You step between the lines and you can’t hear the crowd. You are perfectly aware of everything that’s happening around you and you feel as if everything is being played in slow motion. You aren’t physically tired and everything seems effortless. All of your senses are alive. You have complete control of your body. It’s hard to describe but if you’ve been to that magical place you know what I’m talking about. That feeling is the feeling I get from basketball. "Champions do not become champions when they win an event, but in the hours, weeks, months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely a demonstration of their championship character." This quote from the great Michael Jordan told me that winning is always the goal but going through all the work to get to that point where you become a winner is the ultimate achievement. I personally didn't know Michael Jordan unfortunately but I do know someone that has impacted my life tremendously with the game of basketball. My old high school coach Wade Grinde. His perseverance and dedication to the game did more than just expand my game as a player, it also improved me as an overall person. Coach Grinde is a former 2 time coach of the year winner in Minnesota and has been awarded each time at the Target Center in Minneapolis when winning it. This probably tells you that he was a pretty good coach. But, he was much more than that. He was a leader, motivator, and teacher. Some of the most important things I ever learned from Coach Grinde wasn't on the court but off the court. Just a few examples of what he taught me was to be genuine, be understanding, be a team player, and how to be a leader. From 9th grade to 12 grade I played basketball with the same teammates and with the same coach which made it basketball feel like not only a game that I was good at, but a secondary family that I could lean on and a coach that was more than willing to take on any sort of burden. Whether that burden was taking time out of his schedule to help with schoolwork or with life problems Coach Grinde was always there. Through 4 years of hard work Coach Grinde taught me the ups and downs of life, the challenges that each presented, and what it took to meet those problems head on. Whether those problems were on the court or off the court Coach Grinde was like a secondary dad to me. Someone I could lean on and someone I knew wouldn't belittle me for anything that I did. For 4 years I laced up my shoes and played for Coach Grinde but the most important things I learned from him wasn't the game of basketball, but the life lessons I learned from him. Almost all things I have learned about myself can be traced back to basketball. I could definitely say basketball is the best metaphor for the game of life. Life is all about being passionate and having enthusiasm for the moment. Coach Grinde taught me that the most important thing to do is to put forth my best effort in anything that I chose to do. Being human I do come up short at times. In those instances, I know how to pick myself back up, look within, and try another path to reach my destination. Many times I felt like quitting because it was a easier option but I learned long ago that I didn't like who I was when I quit. It’s hard to live with yourself when you don’t give your best effort. When I did give my best effort and things didn't go my way I became more determined to succeed, a trait that was one of Coach Grinde's trademarks which was to always give 100% and have a "never die" attitude. Coach Grinde taught me to constantly stretch my boundaries and test my limits. It gave me an avenue to express my
