Here is a very interesting essay from my classmate, Zachary Ong from 5R - "Sheer Determination to Win".
“Creak! Creak!” Yet another quiet afternoon floated by as
I wheeled myself out of the school gates. In the distance, I could hear the
voices of boys and girls shouting and playing – surely my classmates were at
the basketball court. With single-minded determination, I put them out of my
mind. This was not the time to think of them. High overhead, the sun held the
world in its brilliant gaze as waves of heat shimmered before me. With one arm,
I hugged my basketball. With my other, I skillfully manoeuvred the wheelchair
along the pavement.
Soon, I was at the pedestrian crossing near my house. I
could still see the images from that fateful day, replaying repeatedly in my
mind – the flashing green, me dashing across the street with my basketball and
the stretched, pale face of the driver as he realised what was going on. Then,
the dull throbbing and worried voices of the doctors and nurses washed over me
as I drifted in and out of consciousness. “Paralysed ….. Cannot walk ….. No
cure …..” These words kept echoing in my mind. Instead of crossing the road, I
made the detour that I made almost everyday since I had been discharged from
the hospital. Soon, the communal basketball came into view. With instincts as
my guide, I wheeled myself onto the court. Thump! The basketball slid smoothly
from my lap and onto the concrete ground, and as it did, it bounced sharply
into the air. My hand shot out and caught the ball with ease. Ten minutes of
dribbling as a warm-up and after that, I would practice some lay-ups and free throws.
It had been a month since I was released from the hospital. My life and my love
for basketball had almost ended, but I was determined to get it back, one day
at a time. I promised myself determinedly, “One day, I will play basketball
with my friends again. I will be an even better player than I was before.”
The sound of a basketball hitting the floor roused me
from my reverie. Turning around, I saw several teenagers about a year older
than I, trooping onto the court. At that juncture, our eyes met. An awkward
silence filled the air as we started at each other. Uncomfortably, one of them
shifted his foot. I knew that they wanted to have the court to themselves. The
leader of the gang then said firmly, “Get lost!” Upon hearing that, with a
boldness I never knew I had, I growled, “One on one! If I lose, you guys get to
use the court!” They just stared at me incredulously, nodding their heads. Part
of me knew that it was crazy to challenge an able-bodied player but another
part of me was certain I could win.
Tentatively, the leader started forward with a slow
dribble. I knew he was testing my ability – I had to show him that I meant
business. With a sharp pull, my wheelchair darted forward, its speed catching
the boy unaware. Stunned, he barely had time to pull the ball out of reach as
my arm shot forth in an attempt to grab it. My heart leapt with triumph. He
clearly did not know how nimbly one could move in a wheelchair. Making use of
his stunned state, I stole the ball from him and scored a three-pointer.
Applause broke from the sidelines. The challenge was not over but I had already
won. The group of teenagers was looking at me with respect shining in their
eyes.
Waving our hands, my newfound friends and I parted ways
as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Although I was not able to do some
things that I once could, I had improved greatly and one day, I would be able
to play with my friends again. “Won’t they be surprised?” I mused to myself.
Written by: Zachary Ong (5R)
Photo credit: Backdoor Survival / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Photo credit: Backdoor Survival / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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