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Mar 27, 2003 Imagine a complete sense of euphoria. Try to contemplate achieving a higher sense of consciousness. Picture the greatest high you have experienced in your life and amplify that. Try to conceive of being transported into another realm where you have nothing else to occupy your mind except one single task at hand. This is how I feel every time I play a game of basketball. I know, I know you are saying how can a person derive so much pleasure from a mere childs game? The answer is quite simplistic in nature. Once you have grown to love something, you are infatuated with every single aspect of that entity. I have grown more and more found of the game of basketball since the first day I picked up the orange sphere. Basketball has something to offer everyone. There is the thrill of competition for those that need to compete. You have an opportunity to test your skills against an opponent every time you step foot on a court. Basketball is a game that brings out the true competitor in everyone. Games serve as mini battles between two intrepid teams that ultimately end with a victor, and a team that was not up to the challenge. In my experience there are few things in this world that can compare with the sound of a perfectly shot ball penetrating the net and creating a swishing sound. There are few feelings that can compete with striking a teammate with a bullet pass as they gracefully glide to the goal for an uncontested lay-up. There is no substitute for the camaraderie that develops between people that play together on the same team. Sharing the game of basketball with a teammate can potentially from a bond that will last a lifetime. One of my fondest basketball related memories occurred about two years ago. I had a summer job in retail and worked very closely with two gentlemen that were of Hispanic origin. Their English was fantastic, but Spanish was both of their first languages. Over time we became closer and closer and found out that we all shared a similar love for the game of basketball. One day after work my new friends invited me to play in a pickup game in their neighborhood. I was rather hesitant at first because they told me that I would probably be the only person not of Hispanic origin playing in the game. After much deliberation I decided to throw my caution into the wind and play with my friends. I was extremely thankful that I did decide to play, as it was one of the best experiences of my life. Even though every single word that was uttered on the court was in Spanish, we all shared the same reactions to good shots, strong moves, great passes and so on. It was as if we all had identical basketball I.Q.s that enabled us to understand the game in the same way. This understanding also allowed us to share a moment that we would have never, ever experienced in any other way. The Game of basketball had transcended the linguistic and cultural barriers that had separated us. It was as if we were all little children again ignorant of the many differences between us. We were all one in the same, and able to bask in the wondrous enjoyment a mere ball had provided us with. During that period of time while I was on that court with those guys nothing else in the world mattered. The only thing that I could think of was the game of basketball, and how pure it was. The game has an inherent power in it that unites people, and we all felt that magic on that very special day. That incident greatly strengthened my love affair with the game of basketball, and I doubt if I will ever love another game more. About the author: Jason Trace is a senior at Michigan State University who is majoring in English. Email Jason Trace: tracejas@msu.edu ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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