RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional." -Roger Crawford.

Image Source: Markus Spiske (Unsplash)

In this week's blog post, I will share an anecdote from my high school days as an example of how, even in defeat, we can be victorious. This story is about the basketball game under the bridge.

If my memory serves me correctly, this game occurred in the early 1980s. A group of friends who lived in Blue Island, Illinois, and went to the same high school would gather on weekends to play touch football (also known as tackle football without protective gear) and lob baseball that took place in our local parks on both sides of town. It was about a friendly competition between the kids from the East and West sides of town.

One day, we decided it was time for a three-on-three basketball game at a neutral site. We chose a small park that sat below the 127th Street bridge. This bridge was the gateway between the east and west sides of our fair city. What made this park unique was the basketball court built underneath the bridge—three east siders against three west siders for a bragging rights battle. The underdogs in this story were me, my brother Tom, and our cousin Dan (on Mom's side).

All participants set a date weeks away to give our teams time to practice. Our team was disadvantaged because we needed basketball experience, except for Dan, who played some grade school ball. Some of the other players had grade school experience as well. Although the game was three-on-three, we were allowed to substitute a player for rest purposes. We enlisted our cousin Jim (Dad's side) as our fourth man, a good basketball player (with height). Besides playing in the game, Jim and Dan had to teach Tom and me the basics.

Jim lived a distance away from us(in unincorporated Chicago Heights). He overnighted at our house after spending several hours at the quarter-court in Centennial Park, a couple of blocks down the street from where we lived. Layups and jump shots were the lessons of that day. Most times, practices at the half-court were the three amigos from Blue Island - Tim, Tom, and Dan. Practice made perfect, or at least gave us a fighting chance.

Before the day of the "big" game, we learned that Jim would not be able to play because of other commitments - the three east Siders would have to play the entire stretch of the game. To set the stage, I will describe what the bridge court looked like. It may have been a half-court - two rims attached to poles with a compressed pea gravel surface. Nevertheless, our battle was about to begin. At the start of the game, both teams had three players each. The three amigos felt as ready and confident as they ever would be.

At tipoff, it became apparent that our opponents underestimated our abilities. In their defense, and speaking only for myself, in general - I was not athletically inclined. From the start, they dared us to take an uncontested outside jump shot. Any one of us three consistently sank the basket. Our layups scored points as well. The west siders realized we showed up to play and began to defend their side of the court. By half-time, we were down by a score of 21 to 20.

Image Source: Drew Beamer (Unsplash)

During the break, the tide turned, and a fourth man showed up for the west side team. No matter how prepared, we could not overcome the substitution of a fresh player - fatigue got the better of the east side team, who played from start to finish. Even though we lost the game, our opponents congratulated us on playing tough. Ultimately, it became more about friendship and camaraderie than the game played beneath a bridge. The three of us went home that day and celebrated a victory versus the actual loss because it was the work and practice that brought us to a level where we showed up ready to play.

I share this story with you, my readers, as a life lesson. Life will offer challenges far more significant than a friendly game of basketball. We will stumble and succeed during our journey through this lifetime. It is when we fall that we must get back up, dust ourselves off, and continue to move forward. Regroup, take the lessons learned, and shape a new course of action. Ultimately, perseverance is the cornerstone of success. It is not whether we win or lose but how we rise to the challenge. Until next time -

Namaste,

Tim