This is not any old basketball hoop on a random driveway. This is the hoop at my childhood home. The driveway where I spent hours practicing my shot and my ball handling skills and running wind sprints to stay in shape. In those hours of dribbling and shooting, I learned about myself and about life.

As a writer, a blank page and a pen have become my driveway. A blank document on my laptop is my hoop. And this blog is a way to share what I have learned—about youth sports and life.

Opportunity

I started “shooting around” with my brothers when I was eleven or twelve. We played games like “Around the World,” “H-O-R-S-E,” and my favorite, “21.”

I was pretty successful getting the ball through the hoop on a bank shot, and I had no reason to think about the rest of the skills needed to play the game. No reason until a spring day in 1975 when my dad announced that thanks to Title IX, a girls’ basketball team would likely be formed, just as I started high school.

Overnight, the driveway became my classroom.

Dad said that if I was going to play on the high school team, I had to learn to shoot the ball properly. He taught me to shoot the same way he’d taught hundreds of boys:

“Put your fingers on the seam, bring the ball up in front of your face, keep your elbow in, and aim four inches above the rim. Bend your knees. Release the ball as you come up. Follow through, reaching for the rim, then follow your shot.”

Fundamentals

I spent many hours practicing my shot. Some days no matter how hard I tried, it didn’t feel right and I’d finish frustrated. Other days things clicked, and I felt a little more confident every time the ball swished through the net.

Not everything I needed to know was as fun as shooting. To play the game, I also had to learn how to handle the ball, how to make good passes, how to set a screen and how to play good defense. And if I wanted to be really good at those things, I had to get stronger and be in good shape.

I learned that having strong fundamental skills is important in every endeavor.

During the season, our coaches helped us improve with drills, but during the summer it was up to me. I used the skills assessment from my coach to work on what needed improvement for the next season. I made a chart and set daily goals for myself. Each day I crossed off the calendar brought me another day closer to the start of the season.

I learned that anticipation fuels desire.

On summer evenings as I shot around, Dad would tell me stories about kids he coached or great players he admired. Most often they were people who hadn’t played the game and didn’t know they could succeed until someone saw potential in them and spent time teaching them. Their stories inspired me to keep working toward my own goals.

Commitment

Out there on the blacktop, determined to improve my skills as I prepared myself for the coming season. I learned that commitment to a team starts with commitment to ourself. I learned the importance of putting in the work. And that some days, no matter how hard I work, I’m just not going to make progress.

It’s a lot like writing.

I show up every day. Some days the words flow easily. Other days I have to give them time. Some writing is for practice. Some is meant for sharing, which means taking a risk. Like the risk I took walking onto the court as one of the first girls to play basketball for my high school.

Growth

My “driveway” expanded as an adult. I have five decades of lessons and observations about youth sports to share. Lessons I learned as a player, coach’s daughter, coach’s wife and sports parent.

I’m going to take a risk and share my insights. They might confirm your own thinking or they might challenge it. You may learn from me and I may learn from you.

Either way is okay, because there are always new lessons to learn. We have to be willing to adjust—to rewrite the game plan—in sports, in writing and in life.

I hope you will join me.