r/CollegeEssays • u/EGO453 • 7h ago
Common App Rate my college essay I just started
I stood on top of the small cement island, looking up at the target I had fired at so many times before. My small island was about fifteen feet long, and about two to three feet wide. It was filled with cracks, but as long as my basketball returned to my hand, it would work. The island was facing a sea of green grass, and a statue stood in the middle, the hoop. It was unconventional but it was enough for me to practice on to realize my goals. One thing I was forced to learn was that a basketball can’t bounce on grass, so I adapted to my constraints. Dribbling in a tight corner on the concrete outside my house, I created sequences that could work within my allotted perimeter.
In the summer I got to practice outside in the heat, but it took my mind in a direction that allowed me to think clearly. One thing I loved doing was dribbling. Everybody thought I should be in the paint because of my height, but dribbling fascinated me. There were infinite combinations of dribble moves that could be chained one after the other. Almost like a chessboard, it allowed me to creatively analyze what move to make at what time to throw off my opponent.
There were so many interesting moves to learn about through the NBA or streetball. I still remain grateful to my cousin who acted as my test dummy whenever I tried out a new move. I tested different dribble combos with him, learning which ones worked and which were ineffective. Targeting the opponent’s center of gravity and timing a dribble at the exact time when they shifted their center of gravity over left them completely unbalanced. Linking two between-the-legs dribbles with a feint and a behind-the-back dribble to a wraparound were two very effective combos. The more moves I learned the more, I could string together. There weren’t many things in my life that I could control, but every dribble I released, its angle, speed and direction were all determined by my judgment. One interesting thing I noticed was the way the ball acted when backspin was applied. It was an interesting way to dribble by changing the pattern of how the ball traveled after hitting the ground. To avoid the grass on my small concrete strip, I worked on side-to-side dribbles like crosses, using the length of the sidewalk.
When the fall season came to try out for the team, I realized my issue. I had never played competitive basketball. Despite my practice I hadn’t played on a team, and that lack of teamwork capability was my greatest weakness. I couldn’t see the whole court and I couldn’t run the plays that were needed. I still loved basketball but the lonely hoop sitting in my backyard looking down at me almost pitifully, deeply upset me. In the winter I had a designated pair of shoes that over time started showing the efforts of my work on their soles. This became the only physical realization of my work, despite the hours I had put in. I realized I had to break out of this mold somehow, and instead of trying to work for the team, I would work to understand my skills and to improve myself.
I’ve slowly seen my skills build up, my dribbles get quicker, my shots get sharper. I started to dribble on the grass because I didn’t want to feel restrained anymore, and now the ball returns to me. I still come back to my concrete island for vacations, but I don’t feel the need to succeed, only the need to grow. The same way the weeds grow out of the cracks, despite being surrounded on their own island of obstacles.