"Believe In Yourself" By Paris Ellis Lopez
- Embrace Doubt
- Sep 5, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2024
Paris Lopez
District:Weslaco ISD
High School: Weslaco East
Sport:Basketball
Class: 2024
Academic Achievements and Awards: Superior Honor roll,National honor society ,Student of the month, member of hidalgo county cotillion .
Athletic Achievements and Awards:
Team captain, Honorable mention all district .
I am Paris Ellis Lopez from Weslaco, Texas. Sports became a part of my life when I was a kid. I explored sports like basketball, volleyball and softball. I started up in a boys and girls club playing volleyball and basketball. I also played pony softball and played a lot of my childhood on a softball team called dynamite. Sports suddenly started to become big factors in my life. It granted me happiness and showed me what family was. It let me break out of my shell. Sports quickly became something I loved. They all taught me how to have fun and to be disciplined. They've also provided me with opportunities to make friends and create memories . At 7 years old in Lubbock, me and my team went against big travel teams and took home first place medals all because we were little girls with passion and love for the sport. I eventually adored and admired the feeling of the thrill to compete. I enjoyed all the physical activity and the team work. Although at times as a little girl; it would sometimes get frustrating and tiring. I still always knew that sports were going to grow up with me.
I started playing basketball my sophomore year, and skipped my freshman year due to the pandemic. I went straight into basketball the following year. My basketball skills and IQ were very behind due to the one year of missing basketball .When the season started I made the JV dark team as a sophomore; which was amazing for me missing out on my freshman year. As my season had progressed things were being revealed .I started believing I was not good for this sport and my thoughts began wandering as the season was going on. The main reason that put a stop to my drive to succeed was a coach who never had given me opportunities or chances to prove myself. As games continued i was thrilled ,thrilled to prove this coach wrong every opportunity i got but once again there i was watching that big orange ball being thrown into everyone's hands except mine .Within few minutes of games i would always be thrown into the game just to be immediately subbed out .I began to believe it was me, me who was just not good enough to play the game of basketball. I had eventually lost all my love for the game and deeply believed my love for the game had escaped. I didn't feel the need to play anymore because my thrive for the game would decrease as the games went by. In my head it was already set that i was just not good enough. As the season ended and i came to the conclusion that i was no longer going to play basketball my junior year. I eventually ended up transferring to Weslaco East for my junior and senior year and gained my love for basketball back .My coaches not only believed in me but pushed me to always do my best. I had to sit out my junior year due to the transfer but I was still practicing with varsity and getting reps with them so I would come back my senior year stronger .Within just that one year of being in a whole new atmosphere; I never once felt the urge to fall back to where I was. I never understood why I would even fall into the dark hole again, but I understand now that we all have to go through some challenges to make us stronger as a person mentally. I ended my season being my team's captain and the second top leading scorer.
Video by hudl.com
I battled with mental illness which is anxiety and depression throughout my sophomore and junior year. There were moments in my high school career where I felt doubted, left out, and underestimated. I had always felt a certain emptiness in my heart. I overcame this battle of mental illness by trusting my coaches here at Weslaco East, they helped me meet my highest potential that I never realized I had. After entrusting them with the knowledge of basketball/life I became more at peace with myself and my game. The game became more natural to me, it became my quiet place in a loud room.
If an athlete was quitting their sport i would encourage them to remind themselves and reflect on why they even started playing in the first place. I would tell them to look back and help them remember their “why” and remind them of their passion and happiness that came from within the sport when they first began playing. Usually it is just temporary and is usually just a little slump you are stuck in. Sometimes taking breaks and finding new ways to gain that love for the sport back could be helpful like taking new approaches. It is whatever makes you the happiest and what you feel is best for you but giving up is never the key . Furthermore, at a point of my basketball journey i did want to quit but as my friends started encouraging quitting it all just didn't make sense to me. I didn't understand the meaning of my friends experience, passion, or reasoning to pursue a sport to end just simply because of thoughts that don't reflect you . I just always tried to stay positive and reminded myself to just be calm. Sometimes our imagination can get in the way, eventually detaching myself from those ugly thoughts is what I did. I just allowed the work that I would put in at practice to manifest itself during games.
Just have fun, make memories and enjoy the journey because it all goes by in the blink of an eye. Don't let someone tell you what you can and can't do, trust the process and believe in yourself, nothing is ever given for free .You have to work hard for it to stay consistent and never give up .Don't let your emotions get in the way of your discipline , it's all a mental game .At the end of the day Basketball is a game of dedication so it's whether you want it or not and it's about how bad you want it .
One of my biggest role models would be my older sister Jada, she went through the Weslaco High Basketball program where she became a better version of herself. There were moments where I would see her come home frustrated with herself from bad games she would have and always wondered how she was able to take the pressure of being a point guard. She was the mentally strongest person I have ever met, besides the doubt she had and the large obstacles she overcame; she took on the pressure. She never let us in on her emotions towards the game of basketball but one things for sure is that she never let those words of doubt or fear define her. I want to be able to take on challenges the way she does, she understands that there is a rainbow after every storm, and that no matter the circumstances God always has her back. I wish to achieve her type of strength one day, and wish one day to be as fearful as she is. She always would send me this scripture before a game which was “ No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper, ” which always reminded me to be brave and play with all my heart, and that is the reason I look up to my older sister.
Embrace Doubt is about understanding that doubt can lead to growth. Embrace doubt; don't avoid it. It is an opportunity for learning and personal development .
-Paris Ellis Lopez/Embrace Doubt 9/3/2024
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