Finding the tall girl inside of us

By Lauri Hennessey

When I was 13, I knew I wanted to be a basketball star. I was tall - really tall. Basketball made sense. I knew I wanted to be the center of my junior high team. I could envision myself out there, feel the success I would have in the final seconds of the game.

But that vision didn't exactly work in a world with Laura Stocker.

Yeah, you guessed it. Laura was a fantastic player. She was a fantastic center. In fact, she was all-district champion or some such thing. So I never became the best center Puyallup ever saw.

But man, I loved basketball - even riding the bench.

I loved the sound of the balls as we warmed up. I loved the blue and yellow uniforms we wore. I loved the pep assemblies. I really loved how my dad came to every game, where he would sit in the stands and watch me for the brief moments they took Laura Stocker out. But it didn't matter to me - I just loved the feeling of being on a team.

Being a tall girl is tough, believe me. Plenty of memories of my adolescence involve me at dances, slumping against a wall and trying to look short. I remember many a kiss later one before which I would frantically get on the bottom side of a curb. I remember the feeling of disappointment when half the male population I was drawn to were off the table - to me, that is - because of being too short for me.

The world loves petite girls. They are the cheerleaders, the cute little bundles that men carry over the threshold. Me, even when I was a lot leaner than I am now - I was never the type you carried over anything.

Now, I have a tall girl. I have hoped for a few years that basketball would become her sport. She has played it for three years, and enjoyed it, but not passionately. This year, she found her passion. Now she is the "man in the middle." Getting rebounds. Drawing fouls. Taking shots. And yeah, it helps that she is really tall.

But I look at her, this fourth grader, and I cherish that she has this moment of glorying in her height. Because things shift in flight - maybe in fifth grade, other girls will have passed her by. Maybe by sixth grade, she will be average height. Who knows? I don't quite believe that, but it could happen. And then, she won't have quite so much natural advantage on her side. But she will have the feeling of knowing the game, having confidence, and loving it all. That will mean a lot, regardless of height.

I find myself looking forward to basketball all week. I look forward to seeing both my son and daughter play, but I especially love seeing my daughter. She is a kid who is not naturally bubbly. But you put her on a basketball court, and she finds her happiness, her confidence.

The other day, I was telling my husband how much I look forward to Saturday basketball all week, and he admitted he does, too. Last weekend, looking around at this community of parents with whom we share rainy Saturdays, I was filled with such contentment. I was content to imagine another eight years of joining our neighbors and watching just this - Lilly playing basketball, being on a team, being happy.

More than that - being happy being tall.

I felt that in junior high. Whether our team had the all-district center or not, I loved the game. And now, I look back 30 years later, and I really don't remember much about how many minutes I was played. I remember two things that are much more important.

One, I remember in ninth grade, when I won "Most Inspirational" on our basketball team. My coach handed me the award at the assembly, and she whispered in my ear, "You know, this is the hardest award to get." I got it for clapping and cheering on my teammates, starter or not. And that award stayed with me for a good number of years. The other thing I remember about basketball? My dad never missed a game. Not a one.

Knowing your teammates appreciate you, and having your Dad watch you play. What could be cooler than that?

See you on Saturday. I will be the one cheering on from the sidelines. The tall one.

Lauri Hennessey runs her own public relations business and has written this column for the last nine years. She can be reached at Lauri@hennesseypr.com