"B" Team

Every tried our for a sport or a part in a play? Ever auditioned for a solo in your school musical just to realize that Suzie Q from down the street got picked YET AGAIN for the spot? Ever want something so bad it burns in your veins and yet you fall short of the cut?

I was in 6th grade and attended Amos Hiatt Middle School (Go Bobcats!) - I heard about #basketball tryouts coming up and it was my goal to convince my friends that they all wanted to play too, so we could hang out together and we could be involved. I walked into the gym that day to realize that there was some competition and girls that just had a natural #ability to play the #sport - I was not the most coordinated player, but I had heart and I knew how to be #aggressive. After a few days of practice we were divided into 2 teams - the "A" team which were the girls that were more intermediate and advanced in their skills and then we has the "B" team. I was one of the "LUCKY ONES" that played on both - I was a starter on the "B" team and I rode the bench when the "A" team played. OUCH! This was something I had practiced in the back yard all summer long for the past couple of years, looking up to my sister who played basketball throughout her middle school and now as a high school sophomore - I was embarrassed to go home and tell her that I made the cut!

A few games had passed and after getting no action on the court with the "A" team, one of the girls fell on her ankle and needed a few minutes to "walk it off" - my coach said, "Kilby, your in - substitution please!" - this was IT, this was my time to shine, my ball handling skills still had room for #improvement, but I knew how to hustle and I knew how to play defense, at times I was a little overly aggressive and would get 3 or 4 fouls in one game, but not this one! I knew I had to prove myself because likely I would not get much playing time on the "A" team for the duration of the season! I went out and gave it my all - 2 rebounds, 12 points and 3 assists! - I was proud of myself and my coach was too.

Moral of the story:

You don't have to be on the "A" team to be a star. I never tried being any better than my friend that got hurt, I just wanted to make myself proud. I wanted to look back at that game one day and remember the look on my coaches face when he put me in and the excitement in my beating heart when I stepped out onto that court that day. It was a day I will remember for the rest of ym years and a chance to #remember that #practice and #determination to be great is a mindset. You don't have to have it all together or have the natural #talent, but if you strive for greatness every single day, #progress will be made and the #journey is the most beautiful part of your story, so #embrace it and #overcome your challenges. Don't stop believing in yourself, EVER.