Friday, March 18, 2016

A Story from the life of Paul R. Ghost Written by George K.



Photo courtesy of Britannica ImageQuest

A Story from the life of Paul R.
Ghost Written by George K.

Paul R., Yeoman 3rd class, US Navy
It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. Bright blue sky, there was not a single cloud in sight. This time of year the weather here always seemed nice. Just out of highschool I joined the Navy. I had just returned from spending time with my family over Thanksgiving. My ship, the U.S.S Piedmont was docked ashore a Naval base just outside of Japan. It was a regular day. Going about the work I always do when ashore. Although, that day I did have less work to do than any other day.

I finished rather early in the day maybe around noon. Recognizing this, I was approached by the General aboard the ship. He was the coach of a Navy basketball team. He started explaining everything about the team and what it was like. I didn’t really know what he was asking of me and just waited to find out what is was. Eventually he asked if I wanted to fill in an empty spot for his team.

They had a game later that day and were missing a few men. Wondering why he came to me out of all people, He seemed to know that I was an athlete in high school playing baseball, and a little basketball. I wasn't sure how I felt about this. I mean I didn't think I was very good. I hadn't played for I don't know how long. A few years at least. I didn’t know what to say to him, should I do it? what if I end up performing terribly? It can’t be that bad can it?
Going over all these situations in my head for a quick few seconds I finally make my decision.

“Sure I'll play for your team today” I tell him.

“Great” he says, “can’t wait”.

The game was later in the day so i had a few hours to spare. After that conversation the only
thing I could think about was basketball. I wasn’t thinking about the game but more about my past experiences. What it was like for me in highschool, the times I played with my friends when I was younger.

Basketball isn’t my favorite and or best sport, that spot was taken by baseball. But I did like the game, and being that I naturally liked sports in general, this was one that I was okay at. As the day passes I get more and more immersed in other activities that I completely forget about the basketball game. I check the time and there is about 45 minutes until then. As I stroll over to the court I am surprised that I forgot about this. It was probably for the better because if I hadn’t forgot about it I might have taken up my whole day trying to get over my nervousness for this game. “This isn’t that big of a deal” I tell myself, and that’s the truth it really isn’t. It’s practically a pickup game of basketball, but i’m still nervous. I can’t come to a conclusion as of why but I am, I just am.

I get to the court and see what will be my teammates for today. It seems like they had just gotten there, maybe five to ten minutes before me. I grab a ball and  start warming up with them. I take a few shots and my anxiety toward the game increases. I’m a little rusty being that I haven’t played in at least a year, maybe two. As I’m warming up I notice my “teammates” watching me. They watch and look at me, trying to judge how skilled I am. Feeling a bit of pressure, but shaking it off and not trying to worry about it I continue to warm up. Eventually it’s time to start the game. Being that my team only had four people for their game before they asked me to play I was starting. We all jog over to the sideline and they go over the plays and try to get each other excited for the game. A few of the guys tell me a little bit of what is going on but there isn’t much to it. It’s just a normal game of basketball. Both teams slowly walk onto the court. Reviewing tiny last minute play decisions. We take our spots on the court, and the game starts.  

I play an okay game at the start. Thinking I’m not as good as these other guys and the fact that I don’t want to upset them, I shy away from the ball for the first few minutes of the game. I get the ball every once in awhile but quickly get rid of it. Playing both teams good offense and defense I start to feel more comfortable. I get the ball again and decide to pass it to a man on the outside. He is quickly guarded and nowhere for him to go. He then zips the ball back to me. I look around for another pass but no one is open. Still feeling nervous, I try to make a pass but there is still no one open.

After making quick decisions I decide in my head that I now have to take a shot. After everything happening in a blink of a second I shoot the ball. That when everything slowed down. The ball is in the air and seems to never come down. Slowly we all watch the ball make its high ark in the air and come back down. After what seems to be and eternity the ball finally comes down and it’s in! To my surprise I made that long shot and my team up by another few points. Making this shot feels amazing. It really boosts my confidence and I begin to become more comfortable.

I receive the ball a few more times and I both pass it and shoot it. After taking a few more shots, and making all of them I start to get the ball a little more. I play with the team and try not to hog the ball too much but I just can’t miss. My teammates notice that i’m making all the shots I take, and start to pass it to me a little more often. As the game goes on I miss only one or two. Eventually it’s half time and the team makes their way to the bench. Once I get there I received much praise for my performance but shake it off kindly. I feel good though. After performing that well it feels like I’m the best player in the world, it’s great. Once the second half starts I perform just as well as the first. Making almost all of the shots I take. Now every shot I make I hear the cheers of my teammates and a few spectators. I just can’t miss.

Once the game is over I’m flooded with cheers and questions from the other players. “Did you play in high school?”. “What school did you go to?”. Although i played very well I tell them that this was just a “good game” and that I’m not as great of a basketball player as they think. Which in most cases was the truth. I always remembered that game of basketball. I was able to play really well for my team and perform well for those watching. It felt great. I will always remember that day because I was able to do something I like and make other people proud as well.   
Photo courtesy of theusspiedmont.org