PeaceLoveBasketball Fridays: Support or Sabotage
“What the hell are you doing? Make that shot damn it.”
Sound familiar?
As a high school basketball coach, one thing that is nice is that when I’m coaching, I don’t hear the fans. I’m busy. But recently, both of my kids started playing AAU basketball and I have spent more time in the stands. It can be a challenge. In fact, last week I had to move to the other side of the gym, for fear I would start to lecture a dad. Each time the man’s son came down the basketball court he made a mistake, at least in his father’s eyes. And the young boy heard about it, as well as the entire crowd. The boy’s eyes darted, his head sank to his shoulders, his pace became more frantic. “Fear of Failure” was written all over him. The perfect recipe for actual failure.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the ideal fan. I make my mistakes in the yelling department on occasion. And my husband? Well, I have to move to the other side of the gym to separate my self from him from time to time. But I try my best to support my kids, and their teammates. To cheer when they make baskets, get steals and hustle. To encourage when they make mistakes (I’ve heard even the Pro’s make mistakes). To cheer when my child’s team is ahead and when they are behind, especially when they are behind, because that’s when they really need it. And sometimes, I just chat with my neighbor in the stands and watch, grateful that I can be there watching and supporting, grateful that my kids are active, healthy and running around, no matter the outcome.
Next time you go to your child’s basketball […]
Fatal Attraction
Sometimes I wonder why I lover her so much. She’s no beauty. She’s boxy and blue and often covered in dirt. She’s not very reliable, she’s been through a couple of hearts and more tows than I can count on both feet, and she’s a little quirky. There’s that special jiggle that opens her back hatch, the occasional blinking lights and the very rare and random honking.
But old “Blue Bomber” has been part of the family since I was pregnant with my, now teenage, son, making each casual road-trip into an unforgettable adventure. Each trip she departs from Seattle, packed with humans, dogs, and anticipation, and each trip (somewhat surprisingly) she returns. Tahoe, Oregon & California Coast, Chelan, Palm Springs, Flathead Lake, Venice Beach. She moseys down the highways & byways. We sing songs. Read books aloud to one another (or should I say yell them to one another since it can be a bit loud with her “roll-the-windows-down” AC.) Stop at parks, pull up the built-in-table to eat snacks and let the dogs out. And more often than not, we wonder what new town we might visit next, while we wait on her repair.
Most recently, she took me to Montana, to see my grandma “Honey”, and back, in 48 hours. Just in time to watch my daughter’s softball game. But she must have been tired from the trip, because after the game…she decided to take a nap at the field and then wouldn’t start.
The next morning when I went to check on her and turned the key, she yawned and headed home. Boy, she likes to keep me on my toes.
I sure do love her.
Tell me about your “fatal attraction”.
Monday’s Pen to Paper
I was on fire with my writing during my January Jump Start. (And it was even the middle of basketball season.) I wrote every day. Since then I’ve been in a bit of a dry spell. Fortunately, I have inspiration all around me to keep me going.
Jenny, my Thursday writing friend, a new book I snagged at the library. “Is life Like This? A Guide to Writing Your First Novel in Six Months” by John Dufresne and my daughter, who is so often curled up on the couch with her writing journal tucked into her hip, scribbling away.
Today’s writing propt: What inspires you?
Back on the Court Book Trailer
Thank you Michael Harris and M.J McDermott, at Baby Wild Films, for the beautiful book trailer.
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
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: TEAM
When I saw this YouTube video recently, that focused on team, I made my kids come snuggle with me on the couch and watch it, I sent it to the basketball team that I coach, and I said, “this will be in my Friday blog.” It is a great video about the importance of team, which includes clips of some pretty spectacular ball movement…team basketball.
Watch and enjoy…
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Pressure
I finished writing two chapters in three days. It helped to have a little pressure, a deadline.
I’m taking a Young Adult writing class right now and I owed my small group ten pages and the entire group ten pages by midnight on Sunday. During last Thursday’s class, I had someone volunteer to take my spot, someone with a more polished manuscript. I was tempted but declined the offer. I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me to get to work. I don’t write in a linear fashion so pulling together my haphazard array of scenes and dialogue into something cohesive is a bit of a challenge.
Sometimes all it takes is a little pressure. Set deadlines for yourself and your writing.
WRITING PROMPT: Bella had an end-of-the-year project due at 8:00am in the morning, at 11:00 o’clock the night before she…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Summer Shooting Challenge
When I was a Sophomore in high school I averaged 3 points per game. The next year I was one of the leading scores in the Greater Spokane League. What changed? I worked on my shot. Download a free PLB Shooting Challenge Goal Sheet & Shot Chart and watch your shot improve this summer. (Coaches and parents suggest it to your players & kids)
Print the PeaceLoveBasketball Summer Shooting Challenge form below and get started:
Summer Shooting Challenge worksheet
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