My Monthly Sports Minute: Am I Still Trying to “Be Like Mike?” #8
My Monthly Sports Minute: Am I Still Trying to “Be Like Mike?” #8
It was the end of my final high school basketball season, senior year. I still remember being on the phone with a basketball coach — from a university in California — who was trying to recruit me. I had to ask myself some difficult questions. Am I trying to “be like Mike?” What about Candace Parker?
Since I was five, it was my dream to be a pro hooper. Even so, I had many more talents that people routinely overlooked or did not recognize.
I was a self-taught artist.
I was trained at a high level in Tae Kwon Do.
I loved writing and I would often create my own short stories.
I loved composing music. #Gifted #MoreThanAnAthlete
If I pursued a pro basketball career, I knew I wouldn’t have much free time. I already knew I wanted to have free time to explore each of my talents. I also wanted to know who I was as a person outside of being “Leah the athlete.” My proudest accomplishments came from sports, but I wanted to accomplish more outside of basketball. So, I decided to end my career after high school.
I never stopped hooping. I went to San Jose State as a full-time student, but I
played on intramural teams all four years and I stayed in the school gym running fives with the guys. I never lost my love for basketball, but I gained a new knowledge and love for myself outside of it. I want to share my story with youth I work with now and in the future as an educator and school counselor.
So no, I’m not trying to “be like Mike.” To be honest, I never was. I wasn’t trying to “be like Mike,” Candace Parker, Kobe, or Mya Moore. I was trying to be like Leah Crier, and today, she’s as cool as they come.
#Winning #Fulfilled
— Leah Crier
You can follow me on IG @coolbreezecreates
To checkout a book I illustrated, click on the following Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Take-Court-Amber-B-Warren/dp/1675709629/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=take+it+to+the+court&qid=1581901014&sr=8-1
