What is the best thing about being involved?
I have played basketball since I was five, and I still play go back to my hometown once a week to play with the same people I played with as a teenager. I love the energy it gives you, the teamwork, the fitness, the routine, the comfort of being with people who know you for a very long time. We play in local leagues, mainly just for fun, but there’s a fun edge to competing together and having each other’s backs on the court.
What is the biggest challenge?
We all know each other a long time, but our lives have gone in different directions. I moved away from home to go to university and I’ve changed my perspective on certain things since then. Now there are a lot of topics that we disagree on, especially in relation to politics and religion. Some conversations take place on a knife-edge and you feel a real tension. But then when we get back on court that melts away again.
What is the legacy in your life?
At a basic level, being involved makes it super easy for me to stay fit and energetic. I love not having to worry about when I’m going to exercise or trying to motivate myself to go out to the gym alone. At a deeper level, I realise that it’s important not to lose friendships and good things in your life just because you disagree with people.