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Health & Fitness

More Than A Game: Life Lessons Learned From Basketball

The continuing series of posts by guest bloggers, current student-athletes at Northville High School, about their athletic life as a Mustang.

This week’s submission comes from Mitchell Alameddine.  Mitch is a senior and has played on the varsity basketball team the past two seasons. In addition, he is the President of the National Honor Society.

Basketball has been a part of my life since I can remember. For most of that time basketball has been to me, a fantastic sport that I enjoyed playing and a great way to spend time with friends. It was, and still is, an escape for me from the harsh Michigan winters that would otherwise keep me cooped up inside my house.

It wasn't until this last year, however, that I realized what basketball has done for me. The Michigan Special Olympics basketball games are held at my every winter, and I was given the opportunity to participate.  With over fifty teams playing games, the Special Olympics needed referees with in depth knowledge of the game to volunteer. Years of playing basketball afforded me the chance to take part in this great organization. As soon as I caught wind of the games, I knew that it was something I wanted to do.

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My first couple of hours with the kids in the gym totally upended my perspective. Being on the other side of ball, wearing the stripes, was a whole new view on the game in its own right. But when combined with the fact that I was helping give kids with disabilities a chance to play a sport they usually couldn’t, it was an experience I won’t soon forget. I realized, watching these children run up and down the court, how lucky I am to live the life I do today, where no limits are put on my goals. It really hit me when, in the middle of a game, one of the players turned around and gave me a hug. At that moment, my life was really put into perspective. I felt grateful for all the opportunities I had been given, that these kids never would.  Walking out of our gym was something I had done thousands of times before, but never with the feeling of satisfaction and realization that I did that February morning.

I decided that I would no longer pout after not getting the minutes I wanted following a game, because I know that each and every on of these kids would give anything to suit up in a varsity uniform and simply spectate from the bench. Patience. Teamwork. Camaraderie. Service. All heavy words that I would have trouble understanding if basketball would not have ever entered my life.

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