I remember the first time I was introduced to the game of basketball not as a spectator, but as a player. I was a sixth grader at that time and had already started visualising myself as an ace basketball player in my class. Ofcourse I must admit, everybody has the freedom to day-dream and I had my own too.
We all lined up along the basketball court and our Sir, in his ever reminiscent stride came up to each one of us to check whether we had cut our hair properly, clipped our nails and were in the proper sports attire or not. Self-Grooming was the sole factor that acted as a confidence booster - Sir used to remind us. It was not as easy as I had imagined, just get into the court - start dribbling, and take a beautiful shot to impress everybody present, including the girls! We had a round of rope-skipping and 2 rounds of jogging around the court waiting for us before we actually could hold the basketball. Warm-up, Sir used to say, is an essential part of any sport. I understood the real meaning of this years later, when I had put up considerable weight.
After a full-fledged warm-up we were ready to battle out our first game of basketball. No sooner had I taken the ball in my hands, my day-dream seemed to melt away. The ball was quite heavy, and it ought to be for a sixth grader who was just 4' 4" tall. Shooting a basket and impressing girls was a long way to go, I was barely able to dribble the ball 3-4 times at a point. Sir asked everyone of us to line up for a beginner's throw from the 3-point line. My first throw was a damper. It barely touched the backboard, reminding me once again, its not as easy as you thought buddy!
"Steady yourself first. keep dribbling till you feel you have steadied your body and locked your aim. Then shoot". Sir's baritone seemed to boom at me. "Lock your aim and shoot" - my 3rd try yielded a result and a subtle smile on my face.
2 Years Later
I was now an Eighth grader but still struggling with my height. Being 4'9" tall only invited sneers from my classmates who were atleast half a foot taller than me. But my height worked to my advantage in basketball bashes. My postion used to juggle in between Point and Guard. There was a guy who was really tall. So tall, when he stood guard in front of his basket spreading his legs, it was like Eiffel Tower giving me an invitation to pass through its legs. Thats what I used to do always, pass through his legs, with ball in my hands and leave him groping for the ball. Man learns from mistakes and my friend also became wiser the 7th time I applied this trick.
1 Year Later
I have been promoted in class as well as in height. At 4' 11" I was satisfied about my growth in height and in the game of basketball. We used to have some good matches but our warm-up schedule remained still the same. And yet, the excitement of playing a basketball game remained undiminished.
I miss all those who used to play with me, I'm sure some of them might have already gone into a flashback mode after reading this.
I miss the game, and I miss our Sir. May his soul rest in peace.
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