My relationship with basketball entailed as many valleys as it did peaks. When I first played the sport, it was with my elder friends when I lived in Cote-St-Catherine a relatively poor area of Montreal. At that time with both my parents at work for most of the day, I sought refuge from the stress I would be under from being one of the only people who could not speak French in my French school. After getting off the school bus, it would be a daily routine for me to drop my books off at home and head straight to the basketball court a short walk from my house. Generally, my

friends would be there before I would since they went to a closer school and I would usually arrive to find them about to make teams. Once we were divided, we would throw ourselves into the game without any further talk. At that time, my friends and I being from the same economic situation could not easily afford things like Nintendo and Sega Genesis. Fortunately for us, we didn't particularly care. Basketballs could be obtained for $25 almost anywhere and, we weren't overly picky if they were obtained in other less preferred methods. All it took was for one of us to bring that orange grail and gone were the thoughts of our inadequacies and shortcomings. From 3 in the afternoon until 8 or later some times, we would pound away on the asphalt only stopping occasionally to go to someone's house for a refreshment. When my feet reached the point where the pain emanating from them was unbearable I would trudge home and, after letting myself in and grabbing a quick dinner, would fall asleep all problems from school erased from my mind.

After 5 school changes and moving to a new province, the rewards I get from 'balling' have yet to be matched. Be it times of great stress or just a quick escape to reflect, there is something about a basketball rim that presents an ideal oasis to withdraw into. In the repetition and concentration of its activities, the mind retreats to a calming silence that is devoid of the traffic jam of thoughts permitting the tranquility necessary for clear thinking. Whether it's a game of pick-up outside after school or an organized match in the gym, life's problems and decisions are always resolved on the court.

The euphoria I get from playing basketball is as encompassing as the rapture that divers

Some common words found in the essay are:
Genesis Fortunately, , French French, playing basketball, basketball court,
Approximate Word count = 1166
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)