It was a bitter November night at Arrowhead High School, and I was ready to go home after a long day of school. I dragged my basketball bag on the ground through the halls, along with my feet, backpack, and my jacket. The Freshmen Girls’ basketball tryouts were finally over after a long three days. The girls who tried out for the basketball team were all sitting in the hallway waiting for the good or bad news. The two coaches called a name. That person went into one of the Science Classrooms at South Campus. When I entered that room, my heart started to beat faster and faster. My hands started to sweat, and I was becoming nervous. The two of them told me what was good about my tryouts and what I could improve on. I was then told I would be part of the “B” Team with Coach Christina Bower. At first I wasn’t excited about making the “B” Team, but in the end, it was worth it.
Coach Bower was a first year teacher here at Arrowhead and my team was her first basketball team. As time went on, Coach Bower and I became close. I was comfortable being on her team, we had fun, and of course we had team pasta parties. The best part was the Christmas practice, where we played games and had a wonderful time. Friday night pasta parties were the best. A pasta party is when the team gets together and goes to a team member’s house to eat pasta. Also, the team could go to a noodle company or somewhere they have crabs. Team bonding was another one of my favorites. My freshmen basketball team didn’t do as well as we could’ve, but all that matters is that we had fun. Coach Bower taught us a lot. And most of all, she taught us how to have fun.
Now as a junior at Arrowhead, Coach Bower is my Advanced Algebra teacher. The enjoyment of having her as a coach has now turned into the enjoyment of a teacher. Miss Bower is always there to help a student out, no matter what. She will give up her time in the morning, give her lunch time up and her after school hours. As a coach and a teacher she wants everyone to achieve in life and she wants everyone to be successful. Miss Bower knows how to connect with the students because she is a newer teacher and knows how the teenage bodies learn. She is crazy, goofy, and hysterical. She is Christina Bower: my coach, my teacher, my friend.