Learning from the Game

One moment I will never forget is a high school basketball game in which I recently played. It was only our third game of the season, and I knew if I didn't do well I would probably be sitting on the bench the next game.

As the school day came to an end, I became more nervous with each second. About an hour after school ended, my team and I put on our jerseys. The game was about to begin. Looking at the crowd made it even more intense. After a hard game, we came out of the gym with a loss. Yet, I had scored seventeen points.

For the rest of the season, I never sat on the bench. After the season was over, the coach even asked me if I wanted to play summer basketball with the team. So, I think I've got a pretty good chance of starting next year.

(Aaron Frederick, 9th Grade)

Dear Past Self (from A. Frederick)

Dear Past Self,

I thank you for letting me build up to where I am today. All the hard work you did helped me to get where I am today. Hopefully, I will continue to keep the hard work up, because times are now hard. But I know that if I can keep up the good work that rewards will come.

One piece of advice I can give is that hard work pays off. To be successful, you have to work hard. That's why I am now trying to be involved in a lot of programs The more activities that I am involved in, the better opportunities you will have in the future.

With love and respect,

Aaron

(Aaron Frederick, 9th Grade)