Nerves
There it was in the sink. My barf was laying right before my eyes. It was March 5th, 2013 in State College. The state final for the Elks Hoop shoot was being held there. My mom and dad were there cheering me on. I was ashamed that I let the pressure get to me. I was worried my parents would be disappointed. The sweat dripping into my eyes felt like needles. My legs were shaking so much I was afraid of falling. Bounce, bounce, bounce. The sound of the basketball bouncing on the ground sounded like an earthquake. It was time to toughen up and go shoot. I said to myself, you can do this. Believe in yourself.
At that point, I exited the bathroom to the huge gym. I read the sign hanging on the wall “State Elks Hoop shoot.” All the families in the gym had there eyes on the prize. The giant gold…show more content… The first person to shoot was Paige. I know we were competing against each other, but we were friends so of course I cheered for her. She made about 85% of her foul shots. She turned around and had a big grin on her face. Her excitement made me forget about my barf, tears, and sweat. I was so stuck in the moment. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was my turn to shoot. I had it in my mind, compete against yourself. You are your own competitor. My feet were standing right behind the foul line. All the nasty thoughts entered my head again. The barf laying in the sink. The tears running down my cheeks. The sweat dripping off of my palms. All of that led up to that very moment. The referee passed me the ball. I did my usual routine of bouncing the ball twice. Then, I looked up and stared at the basket. The net sitting there just waiting for the ball. That was when I shot the ball. It felt so natural to be at the foul line. All the nerves left once I was done shooting the first time. Overall, I was happy with my performance. I turned and smiled at Paige. I sprinted to her as fast as I could and hugged Paige. I did