PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Let’s Just Play Ball and Leave Acting for the Stage
I love basketball, but sometimes these days I wonder what is happening to the integrity of the game. What’s up with all the cheap play and dramatic antics? I watch it happen in games at every level, professional, college, and high school, as well as in my women’s rec-league.
Are you wondering what I’m talking about?
Let me explain by giving you a few examples. Recently before one of my daughter’s college games, she rolled her eyes and said, “Wait until you see #44 from the other team. She flops during every play, trying to draw a foul.” And sure enough during the game, play after play; this young woman (and a couple of other women from the team) threw themselves to the floor, arms flailing. I found myself hollering at the refs, “She’s flopping! That’s not a foul! Are you kidding me?” I was annoyed and I wasn’t even the coach. It reminded me of when I was coaching at the State Tournament last year and my daughter was guarding one of the best players in the state. While coaching I had a front row seat, and I watched as the girl literally grabbed my daughter’s wrist, pulled it into her jersey and then threw my daughter’s arm to the sky, as she heaved her own body to the floor. My daughter got the foul. I consider this cheap, and awfully close to dirty. I was appalled.
Tuesday, at a boys high school game, I watched, as over and over, a point guard dribbled to the side of his defender, and while bobbing his head up and down he’d slow a bit and flail his body around in a way that I suppose was suggesting to the referee […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Sometimes What You Need Is “Write” Next Door
We have an old Carnegie Library in our neighborhood. It’s beautiful. When my kids were young, we visited it all the time. We spent hours there gathering books and listening to story time. I remember thinking what a perfect place to just come and read or write or relax. Surrounded by books and history and quiet.
My kids grew older and our visits to the library less. The kids started checking out books at school and I took a position as head coach at the local high school, so I didn’t have many spare moments to go to the library. When I stepped down as head coach this season I made a commitment to finish my book, but my free time began to get swallowed up, so I made a promise to myself that I’d go to the “Office” every weekday. (The “office” being a coffee shop of my choosing where I wouldn’t be distracted by chores at my house). It’s been great, each location has done its job and allowed me to get my pen moving or my fingers tapping. But, I hadn’t found the perfect spot.
And then last week, when I was talking to a friend about looking for another “office” spot, she asked, “Have you tried the library?” The place I longed for, one that was quiet and where I’d be surrounded by books, was just minutes from my front door. Our local library.
WRITING PROMPT: Write about your favorite library.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Tired Team? Time For Some TLC
This part of the season can get long, for both players and coaches. I’m not coaching this year, but my daughter reminded me of the fact yesterday (I’m visiting her at college where she is playing basketball). She said that she and her teammates are all really tired right now and having a hard time getting motivated. Suddenly I was transported back my years as a coach, and I remembered the look on the players faces, uninspired, distracted, anxious (finals were usually taking place at this time) and bored. They were burnt out and tired. Tired, not because they were out of shape (like my husband insisted) but mentally fried. It happened every year.
This was always the moment that I felt the urge to run them until they wanted to cry. Go all “old school” on them. (Which I did from time to time, a few extra sets of lines never hurt), but at this time of the year, when we were a week or two away from playoffs, I knew what the team really needed was some TLC.
Tender loving care is like a reboot when players are mentally tired of the game. The burn out tends to be worse with a team that’s been loosing a lot, but it happened to my high school team that went undefeated in league. Plain and simple, basketball season is long. A good hard practice is important, of course, but by this point in the year, I kept practices focused, quick paced and short. With one key addition…more fun. From team building activities, to team dinners, to half court shooting competitions (which goes against my grain a little but the kids always love it), I looked for ways to […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Opportunity
Recently, when I was frustrated with the way I was playing, I reminded myself of how lucky I am just to be on the basketball court, working out and hanging out with my teammates. So I dug a little deeper and kept at it and when the game was over (though we lost by two points) I was thankful that I had been there. Thankful that I can still play this game that I love.
When you’re frustrated with your game. Keep working and remind yourself of why you play.
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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Monday’s Pen to Paper: The Fine Art of Writing
My daughter Charli is a writer. She may not believe she is, but I know it. Not only does she love to write, she’s written a first draft of a novel, and is studying to get a creative writing degree in college. That to me is a writer. Over Thanksgiving break my husband suggested she start a blog. She didn’t know what to think about the idea. Then last week I got a link to eloquentlyelliott.com, a place of for writing inspiration. Charli had created a blog.
Charli doesn’t quite know what this new blog space means to her. But for now it is a place to get her words down and share her love of writing. Her first blog post The Fine Art of Apologizing is a powerful piece and it came from a home work assignment in […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: AWESOME SPORTS PROJECT writing contest
Do you have a story to share about your life on the court? on the field? on a diamond? or a story about what sports have meant to you as a woman? Awesome Sports Project has published two of my articles, Court Dreams: A Life Worth Living and Can I Play? Dreaming in the Wave of Title IV , that share stories about how athletics have changed my life and the lives of other women thanks to Title IV. Awesome Sports Project is an online literary journal committed to inspiring girl’s and women’s voices in sports.
This month Awesome Sports Project launched the Awesome Sports Writing Contest, offering cash awards to youth (20 & under) and adults writing about girls’ and women’s sports. Deadline is January 15, 2017. Male and female writers of all ages (and level of writing experience) are welcome. The submission must […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Spread Love and Bring the Country Together
My dad is not a citizen of the United States. I like to tell people that he’s an Alien (a Legal Alien). He has lived in the United States, run a business in the United States and paid taxes in the United States for nearly 60 years, since he married my mom and moved here in the 60’s, but he cannot vote. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an opinion, he does, but it does mean, that even though my mom votes, we never got too caught up in politics. I grew up loving where I live and appreciating other countries and cultures.
I was in college when I could have voted for the first time but didn’t. I was busy with school, basketball and a boyfriend when George H W Bush was elected. I didn’t vote at the next presidential election either, […]
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