Growing up, basketball was my favorite sport to play. However, I was not naturally gifted with an immense amount of talent for it. In fifth grade, I decided to play recreational basketball to test my skills. At my first game, I thought I was the best player on the court because of my speed and agility. Horror struck me when I came to the recognition that I was actually one of the worst. When I graduated to middle school, I decided to try out for the sixth grade team since I thought I had developed into a decently skilled athlete. On the last day of tryouts, the coach decided that I didn't make the cut for the team. Heartbroken, I decided to develop my skills during the summer in order to make the seventh grade team. Tryouts for the seventh grade team came, and I was asked to leave on the second day of tryouts. I was devastated and even thought giving up basketball all together. However, I told myself that if I worked hard enough I could make the eighth grade team next year. For the next year, I did basketball drills before school and after dinner in order to sharpen my skills. Eventually tryouts for the middle school team arrived, and I was confident that I was going to make it this year. During the last day of tryouts, the coach announced in front of everyone who tried out that I was on the team. All my hard work paid off, and I decided not to quit my training from there. I trained even harder after the season, and I ended up as a starter for the rest of my high school career. Moreover, I even had some colleges coaches who showed an interest in my skills.