Most of us have a place where we can go and be free and be ourselves with no implications. It is a place where we can just forget about the problems of life, the problems of the world, and just feel true tranquility, pure freedom. I have a place like this, it is the basketball court. Just the sight of the basketball court evokes countless emotions and feelings for me. There is not another place in the world where I feel as liberated and excited as I do on the basketball court. When I step onto the court it is impossible for me to conjure a negative feeling within myself, I enter an endless state of euphoria and self-confidence.
I feel the second I step onto the hardwood I immediately am filled with a sense of never ending joy, as if it was my first time setting foot in the gym and picking up a basketball, holding it in my hands as if I had the world placed in my palms. I feel as if I am in complete control, like a maestro conducting his symphony and every thing I do is nothing but sweet music with the perfect melody and flow. I have that thought I can do no wrong, because every move I make, every decision I make, every shot I take is the right thing to do. When I lace up my shoes and step between the lines something great, something astonishing is released within me. Nothing can stop me. Not the referees, not the opposing fans and certainly not the opposing players. Why? Because I am in my territory, my sanctuary. The game and the court, they are my canvas, and I am Picasso, the game is an art and every time I step into the gym I create a masterpiece. I feel as free as bird, soaring through the open air, flying for the first time, high in the clouds, worriless. It is just me, the court and the ball, and nothing else, no pressure, no fear, no lack of faith. It is as if the second I lace up my shoes and step foot onto that court all of life’s problems and struggles just disappear, they vanish, never coming to mind while I am on the hardwood. The game and peace of the court take away all my negative feelings and sadness I may be experiencing and immediately replace it with optimism and jubilance leaving me in a state of complete serenity. Whenever I feel down I just pick up a ball and head to the gym and my attitude is shifted to that of relief and joy. I do not know what I would do if I was not able to play basketball, it is my life.

The basketball court has many distinctive characteristics that make it my favorite place to be in the world. The first is the crowd, all aficionados of the game. While they are all fans of the game they may not all be fans of me personally. In the crowd there are people with many different expressions. Some show the look of faith, they believe in me, support me, they are hoping for my everlasting success. They look as if they will support me forever, through thick and thin. If I make a mistake, it is ok, they know the next time I will make the right play or swish the shot. Out of their mouths flow supportive chants, words that pick my spirit up and inspire me to perform at an even higher level. On the other side of the stands, sits the opposing fans, forming an extensive angry mob of spiteful people who have an unreasonable, unexplainable hatred of me. They wish for nothing more than my immense downfall and demise, my deserved failure. I gaze into the opposing stands and see irate faces contorted in hatred for myself and my teammates. They stand, continuously yelling resentful insults and loathsome comments. They think that they are deterring me from winning; they think they are lowering my confidence and diminishing my level of play. In reality, they are accomplishing the complete opposite than that of their intentions. They intend to shake my focus, to make me uncomfortable and to throw of my game, but they do the opposite. They motivate me beyond belief; they stoke the raging fire that is my competitive spirit, they elevate my will to win and make my impending success and the certain victory of my team that much more sweet. The crowd creates one of the greatest parts of the game, the atmosphere. They bring the energy which electrifies the game, making it seem that much more significant. They make it even more necessary for the game to be won. I want to win even more so I can see the disappointed and disheartened faces of the opposing fans as they grudgingly leave the gym. I also want to win so I can see the chipper faces of our home crowd and hear them leaving the gym celebrating the most recent win.

The gym to me is a sanctuary, it is a safe place where I can go and escape problems. I love everything about it. I look out onto the court, taking in the beautiful scene upon me. The smooth, inviting wood of the court, a golden bronze, gleams in the light. A crystal clear reflection shines off of the wood. The lines run along the court, perfect and symmetrical. Every piece of wood runs parallel to one another and meets superlatively to create a beautiful meticulous finish. Not only are there warming sights but there are harmonious sounds as well. The echo of the ball as it is dribbled against the wood can be heard throughout the gym, its rhythm is methodical and exact. The voices of players barking out directions, running an offense, or calling out a pick, or for help on defense. Players are running around frantically, their shoes creating a squeaky noise on the court which is like music to my ears. It is the sign of quickness and speed, the friction between the shoe and the floor causing the noise. But above all these is the sound of the basketball swishing through the net. This is my favorite sound in the entire world. It is the indicator of the perfect shot; it is the climatic ending to the perfect sequence of events. After the perfect jump shot with perfect form, it is only right that it is ended by the sweet, melodious sound of that swish.

The game is life, and the court is my home. I am a student of the game; it is my first and true love. I love it because it will always be there for me, no matter what happens I can always go grab a basketball and play. The game will never leave me it is always loyal. There is nothing in the world that can faze me once I grab a ball and enter the world of basketball where I am king, and in my kingdom I will never be dethroned, because I will always shine and prosper.