Your 19th superpower is basketball. Honestly, for most
people, it would probably be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking
about your superpowers. You are one of the most decorated basketball
players to come out of your high school, this city, and even this state in a
very long time. You are so good, so fun to watch, such an exceptional playmaker
and shooter and rebounder. More, you are an exceptional teammate—supportive,
encouraging, focused, kind. It was such a unique and wonderful honor to be the
mom of such a rare and radiant star, and, to be completely honest, I often had
to look to you to know how to carry myself with grace and humility. I spent the
entirety of your career so far nearly bursting with the pride and joy of you
and your game.
We started you young. You were in just second grade when we
decided to form a team with your school classmates. You guys couldn’t decide
between the “dolphins” and the “tigers” as your mascot so, during one practice, you asked me “Isn’t there an animal called a ‘tiger shark’?”
“Well, yes,” I admitted.
“Then why can’t we be the Tiger Dolphins?” you asked. Why
indeed? So Tiger Dolphins it was. From then on, the rest is history. You were
such a stellar athlete and strong player that I often had to hold you back to
keep you from completely dominating the entire league. You were only allowed to
score so many points, then only allowed to score on rebounds, then only allowed
to score when everyone on the team had made a basket. You were so completely dominant that we decided we needed to take the show on the road.
We formed a team with a friend of ours, combining the best
from her team, the best from our team, and picking up a few extra standouts
from other teams. We left the Y league behind and moved onto travel
tournaments. You still dominated. We won tournament after tournament. After 2 seasons of this, culminating in a coveted
“sleepover tournament” at a nearby AAU club, we learned that there was yet a
larger pool of talent that we needed to expose you to. After our team was
soundly defeated in every single game, it was quite evident that, other than
you, there was no one on our local club team that was playing at the caliber of
these club teams. In one especially memorable game, you battled ferociously
against our opponent, keeping the score close. The opposing coach called a
timeout, and I asked the team, “What do you think she is saying right now?” At
the blank looks and wild guesses, I responded, “She is saying ‘we have to stop
number 50. The score is 10 to 10, and number 50 has all 10 of their points! The
rest of you need to step it up—Claire can’t do it all on her own.” That coach,
who ended up being your beloved coach Stacy who would recruit you to her team
and proceed to guide your career for the next 6 years, later told me I was
exactly right in my estimation of what she was saying. “I asked them, ‘who is
going to stop number 50?!’”. After that
game, we decided to take you up yet another notch, and you joined coach Stacy and her Team Iowa in
Cedar Rapids. Even though this significant commitment meant you and I were on
the road for practices twice a week and tournaments nearly every weekend, you
were ready for the challenge.
It wasn’t until later that you admitted to me that that was somewhat
of a difficult transition for you. You missed your friends on your old team and
felt awkward and left out with the new girls. Looking back, I should have known
better, but using your other well documented superpowers (joy, adaptability)
you never let on. “I’m a good hider,” you said, which was a sweet and poignant
comment and one that will always be a good reminder to listen and watch closely
during times of transition for you. You won’t always let your struggles show.
But, back to your basketball powers. You went on to have an
exceptional career with the Team Iowa girls, who became “Iowa Dream” in your
final season. Indeed, you are all going on to live your dream as 2 out of the 8
of you earned Division One scholarships, 3 of you earned Division Two full
rides, and 2 of you are planning to play for what will likely be a national
Division 3 contender in the next few years. Basketball has indeed been one of, if
not your singular, greatest strength.
For me, your superpower of basketball has been especially
gratifying. I love the game and have as long as I can remember. I, too, played
it with a fierce devotion (though certainly with considerably less skill). I
have mentioned in these letters before that I am regularly accused of playing
favorites with you. It’s not true, of course, I love you all equally and
devotedly, but you share a deep affection and affinity for my favorite sport.
It brought us together in countless ways over the last 12 years and, for that, I
will always be grateful. The fact that you made all my high school dreams come
true (leading scorer of ALL TIME, all conference, all region, all area, all
state, all EVERYTHING) is just icing on one of my life's richest, most delightful cakes.
I left this superpower until 19th, however, because
I always want you to remember that you are so much more than basketball. It has
defined a lot of your childhood, certainly, and it has brought us all so much
joy and excitement during your 19 years at home. But you are bigger and more
than just a game, and, someday when you hang up your high tops for the last
time, I hope you remember that. All of your superpowers will serve you well,
and basketball in particular will offer you a wealth of meaningful lessons,
cherished memories, and the personal growth that comes to those who embrace and
nurture the gifts that sports provide.
I conclude this letter, not with more ruminations of my own, but
with a copy of the article that ran in our local newspaper this last year. It
outlines your accomplishments with far more accuracy and succinctness than I
could ever muster.
