My name is Landry and I’m new to the fifth grade at Chester School, and let me just say being the new kid is tough because you have to get used to the school, you have to experience all new teachers, and teaching styles, You also have to make all new friends, and let me just say I have a really hard time making new friends. You see I’m really shy and quiet when it comes to talking, and being around new people, which makes it hard for me to make new friends. I want to make new friends, I just don’t really know how to. Over the next few days I started thinking of ways I could make new friends, but none of my ideas really appealed to me. I thought of chess club, but I hated playing chess, I thought about joining the after school book club, but the book that is going to be read in the book club is not one that interests me, and then I even thought about joining the math club, but I am really bad at math and I don’t enjoy doing it so I knew I would hate being a part of it. I thought I would never think of a good idea for me to make new friends, and have fun at the same time, but then all of a sudden another idea rushed quickly into my brain like a mouse running away from a cat, I could sign up for the school basketball team! I honestly thought that joining the basketball team was worth a shot because I have always thought playing basketball would be a fun, new, thrilling sport to try. Also I thought being on a sports team would be an amazing way for me to make new friends!
I’ve been playing on the basketball team for a two weeks now, and for only being on the team for that long I have already developed a strong love and passion for the game! I wasn’t even close to good and was I was probably the worst player on the team, but I was having a ton of fun and I was talking and getting to know others better. I honestly feel so happy that so far basketball has helped me talk to new people and that I’m loving the sport! I feel like I’ve accomplished something that seemed impossible to do, and that is one of the best feelings you can possibly feel!
I am now about three weeks in of playing on the basketball team, and with that I have made friends with three people Macey, Olivia, and Hollie.  Macey and Hollie are basketball teammates of mine and Olivia is one of my classmates. All three of them are really nice and fun to hang out with. They started talking to me before math one day and they were saying that they thought I seem really nice and cool! They then asked if I wanted to hang out with them at recess and sit with them at lunch and of course I said yes! I was a little shy around them at first, but like I mentioned before I’m always shy when I meet or talk to new people, but after about a week of hanging out with them I finally got to know them better and I felt more comfortable around them. We always hung out on top of the jungle gym at recess and talked about vacations we’ve been on, or a weird or exciting moments that have occurred in our lives, sports, and occasionally we also played truth or dare.
“Oh my god I can’t believe the basketball season is ending tonight,’’  I said with disbelief to my teammates Macey and Hollie during lunch.
“I know it’s crazy how fast it has gone by,” Macey exclaimed.
“Yeah I wish the season lasted longer,” Hollie said with disappointment.
“Me too,’’ I said.
“Yeah me three,” Macey said.
“You know guys both of you and everyone else on the team has made at least one real basket except for me,” I said with embarrassment and disappointment.
“Wait, you made a basket before,’’ Hollie stated.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t a real basket, remember I made it in the wrong hoop,’’ I said.
“Oh yeah that’s right,’’ Hollie quickly remembered like a kid just waking up and realizing they’re late for school.
“Well you know it’s not a big deal right, everyone makes mistakes,’’ Macey explained.
“I know, but it was super embarrassing,’’I replied.
“I remember the other team took a shot and missed it, so I grabbed the rebound and put the shot back up and made it! I didn’t realize I made it in the wrong hoop until I looked around and saw everyone laughing at me! I was so embarrassed, but I just started laughing to hide itI’’, I said.
“You know those people weren’t laughing at you, they were laughing with you,’’ Hollie said.
“How could they have been laughing with me,’’ I asked.
“Well you were laughing right,’’ Hollie asked.
“Yeah’’, I replied.
“That's why, they saw you laughing so they laughed too,’’ Hollie explained.
“Oh, that makes sense,’’ I realized.
“Anyway our last game is tonight and I know you will make your first basket then,’’ Macey said confidently.
“Thanks, I sure hope so’’, I said.
The score is 14 and 14 in the fourth quarter with five seconds left. I have the ball in my hands and I’m in perfect shooting range. My coach, teammates, and parents are all shouting “shoot”!  I thought to myself hey it’s worth a shot, so I went up for the shot. I was so nervous and excited at the same time, like a kid on their first day of kindergarten. I was nervous because I really didn’t want to miss the shot, and I was excited because I thought that I might actually make my first real basket, and in this case the winning shot! I watched the ball in awe as it flew up from my hands. I looked up and saw the clock now at 0.6 seconds left! The ball kept getting closer and closer to the hoop and…..buzzzzzz the buzzer has gone off and and right as it went off I saw the ball fall smoothly into the basket. My teammates, coach and parents were all cheering! I can’t believe it, I made my first real basket and the winning shot! I felt amazing, like I can accomplish what I thought was impossible because making a basket sure felt impossible for me, but I did it and now I feel so confident in myself!
“See Landry, I knew you you had it in you, I knew you could make a basket and look you also made the winning shot, and let me just say that was awesome!” Macey cheered.
             “Thanks!” I  said gleefully but humbly at the same time. “It was awesome!”
Let me just say I’m going to continue playing basketball for as long as I can because I love the game so much and I want to improve. Also it has helped me make new friends and talk to new people. I always keep trying and never get down on myself, so I was right when I thought playing basketball was worth a shot.