I WON’T BACK DOWN by Kaylyn Crawford Basketball has been a part of my life for a very long time. I started playing in the second grade and have loved it ever since. When I started constantly thinking about and playing basketball, I knew it was a passion. I’d find myself imagining my future WNBA career for hours at a time while shooting. I fell in love with the game and I could never get it off my mind. I look up to players like Stephen Curry and see how he has made such a huge impact on the world with his game. When I think about his influence, I think about my dreams and aspirations to make a similar impact and be someone who people around the world look up to. I also think about all the things basketball has taught me so far. One of the first things I learned is that when the coach is talking, you hold the basketball. This taught me respect. Because I’ve learned respect from the game, I have better communication skills that allow me to better interact with my teachers so I can achieve my academic goals. Later into my “basketball career,” around the fourth grade, our coach emphasized that you should pass the ball around and share it 10
PERSEVERANCE IS THE FINAL INGREDIENT IN THE RECIPE THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND GRASP MY GOALS. with your teammates for better opportunities to score. Through this principle I learned teamwork. From learning teamwork, not only do I have a strong sense of trust for my teammates, but this allows me to reach out to new people and make new friends more easily.
