There’s a team in every family
If there was one sport I could play every day of my life, it would be basketball. I’ve loved basketball since the days Michael Jordan leapt from the free throw line, Magic Johnson passed the ball right while looking left, and Larry Bird could basically hit the bottom of the net from anywhere on the court. I grew up playing ball with my brothers and their friends on the playground, played on my high school team, and spent my summers at numerous basketball camps. And whenever the Gus Macker three-on-three tournament came to town, I was always ready and willing to participate. The Gus Macker is a national three-on-three basketball tournament that visits numerous cities throughout the country.
Of course, as I’ve gotten older and lost a few quick steps here and there, I haven’t been able to play basketball as often as I would like. My brothers have since moved away, with one residing in Atlanta and the other in Boston. This past winter we toyed with the idea of playing in the Gus Macker tournament as a family when it came through Buffalo. At the end of June, that idea became a reality.
Four people were needed for a team with three players on the court at a time and one sub. Both of my brothers and I recruited another childhood friend of ours to form the ever-impressive entourage, the “Darc Angels.” My sister-in-law even made us T-shirts bearing the name. We registered as a co-ed team but there were so few co-ed teams entered, we were put into a bracket with only male players. To say that I wasn’t a bit intimidated would be a complete lie. Sure, I grew up playing against boys. But these were no longer boys; these were big, sweaty guys, some beer-bellied and some ripped like Rambo, and all were unwilling to cut a female player any slack.
Despite being locked into an all-male bracket, I played my heart out. And my brothers were there every step of the way. They patted me on the back or gave me a high-five whenever I made a shot or left the guy guarding me in the dust. I wasn’t only trying to play ball to the best of my abilities, I was trying to win the respect that I deserved. As a team, we were incredibly fluid. It could have possibly been the fact that we knew each other inside and out because we were family, or because we had grown up playing enough playground ball to know where each other would be on the court at any given time. Whatever the reason, there was this unspoken pact between us that said we weren’t only there to win as a team, we were there to win as a family.
Sadly, the Darc Angles didn’t take home first place. But we did end up with the third place title out of a total of 16 teams entered in the tournament. They even gave us bronze trophies! And every team we played against exhibited good sportsmanship. I can honestly say that was treated with respect as the only female on the court.
Playing in a three-on-three basketball tournament like the Gus Macker is exciting in itself. The atmosphere is much like a street fair, complete with concession stands and sponsor kiosks. Ages range from 10-year-olds to 60-year-olds, and the skill level is equally varied. While walking up and down the courts you can watch just about any game, from serious competitors to people who just want to play for fun. There’s also a center court featuring elite players, a dunk contest and a free-throw contest.
I was more than content to spend two full days playing nothing but basketball. But what made is special was the fact that my brothers, my father, and other members of my family were there to enjoy the game with me. They flew in and drove hundreds of miles to take part in a basketball-filled weekend.
I love this game for many reasons. I love the smell of a leather basketball, the shine of the court, the squeaking of sneakers against the floor, the sound of the ball swishing through the net, the strain in the legs from a defensive slide, the feeling when you know the ball is going in the basket as soon as it leaves your hand, and a buzzer-beater shot to win the game. Now, I love the game even more because it brought my family together to play a sport we all respect and enjoy. We not only played for ourselves, we played for each other.
It didn’t hurt that we walked away with a trophy either.
For a more detailed recap of the Gus Macker - read the Fitness 101 column. Also, the July column for Outcome is up as well!
Of course, as I’ve gotten older and lost a few quick steps here and there, I haven’t been able to play basketball as often as I would like. My brothers have since moved away, with one residing in Atlanta and the other in Boston. This past winter we toyed with the idea of playing in the Gus Macker tournament as a family when it came through Buffalo. At the end of June, that idea became a reality.
Four people were needed for a team with three players on the court at a time and one sub. Both of my brothers and I recruited another childhood friend of ours to form the ever-impressive entourage, the “Darc Angels.” My sister-in-law even made us T-shirts bearing the name. We registered as a co-ed team but there were so few co-ed teams entered, we were put into a bracket with only male players. To say that I wasn’t a bit intimidated would be a complete lie. Sure, I grew up playing against boys. But these were no longer boys; these were big, sweaty guys, some beer-bellied and some ripped like Rambo, and all were unwilling to cut a female player any slack.
Despite being locked into an all-male bracket, I played my heart out. And my brothers were there every step of the way. They patted me on the back or gave me a high-five whenever I made a shot or left the guy guarding me in the dust. I wasn’t only trying to play ball to the best of my abilities, I was trying to win the respect that I deserved. As a team, we were incredibly fluid. It could have possibly been the fact that we knew each other inside and out because we were family, or because we had grown up playing enough playground ball to know where each other would be on the court at any given time. Whatever the reason, there was this unspoken pact between us that said we weren’t only there to win as a team, we were there to win as a family.
Sadly, the Darc Angles didn’t take home first place. But we did end up with the third place title out of a total of 16 teams entered in the tournament. They even gave us bronze trophies! And every team we played against exhibited good sportsmanship. I can honestly say that was treated with respect as the only female on the court.
Playing in a three-on-three basketball tournament like the Gus Macker is exciting in itself. The atmosphere is much like a street fair, complete with concession stands and sponsor kiosks. Ages range from 10-year-olds to 60-year-olds, and the skill level is equally varied. While walking up and down the courts you can watch just about any game, from serious competitors to people who just want to play for fun. There’s also a center court featuring elite players, a dunk contest and a free-throw contest.
I was more than content to spend two full days playing nothing but basketball. But what made is special was the fact that my brothers, my father, and other members of my family were there to enjoy the game with me. They flew in and drove hundreds of miles to take part in a basketball-filled weekend.
I love this game for many reasons. I love the smell of a leather basketball, the shine of the court, the squeaking of sneakers against the floor, the sound of the ball swishing through the net, the strain in the legs from a defensive slide, the feeling when you know the ball is going in the basket as soon as it leaves your hand, and a buzzer-beater shot to win the game. Now, I love the game even more because it brought my family together to play a sport we all respect and enjoy. We not only played for ourselves, we played for each other.
It didn’t hurt that we walked away with a trophy either.
For a more detailed recap of the Gus Macker - read the Fitness 101 column. Also, the July column for Outcome is up as well!
posted by Darcangel's Musings @ 8:57 AM
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