MY PASSION IN LIFE

by Aneta Chmenia

 
As the ball left the tips of my fingers, I came crashing to the floor, the crowd exploded into a frenzy. What I could envision as I hit the floor, what made the crowd go wild, was my shot going in and bringing up our lead, furthering our chances to adding another win to our record. The taste of victory was in contrast to the salty sweat drops that fell into my mouth as I exhaled through my nose.
           
The whistle was blown instantly.
           
As I made my way to the free-throw line, I looked over to Coach Riley whose eyes were blazing blue.  I heard his booming voice; he was amazed beyond belief, as if he just witnessed something impossible. He mouthed to me, “Take your time.”
           
I closed my eyes, looked over again, this time to the crowd and at my mom.  She naturally is a very quiet audience member, but not this game. Her sea-blue eyes widened.  She was out of her chair after I hit the shot and now she was on the tips of her toes in excitement, waiting for me to shoot this free throw.
           
With my feet spread shoulder length apart, I bent my knees a few times while the ball was rhythmically spinning in my hand. I took a deep breath, inhaling all my surroundings and picturing being able to just hit this free throw.
           
SWISH!
           
With that, the crowd roared! I remember looking back to my mom again; she almost fell out of the bleachers. The crowd was slapping hi-fives, as if they were at a real WNBA basketball game and their favorite player just hit the game winner.
           
I made my free throw shot for the four-point play. After that foul, I could feel it in me. As if my spirits were lifted, I felt high. I knew this was my dream, my passion in life.