Mizzou Rec Basketball Doesn't Mess Around

Since I was a little kid, basketball has always been my favorite sport. I just love the feeling of shutting someone down on defense. Or that feeling you get when the ball leaves your hand and you just know that it's going to be a perfect swish. 

So that was my first thought when I signed up for two separate rec leagues for this semester. You know, I'm gonna get my game back and ball it up and be like Mike.

LOL HAHA no.

This month my focus for my Happiness Project is to work out more, eat healthier, and drink water instead of all the soda and other sugary drinks that I love so much.

Obviously playing basketball is going to be an awesome idea for working out so I jumped at the opportunity to play with some friends from home and then on the Phi Lamb team as well.

I play on Sunday and Monday nights. And silly little me thought that it would just all come back to me. Here are the reasons my expectations were clearly not in line with reality.

FIRST. 

I forgot how clumsy I am. And how much I always fell in high school basketball. My knees look like someone took a baseball bat to them. The above picture of the great MJ is how I pictured myself looking. This is how I really look.

SECOND.

Holy guacamole I am out of shape. Like, really out of shape. In the words of my high school basketball coach, Coach Hann, running up and down the court I look like sap coming out of a tree on a cold winter day. And that's no lie. However, with each game it gets a little easier, just like I remembered. 

THIRD. 

I mentioned I'm clumsy, right? Well what about injury prone? Literally in my third game I pulled my hip flexor. And played the rest of the game. And then the game the next night with my other team. Let's just leave it with I hurt. And knowing me, that won't be the last time I get hurt in this league.

FOURTH.

I expected everyone to play physically. You know, how you're supposed to play basketball. And you'll never hear me complain about people going hard against me. But can we just say that in the co-ed division the guys treat you like you are a fellow man, not a woman. One of the first plays down the court I took a hard elbow to the gut. And then I avoided that guy the rest of the game. For obvious reasons.

Yeah yeah yeah....I'm complaining a lot. 

In reality I am having a blast. And I'm very happy that I am playing in both leagues because until I started up again I had forgotten how much I loved the sport. So as I am working out and getting in better shape I'm having a blast doing it. No matter how bad my shot is or how many rebounds I miss or how many times I pick up my dribble in the worst spot possible. The game makes me happy. So it fits right in with my Happiness Project.

I'll leave you with a little throwback of my favorite basketball picture. BALLIN.