jenny once a week, another is making dates with myself, writing them down on paper and sticking to them, another is taking long drives. Every time I go for a long drive, I spend some time with the radio off and this is when my mind goes to work, and fires up about thoughts and ideas and writing projects that sometimes loose momentum in my busy life.
I can find inspiration with a good hike or walk. Recently, I started working toward a new way to clear my mind, one that I have pondered on and dabbled in from time to time over the years. It’s an old way, a proven way to find clarity, but a method that as much as I want to follow it, has always been difficult for me, and that is through meditation.
Jenny and I, after a couple of minutes of hello, have been starting each writing session with meditation. We are both loving it. And I plan to add it to my daily routine to help relax, clear my mind and if I’m luck find more fuel for my writing.
Where do you find fuel to write?
WRITING PROMPT: Close your eyes and breathe for three minutes. (It’s easier if you set a timer) Focus on your breath. If your mind wanders, it’s ok, just come back to your breath. When the time goes off, grab your pen or your computer and write.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Sun or Moon?
Do you wake early with arms stretched open wide to the sun, or are you like a barn owl, a bat, a bush rat, or a possum perhaps, who prefers the light of the moon?
Before I was married I used to binge clean and work on projects into the early morning hours. Rearrange my living room, organize a closet, work on a photo album, read a book, paint the kitchen. When I first started writing my book I had young kids so I would carve out minutes throughout the day to write, but when my husband would go play basketball at night with his men’s team, as much as it would bug me that I couldn’t play with them I relished the night alone to stay up late and write. His team would go for drinks after the game so he would be out until the bars closed. And on his return I would be up in my office plugging away at my computer and howling at the moon.
These days my husband doesn’t have many 2:00am arrivals, which is good because with that comes worry, but it also means I don’t often get the long uninterrupted silence of the night. If I stay up after my husband goes to bed, he can’t get to sleep. This is not good for either of us. So now I sit in the middle, I go to bed around 11:00pm and get up around 7:00am (give or take an hour or two on any given day).
I think we are born a certain way, preferring morning or night, however with some training we can find a happy medium, a rhythm that works for us and our family and our writing. I still prefer the silence of the night when […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Because You Can
I drained my first three ten foot jumpers in my first game back on the court last week. Sometimes I have beginner’s luck when I’ve been away from the game for a while, but it had been months since I last played, so I was anxious, not to mention a bit out of shape. I ended the game (a last second comeback win) with ten points, a sore left arch, a tender Achilles tendon, an achy back and a smile.
I went to bed nervous that when I woke up my shoulder might be frozen again, back to what had become an ongoing cycle of pain over the last nine months. Night being the worst with both a bad shoulder and bad wrist, rolling over had been nearly impossible and sleep was always in question. But when I woke the next morning, my shoulder worked and even though I could barely walk when I stepped out of bed, I was still smiling.
I’m not sure what I’ll do when I can’t play this game anymore, probably shoot around and do dribbling drills like I do every time I’m hurt, but somehow that is never the same. I like it, but there is something about running the full court with a bunch of players that makes playing (game or scrimmage) a huge step up from skill work.
Why am I telling you this besides the fact that playing again makes basketball on the forefront of my mind? I’m telling you this because I’m urging you to enjoy the game. When you have bad game, be thankful that you are playing at all and try to reminder that you will have good days and bad days on the court, and in life for that matter.
My husband’s new saying, […]
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.
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LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Lifting Lust
Every time I get bumped around on the basketball court I say, “I’ve gotta lift weights!” I actually do lift weights, but not enough. I can feel my 52 years on the court, and by that I mean I’m not as strong and tough as I used to be, and as I’d like to be to be able to play at the level I want to play at. And stay safe.
I know that I can’t turn back the clock, but when I get in the gym at least a couple of times a week to lift it helps, it helps by keeping me strong.
The things I enjoy doing in my life inspire me to stay fit. I want to be a better basketball player so I add lifting to my life. I even enjoy lifting, it just seems that the rest of my life often gets in the way until […]
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Try Something New
About three years ago I decided I should try tennis. (I can’t play basketball forever…or can I?) Anyway, tennis is supposed to be a lifetime sport, so I figured it would be a good one to work on. I started with tennis lessons, they were a lot of fun and they gave me a great workout. That’s until I sprained my wrist (tennis) and then got a frozen shoulder (basketball). It took about a year until I was back at it and then decided to join a team. Once on the team I realized that I like tennis, but I don’t really love it.
I hate to admit it, but I find games a little boring (I guess I’m used to the hustle of basketball). I enjoy the women in my group, but after this season ends I may just stick to classes and hitting around with my husband. I get […]
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Listen To Your Body
My husband has bad knees. He played football in college and has had many knee surgeries so he no longer has much cartilage. He’s had to adjust his workouts over the years and eventually cut out a few things. He waited a long time to cut out competitive basketball. Probably ten years later than he should have, but he really enjoyed playing, so it wasn’t easy to quit, but the pain became too much, so he had no other choice.
He’s never loved to walk, unlike me, and he likes speed. So a few years ago he turned to biking. It took him a while to jump on the biking bandwagon, but now he loves it. When he first started riding he trained for the STP (Seattle to Portland) with a group of guys and had a blast, and it actually helped his knees. Then a year later he started mountain […]
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