I signed her up for T-ball when she was in first grade. She seemed to have inherited my skills. After T-ball, she played softball for a couple of years, but didn’t like it. I signed her up for basketball. She didn’t like that either.
Finally, one day during the summer before seventh grade, she asked if she could take karate lessons. She was so determined that she actually started looking through ads in the paper to find a school. To my delight, the school she picked taught a style similar to the one I’d learned. I signed her up. And she was good at it. Really good. She’d found her sport. She won tournaments. She dazzled everyone. She made me proud.
So, what does all of this mean? I guess it means you can survive being a clueless player surrounded by kids who know the rules, and you can survive showing up with a Charlie the Tuna basketball. Really, my friends, you can survive anything. And sometimes, magically, when all you’re hoping for is to make it to first base, the ball flies across the gym and swishes through the basket. And sometimes, after looking hard and nearly giving up, you find your sport.
David Lubar
David Lubar (1954– ) has written at least a dozen books for young adults. Lubar worked for many years as a video game designer. That job was exciting, but Lubar loved writing more. The first piece of writing he ever sold was a joke to a comedian— for 75 cents. Lubar lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, daughter, and three cats.