Borderline Basketball Player

I really liked basketball growing up. Like a lot of surburban families we had a hoop in the driveway. I remember when we put it in and all of us etched our initials into the cement before it dried. I would shoot hoops year round, cold fingers and all. As junior high tryouts approached in the late Fall I would practice a little harder and my dad would have to flash the porch lights to let me know it was time to go to bed. There was something cathartic about the repetition of shooting the ball, especially when the air was crisp and you could see your breath. I didn't make the team in 7th grade. I was heart broken when my name wasn't on the list. I took it like a man until my mom asked me how it went and I busted into tears. In 8th grade I got lucky during try outs, hitting an outside jumper during the final scrimmage...I made the B team. Freshman year I made it again, but I never got to play in the B games, let alone practice. At one point the coach said, "Sullivan, this isn't cross country, you can actually come in contact with the other team." That was the end of my basketball career, but I still enjoy shooting hoops when the opportunity arises.

When I first got to Miacatlan, my buddy Matt emailed and said, "You better start working on your soccer skills, it's the only way to get any street cred down there." He's right, soccer is the love of the masses. Unfortunately, I decided that no matter how hard I practice I will never be able to hold my own in the pick up games. So I've decided that basketball (simply called "basket" here) is going to be my Mexican sport. I've retained just enough skill and the kids are just bad enough they respect me on the court. I played a lot of hoops this weekend, the 6 year olds and 14 years old had nothing on me. I've even coined some Spanish phrases while I play that are catching on, like "Alli esta!" (There it is!) and "En la cara!" (In the face!)