Just to let you know that I got a 97 on this paper.Hoops Galore Filled with tension as I entered the dilapidated gym, I arrived early for my first day of basketball practice. My first activity was to stretch my muscles so I could relax and be ready to play. As more of my teammates arrived, we started talking about old teams and coaches. Our conversation reminded me of my early life and made me smile. When we started playing, I started focusing on the game. After scoring a couple of baskets, I started to relax and enjoy myself. After the first day of training for some time, I began to realize that participating in basketball was beneficial socially, mentally, and most importantly, physically. My participation in basketball has been socially uplifting. One way it helped me socially was by changing my reaction to meeting new people. When I first started playing, I was always the shy kid in the corner. After years of playing I've come out of my shell and now I'm one of the first players to introduce myself to everyone. More importantly, participating in basketball helped me develop better friendships with people I already knew. On the first day of training I knew almost all of my team members from school and talked to them, but I never really got to know them. Playing with them helped me discover the true personality of these kids. The biggest way that participating in basketball helped me socially was that I met tons of new people. Every time I started a new season of recreational basketball there were always some new kids I had never met. Meeting these kids was a way to meet their friends and broaden my social horizons. In addition to the social benefits of participating in basketball, I found that it also helped me mentally. Regular participation has improved my mental reaction times. When I was playing and saw an open lane to the basket, all those years of practicing and playing allowed me to make the decision to drive to the basket "faster" than I might have if I had never played. More importantly, when I played, I entered the game mentally and it brought out the most competitive person inside me. The more often this competitive person came out, the more it carried over into everyday life causing me to strive to do my best in everything I do..