Monday’s Pen to Paper: Dare to Be Different
On Thursday, while writing with Jenny, we designed a crazy prompt for ourselves, and when our fingers hit the keys they started flying and didn’t stop. Sometimes prompts peter out for me, an idea gets convoluted in my mind somehow and I think too much instead of just writing what comes. This happens to me more than I’d like to admit, but on those days when I can’t stop, and the words just flow, its magical.
Jenny and I are both working on books, so often we simply start working when we are together. Sometimes we write a quick catch up letter about our week (so we can visit but not talk too much), but Thursday we decided to write about our week differently, we wrote a story about our week that was told in third person. Our ten-minute prompt writing went longer than planned and both of us had starts of something grand, at least it felt that way. But what was important, was the flow and energy and the knowledge that the writing could come so easily, that the days of pushing through have heavenly moments.
And oh is it worth it! Write on!
WRITING PROMPT: Make what happened during your week into a story.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Believe and Receive
I talked about believing and receiving at the Beyond Pink event last week, about how important it is to believe in ourselves, and in life, and how important it is to be willing to receive help from others. This second piece, receiving, has never been easy for me. Being independent, I have always felt like I didn’t need help, but after I was in a debilitating accident where I was hit by a train and left unable to care for myself and without my best friend and fiancé at the time by my side, I needed help.
From the doctors and the nurses who helped to save my life, to the friends and family who supported me when I didn’t want to go on living, I had help. And it was the seemingly little things that made a huge difference. The time my mom helped me shave my legs because I could no longer stand the stubbly mess that made me feel less human, the times when my brother would drop by and surprise me so we could just be together, the time I wheeled into my parents bedroom late at night crying and unable to sleep and they helped me climb between them and helped me to find some peace. There were letters from friends, and a crazy care package from Kirsten that was filled with random stuff to make me laugh like candies (and empty candy wrappers) and a Curious George Goes to the Hospital book. And there were the almost daily walks with my dad. I never wanted to go on them, to have someone put my shoes and sock on and roll me down the street in a wheel chair, but each time […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Defense wins the games
I was watching some young kids play pick-up basketball the other day and I was amazed at how often they played just one end of the court, the offensive end. Both teams were letting three-pointers fly and they made them a lot, but it was hard to watch the rest of the game. There was almost no defense being played. Players were just looking for the glory shots, the three-pointers.
Does it really matter if you can drain a three-point shot, if you can’t, or often won’t, play defense on the other end of the court? I don’t think so. In fact, the ability to hit three-pointers tends to make a lot of players lazy. They assume the ball is going in and don’t follow their shots.
Of course as a shooter, you should think that you’re going to make your shot, but you must crash the boards anyway. (You will miss at a few over your lifetime.) And each time you score, make sure you get down the court on defense to keep your player from scoring. Don’t forget to work on all aspects of your game, as the old saying goes, Offense sells the tickets. Defense wins the games.
PeaceLoveBasketball: Girls Not Tough Enough? Bring It On!
There was a time when girls played six on six basketball, three on offense, three on defense, because according to The Women’s Basketball Rule Committee the game was too rough for girls. Though this rule was put into action in 1899, it’s how I learned to play when I was in grade school, and when I was in college there were still three states that played this way. Oklahoma was the last state to change to five-on-five basketball in 1995; seven years after I graduated from college.
Girls not tough enough? Please.
Learn more about how Title IX changed things for women in this country and how it affected me throughout my lifetime of sports in Can I Play? Dreaming In the Wave of Title IX at AwesomeSportProject.com.
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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PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Give It a Rest
All of my life I have been active and when I’m on the court, I go all out, but I also know how important it is to have my body working. I spent time in a wheel chair when I was 24 years old, I’ve been on crutches a couple of times, and I’ve sprained ankles, torn ligaments and fought tendonitis and when I’m hurt it’s a lot more difficult to do the things I want to do, so I do what I can to stay healthy, which sometimes means giving my body a break.
Recently my daughter went in for her second knee surgery in less than a year. The doctors had to stitch down the meniscus and she was given a three-month timeline for getting back on the court. After her first surgery many questioned her then two-month timeline. “My meniscus tear only […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: A Picture is Worth a Ton of Words
Use this photo as your prompt and get writing…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Developing Better Handles
I wasn’t born with very good handles. I played small forward most of my life and had to run the point from time to time, so I worked on my ball handling, but I’ve never felt terribly comfortable bringing the ball up the court against tough one-on-one defense.
I did however get better throughout my career from practice, lots of practice. And I learned after my career was over, how much the body can learn and adjust if you push it. After being in an accident and shattering my right arm (my shooting arm and favorite hand to dribble with) I had to do most everything with my left hand. And you know what? My left hand got better at everything. Way better. My body retrained itself to use my left hand. Of course once I regained use of my right I lost some […]
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