As the years progressed, my height, speed, and overall abilities slowly diminished. In 8th grade I was still a starter on the school team. By 9th grade I had become a "key" reserve off the bench. Finally, by the time my sophomore year rolled around, I was a full-fledged bench warmer. Yes, my glory days were over. And from there the decline only accelerated. A decade and a half later, I am now married, have 4 kids, have finished both an undergraduate degree and medical school, and endured 3 years of spending most of my time in the hospital during residency. Needless to say, my belly is a little larger, my "hops" are non-existent, and my shooting percentage has dropped to the low-teens.
However, that doesn't keep my from trying. Since arriving at Ft. Riley, I have been able to get a group of guys on my team to go down and play some basketball during our free evenings. We have fun and it is a good workout. There are lots of airballs. Getting "air" consists of somebody tripping (usually on their own feet) and we rarely are able to play more than one game to 15 due to exhaustion.
It is funny how in the mind of a man, the glory days never have ended. From an outsiders view, it is nothing more than a bunch of thirty-something men playing some "game" that vaguely resembles basketball. To us, however, it is like we are back in our prime...back in 5th grade...reliving the glory days.
1 comment:
Hey, we remember when you used to be "good." We remember the Jazz games when you were really little, the high school games when we would cheer loudly when you got in the game, and how we loved to watch you. The backyard bball games were always great. In our eyes you're still a great basketball player. You are a good writer. We sure enjoyed reading this blog. Fun picture. You guys look sweaty. We love you.
Love, Mom and Dad
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