Middle School Basketball Game

The first basketball game of the season at Lobo Middle School, the Lobo girl’s team will be competing against the Indians at six o’ clock. Entering into the gym from the cold autumn weather, I encounter a middle aged women- who is   wearing a district name tag – charging for admissions. Fifty cents for students and one dollar for adults, are the ticket prices.  Based on what I can from the entrance of the gym, I conclude that the school is making a killing selling tickets for already the gym is quite full. I pay the fee, get my hand stamped with mark of payment – I guessing this is to prevent people from getting in free by falsely claiming they already paid. The fact that the school had to go to this measures of identifying I people who paid hints at a previous problem of people sneaking in –I’m guessing students since the game is being held on a weekday.

Finding myself a seat on the wooden bleachers I take in my surrounding before the game starts. There is no heater in the gym – has the school not installed  one in hopes to avoid a unnecessary expense  that the upcoming bond would render obsolete with the building of a new gym. Frankly I don’t see the real need for a new gym – compared to other schools Lobo Middle has no visible damage to the walls or ceiling and it is relatively new being about new at fifteen years old. Hanging on the wall are painted posters made out of long sheets of butcher paper.  I wonder if the cheerleaders or student council made them. The bleacher are fuller compared to the volleyball game. I wonder is this due to more student support for the game is held on a school day , is it easier for parents to attend coming out after work , is it because this sport is more popular in general? I’m not attributing the added attendant due to the size of the team, for volleyball had more; players on the team. I also notice that the majority of the adult present appear to be mainly parents with few grandparents present – is this due to Saturday being more accessible for members outside the nuclear structure? I hear a mix of Spanglish and English being spoken by the spectators.  There are some people from the booster club set up on the side of the gym selling snacks and advertising t-shirt and sweat suits sets. The t-shirts are the same price from volleyball. The offering of the sweat suit is new- is this due to the fact that it is more appropriate in this colder weather or is because it appears more people are fans of basketball and thus is a smarter business venture with the basketball crowd then volleyball crowd?
The seventh grade start, their coach is the young women who coached the eighth grade volleyball girls earlier this year. I wonder how her team due will, will they be affected due to the inexperience of the coach and their inexperience of actually playing. The seventh graders on both teams appear to be of equal height- height can be an advantage- and of the same race. The majority girls on the Lobo team are the same who played volleyball – they had teamwork playing volleyball will that still exist during this different sport.

The crowd seems more lively compared to volleyball crowd with their loud cheering , stomping of their feet , and protest to free throws - I don’t truly understand why for it is the same parents from volleyball or is the game considered more exciting because it requires running and contact?

Watching the game, you can tell this is the first game of the season for both teams. For one thing there appears to be a lack of a play in motion as girls are bunching up. A second reason are that shots are not going in, even many layups are not going in.  I do not see any major animosity within the teams.  Is the lack of tension due to the fact the majority of the Lobo girls had  work together to win a championship in an earlier sport, is it due to lack of pressure that occurs later in the season. Even the new girls are not being regarded unkindly by being visible excluded or yelled at – I’m guessing because one of the new girls was a volleyball mangers so therefore is not a stranger .

The game is won by the Lobos 22 to 16- will this win inspire future wins?