The Four, er, Five Shorties: Basketball Senior Night 2018

Elaina, Kimberly, Samantha, Logan, Kiki--Seniors 2018

This was the Worst Night Ever.
Senior Night.
Elaina's last basketball game.
I can't even.

She began playing Upward in second grade. She showed a little interest in playing basketball on into middle school, but only sort of as a passing idea or concept--she didn't think she'd actually play for real for real.

Then this bizarre twist of fate happened. In seventh grade Elaina had a growth spurt. Like big one. She went from 5'3 to 5'7 over two years. She was one of the tallest kids in the middle school. And coach, Todd Stephens, had an even bigger problem on the varsity team--he had 4 seniors who were getting ready to graduate and no tall girls coming up. When he approached Elaina and another girl in her grade about playing on the basketball team I pulled him aside and said, "You've got to be kidding. Have you seen her run?"

He laughed and promised that he would take care of her and that it would be good for her in every possible way. I trusted Todd more than maybe anyone I have ever worked with before. He was dead on the money; it was very, very good for her.

Now, everyone knows that I almost worship my children. It's a borderline problem. So, when I tell this you need to keep that fact in mind.

Elaina is clumsy.

Like seriously, she's the most clumsy person in the world. She was so uncoordinated and lacked balance like you can't believe. This is the kid we put in gymnastics not to learn tumbling but so she'd stop falling over so much. (I'm not kidding.)

Case in point: One night I was sitting in the stands a little too closely to the opposing team. Elaina Big Number 3 took to the floor and did her loping, awkward T-Rex run up the court, and a lady turned to her friend and loud whispered, "It is so sweet when they let the special-needs kids play like that." I snort laughed. (So did Naynuh when I told her later that night.)

When Coach Caleb took over the team in her eighth grade year he had some average athletes who were all incredibly short, then these two eighth grade girls who were sort of tallish but had absolutely no playing time or experience (and Naynuh is almost challenged in her ability to run in a straight line).

The other tallish girl turned to Elaina the night before the first practice and declared that she was outie, so guess who was on deck? Elaina was literally told to get under the basket and get in the way. And she did.

Funny thing--Coach thought she was 16 for an entire year until she finally broke it to him that she was only 13 years old. She was just really tall and showed great maturity. She's been playing up ever since.

She might look like a special needs kid when she runs, but let me clarify a few things about my child and her athletic career.

She played with a raging case of the flu once because Coach had no one else to put in her spot. She doped up, took a steroid shot (which she is DEATHLY AFRAID OF), and made three massive rebounds that night. I have never been more proud of anyone in my life.
When a tall girl enrolled in her grade at our school for a year and bumped Naynuh out of her starting spot, Elaina cheered loudly from the stands for that girl and her team. She never stopped cheering, considered quitting, or let her feelings get in the way of her commitment to the team.
She never missed a game--not a single one from seventh grade to twelfth. We even came home early from some vacations and missed some family events for basketball. She made a commitment and honored it.
She went to away basketball camp two years even though she called home every night crying to come home.
She never said, "I can't do that."
She never said, "I won't do that."
She only fouled out of one game in her entire career.
She played hurt (two massive sprained ankle injuries that required doctor's visits, pain killers, ice baths, special braces), played tired, played sick, and sometimes played positions she didn't understand.

She is a richer, better person because of the sport of basketball, and I am eternally grateful to Todd Stephens, Caleb Jones, and Marilyn Jones (who coached her in volleyball and then recruited her for volleyball team manager when she decided she'd had enough of balls flying toward her head) for their influence and investment into the life of my child.

She learned hard, valuable lessons from your coaching and teaching. She learned hard work, overcoming challenging situations, dedication, commitment, team work, forgiveness, communication, how to find joy in the little things, how to win and lose gracefully, and most of all how to be a part of something bigger than personal desires. You loved my child and poured into her. She will always remember your life lessons.

So many people poured into the sports experience by

simply showing up and being a part of...

If you have a child considering

playing a sport, I want to tell you this--they will learn as much from the friendships, the bus rides, the failures, the losses, the injuries, the ridiculousness, the pep rallies, the meals after games, the gossip, the coaching wins and coaching fails, the temper tantrums, the missed calls by the refs, the gimmie calls by the refs, the school spirit, the responsibility, the practices, the conditioning, and the interpersonal relationships than they will learn from any single victory. Win, lose, or draw, it was absolutely, unequivocally worth it in every single conceivable meaning of the words. Worth. It.

I am proud beyond all measure of my beautiful Elaina. Not for any accomplishment, but simply because she refused to quit and kept on in spite of. I love you, Naynuh. Go Big #3!!!!