The Turning Point

One day our teacher told us that the basketball coach had chosen our class to represent Li-Shan Elementary School in a three-on-three basketball game against teams from other schools; all together, there were 11 other schools in Nei Hu District. The teacher also told us not only boys would play but girls, too. 

I was one of the first girl teams, but on the day of the game, another girl was sick so a substitute player would replace her. We played badly in the first game, losing over 30 points because the new player had no experience. We wanted to give up. 

However, the coach gathered us together and gave us a great pep talk. “I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying. “The coach said it was the great basket player named Michael Jordan who said it. Before long, the feeling of playing the game was back, and we won point after point until we beat every other team.  

We won the championship in the end. From losing the game to fighting our way to the championship was the greatest challenge I had ever faced.  

Amy is a fifth grader at Lishan Elementary School in Taipei, Taiwan. She enjoys writing stories inspired by her everyday school life, where her experiences and imagination come together to spark creativity.