Arelis Pichardo '23 Recruiting Profile

       I felt myself sweating and the game didn’t even start, my hair stood up without my consent and I could hear the amount of people in the gym from the front of the school. I could feel the roars of their talking. Kids just waiting to see their school wipe the floor with my team. This was my first actual game with my school team after covid. I worked so hard during the off season and I knew in my own mind that I’ve grown as a basketball player. But this game I had the most pressure on me. Our only senior player wasn’t here, and most of my teammates were inexperienced for the most part and the last thing I wanted to do was go in there and make a fool of myself or my team. 

       I could hear my fathers stern voice in the back of my mind “Raise your head, show them what you’re made of. Who cares who's here and who's not. You’re here and that's what matters. Put on a show and play hard, but have fun and play the game.” Those words are words I abide by. I began to realize how heavily my father has pushed me throughout my life. From rock climbing at age 2, taking karate lessons at 7, challenging boys to see who can do more push-ups at age 9, to finding interest in basketball at the end of my 8th grade year. My dad always told me I was the ambitious one in the family, I always strived to challenge my peers and do better than them. However despite looking for competition within my peers I also was a leader in making sure they were motivated to do their best.

      Having my father push me was one of the many blessings God has given me. He would always keep me on my toes, and inspire me to always go workout more. “When you aren’t in the gym someone else is.” That sentence carved on my brain for me to always remember. He would come home from work just to talk to me and teach me a lesson he learned while listening to his books and then proceed to ask me if I wanted to go out and play a 1v1. Moments like these were the ones I cherished, I knew that many would give anything for something like this. To complain that I was being bothered by my father at 8 in the morning to go play basketball would be outrageous. It was a gift.

      That game was my game to remember. I played with confidence I’ve never had before, I did moves and shots I would’ve never taken before. By the end of the game I had the crowd cheering me on. I was the main character in my book. This was the moment where I had come to full comprehension that my work had paid off, my discipline was there and I dreamed of a moment like this. I made it come true because I had worked for it. But it wasn’t just me that created this outcome. It was my father who guided me, my mother who always encouraged me to do better, my coach and everyone that had put their time and effort into making me a better player and a better person, and I couldn’t ask for more. I was beholden to the people that saw me for my potential and helped me pursue my goals. All these people have woven me together piece by piece to make me something great. I will be great for them, I cannot let them down. I cannot let their or my work go to waste.