CHAPTER 1: NFL

My dream ever since I was little kid was simple, NFL player. I wanted to be a wide receiver specifically and be like my favorite player at the time, Randy Moss. I would always go outside as a young kid and toss around the football with my neighbor, who to this day I still refer to him as my uncle, whose only daughter a year younger than me died to cancer. Yeah, life sucks sometimes. I grew up as a wide receiver and was actually pretty good, until my parents told me the news when I was 8 and eligible to play for the tackle team. "No football" they said. I was crushed. That night I cried, and I still remember over half a decade later that night. Then the quarantine hit.

CHAPTER 2: QUARANTINE AND SCHOOL

This chapter goes to my grandfather. His favorite sport to watch is baseball, and he grew up a big Red Sox fan. At the time in the quarantine, the Rays were the AL Champs and growing up in Florida I thought I should default to them, but my grandfather made it impossible. Ever since then, baseball has wowed me. The crack of the bat, the movement of the ball from the pitchers hand, the craftsmanship of the outfielders was poetry. And for the next 2 years, I never missed a Red Sox game. Bogey and Devers made my life complete 2020-2022, and baseball was my Numero uno. It brought joy that I needed after some other things...

CHAPTER 3: THE OTHER THINGS

This was not very fun to talk about, but I have before. My calves are basically tight and deformed to sum it up. Even to this day I can't walk normally, which has made me a bullying bullseye. Even though I was the tallest kid in the grade, people often got on me because of my walking. I cried every day after school in 3rd grade because I didn't know what to do. I was called autistic because the way I walked is literally a sign of autism, so that ruined my life as well. I sought therapy and tried my best to excel in sports. But I couldn't. And for the first time in a while, I felt that I wouldn't live up to my dreams.

CHAPTER 4: THE MOVE

I moved up north in the winter of 2022, ending my over a decade Floridian experience. Although I had to start over, the people treated me much better up north. They welcomed me, greeted me, and since I missed Valentine's Day because I was in a hotel, got me some Valentines without even knowing who I was. Major props. Unfortunately, I was stuck. Baseball I stuck to watching because when I played I was alright, nothing good enough to brag about, football wouldn't work, and my mom suggested something one day that would change my life forever.

CHAPTER 5: BASKETBALL

As some of you may know, I play basketball to this day and am trying to live up to an NBA dream. Thankfully my mom played in high school so she suggested I play due to my tall frame. And it was the best three words I've said in a long time. "Sure, why not?" In my first game ever, I had 8 points and 7 boards, and I felt alive for the first time since I was 8 when it came to playing sports. I was having the time of my life on the court, and watching guys like LeBron and Steph made my life do a flip turn. In my final game of my first season, I knew I wouldn't play rec anymore, so I made it count with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Not bad for a first year.

CHAPTER 6: SOPHOMORE SLUMP

It's a common term. We've all heard of it before. And it is what I suffered in my second year of playing basketball. My averages plummeted as so did my playing time, and I felt something needed to change. We fell short in the playoffs, and next year I was eligible for my middle school team, and I knew what I had to do. I grinded like my life depended on it. 2 hours of playing in the driveway or at the Y for all but one day a week. I was prepared.

CHAPTER 7: LOCKED IN

My next year, I was beyond locked in, but my averages stood at mediocre numbers throughout the season. Until one day in practice my teammate fouled my hard to the head, and I felt something never before on the court. Pure hatred. I was livid, pressing on him until I realized something. By being the loud and obnoxious one, I established fear in some opponents and confidence in myself. In the next game, I matched up against this 6'2 kid with cornrows. I was 5'10 at the time. I held him to 6 points and had 17 points and 12 rebounds that game. It was the first leap I had. And it continued. I went from averaging 8 points and being timid to averaging 18 and trash talking opposing crowds. Yeah, it felt good. We won the county championship that year and immediately I knew how to play real ball.

CHAPTER 8: ALL IN ALL,

I am extremely grateful for everything you guys have given me. I just felt motivated to put this out there and since it's sports related, why not put it here. A little biography. And yes, I am gonna make each and every one of y'all proud and go to the league one day. And maybe I'll look back on this post. All in all, life's a marathon, stick with it. You got this.

-JStod