A Letter to Myself

Dear Sophomore Dennis,

         Basketball has been your most favorite sport ever since you started playing in the 4th grade. You know you loved playing basketball all your life. But why didn't you tryout for the JV basketball team during your sophomore year? You know that if you would've been on the JV team your sophomore year, you would've made the Varsity team in junior year. If you would've made the Varsity team as a junior, you would've had the opportunity to play more on Varsity as a senior.
         First of all, I thought you should've still gone to the optional two weeks of conditioning days set-up by the basketball coaches. You didn't even try to go to any of them and you thought you could take the year off and tryout for Varsity the year after. If you would've went to the conditioning, you could prove to the coaches that it is worthy of selecting you even though you didn't perform well during the summer league games. Each day you improved on, you will be much better conditioned and in shape for the tryout days. You definitely should've gone to conditioning to prepare yourself for basketball tryout.
         Most importantly, you should've still tryout for the basketball team even if you didn't think you would've made the team. If you did tryout and didn't make the team that would've be fine. You didn't want to be emotionally hurt to get cut but till this day you know you still feel very regretful about it. You figured out later that one person quit the team and two people got kicked off the team for having bad grades. You should've worked harder in the classroom and proved to the coaches that you maintain good grades. So when it comes to tryout, you show them your great progress reports, they might consider you a spot on the team regardless of your basketball ability at the time. You should've still tryout with the same mindset that thinking you will make the team.
        You know you made a regretful mistake. You were lazy and you didn't think you could handle the hard AP and honor classes you took sophomore year. You should've work harder both in the classroom and on the basketball court. Even though you did not impress the JV coach in summer league, you should've still tryout and gave yourself a chance to show the coaches what you are capable of. Once the JV coach become the Varsity coach the following year, you knew you should've have tryout anyways even if you didn't think you would've make it. The coaches actually wanted you to be a part of the team but you just didn't play sophomore year so he had to cut you junior year. If you would've practice with the team junior year and then made the team as a senior, you would've been given more time to play.
           They say hard work pays off in the end. Even if you did get cut, you wouldn't have lost anything. A loss is isn't a defeat but not learning from it is. Every day you thought about the decision of not trying out for the basketball team. You know basketball has been your most favorite sport and it all started when you were playing in in the backyard and by the church. You know basketball is the best thing that ever happened to your life. It gave you a chance to bring joy to life and have fun with your friends.

I truly wish I can go back in time to change that decision for you!

Sincerely,
D-LIN from the Future