Gball Online Magazine: For the Love of the Game

It's windy outside. My gaze shifts from the Michael Jordan cardboard statue in my room to the "Jordan Times" newspaper bearing the news of more and more blood-shed between the Israelis and Palestinians. Perhaps the conflict is not close enough to my home in Amman, Jordan to cause political turmoil, but it is indeed close enough to wreak emotional pain.

It's very difficult to maintain your focus on the game when there's so much going on around you. So how do you focus? How do you deal? I don't know the precise answer to that, and I probably never will. But one thing's for sure. There's a team of dedicated-to-basketball girls living in Ramallah, Israel who do know how.

Last year. March. We were invited by a Palestinian girls' team in Ramallah (which is in central Israel) to take part in a three-day tournament. The girls on the team, from the St. Joseph's school, would host us. We were all excited, and some of us afraid. Unlike many on the team, I had been to Israel several times, and I knew what it was like down there. I knew that we would face several minor problems, but I also knew that the Palestinian girls would provide us with the best hospitality possible.

A week later found us en route to Ramallah, where we were determined to make a name for our school team, and at the same time be recognizably polite and cooperative guests. But, as we crossed the border into Israel, the smiles of my teammates in the bus turned to expressions of worry and trepidation. They had been brought up with the idea that Israel was a volatile area, and that anything could happen, anytime, anyplace.

Without war and conflict, the trip should take two hours. But travel time also includes undergoing interrogation from Israeli border police, which takes three to four hours.

Although I noticed the worried looks of my teammates, I was not so worried about the politics of the matter. I was worried about the game, and the level of play these girls had. (How typical of myself).

The tournament was played (may I also add we achieved first place with difficulty) and friends were made. Leaving our newfound friends after three days of bonding was difficult and saddening.

While going back home, I thought about how those girls had to live and play in terrible circumstances--knowing that anything could happen to instigate turmoil and destruction throughout the land. I silently wondered how they did it. How they played the game, knowing that there was a great deal of important matters at hand. Matters that didn't involve grabbing a ball and driving it to a metal rim.

To this day I wonder what fed their dedication, perseverance, and most of all, their determination. Perhaps it was the need to excel. The need to be significant. Or perhaps they just loved the game too much to quit it. I'm guessing all three. Because I too love the game, and I too know that even if it were World War III, I'd still go out and play basketball.

Basketball, to me and probably to a lot of you reading this, does not only represent a sport. It represents a passion and a dream. And what's life without a dream or two? I respect those girls from Ramallah, for their ability to maintain their focus, to maintain their dreams, and to live on with a brave heart and a bright smile.

Perhaps I have found a retaliation to what Monica Wright's mother stated in "L&B," or maybe I have uncovered something deeper. All I know is that some way or the other, you gotta dream. And no matter what happens, you gotta cling to your dreams. Despite any circumstances that may arise, cling to them like they're the only thing you've got. In other words ...

Ingredients to a "Dream come true":
A pinch of hope
A dash of faith
Three spoons dedication
Half a cup of perseverance
One teaspoon of absolute, pure imagination.

The following goes out to Chrissy Mott at the U.S. Air Force Academy: (Now this is an inspirational quote if I ever saw one.):
"The world is richer, for those who aspire
To ever and ever, reach higher and higher."

Aseel Barghuthi is in her senior year at Amman Baccalaureate School, in the country of Jordan, where she plays both point guard and shooting guard on the school team. She has also lived in the United States (Athens, Georgia) and England. She hopes to play college ball next year back in the United States. To contact Aseel with any comments or suggestions, e-mail her at aseel@index.com.jo

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