Brittney Griner Jumps OVER Teammate + 360 Dunk Jam Session with Brittney Griner. by YouTube
I grew up in a family that loved college basketball. Both of my parents grew up in Indiana and Hoosiers was a regular movie event at our house. Thank goodness when DVDs came out we could watch it that much more often. In my household, Bobby Knight was somewhere close to God and March was the most exciting time of the year. I grew up in a family where there were a few expectations that could not be avoided"I would go to college and I would fill out a bracket and compete in the March madness family competition.
I also grew up in a family where we are, as I like to say, vertically challenged. My dad, who made his career as a very successful physician would gladly have traded his white lab coat for a career as a basketball player and / or coach but for his stature made that a foregone conclusion.
I proudly inherited this vertical disadvantage--at least when it comes to basketball, my stature is perfect for cramped airline seats and the climbing into the back seat of small, two-door cars--in fact I'm the shortest person in two generations, standing just 4 feet 10 - inches. (I relish that - inch!)
I would have loved to play basketball in high school. I tried out for the JV team and when the coach announced she had taken a short player I was sure it was me. Turned out it was my friend Sue who was 5'4"". NOT short in my world!
I would love to be able to dunk a basketball, just once, on a hoop that can't be purchased at ToysRUs.
My dad used to say that watching the Big O (Oscar Robertson) was like watching magic.
For me, watching Britney Griner is like watching magic.
And not just because she dunks, though that is very cool, but also because she blocks, dishes out, is a selfless player and has a turn move over both shoulders. And, because I am totally enamored with her height. I can't begin to imagine what the world looks like from 6 feet 8 inches"nearly 2 feet taller than my vantage point.
Britney Grinder Word Cloud by Angie Hattery
Britney Griner Word Cloud by Angie Hattery
I have read in many interviews when Griner is asked about her height that her response is positive. She recently said that as she got taller and taller (she was 6 feet tall in the 9th grade) that she kept hoping she'd keep getting taller. Not like many taller women who slump their shoulders to make themselves appear shorter, Griner owns her height. And she is proud of it.
Britney Griner and I have one thing in common: we both grew up in families that taught us to value ourselves for who we are, to value our height.
I, too, own my height. Sure, I dabble in high heels sometimes, but only for fun as I know the impact on my height is not only negligible but fleeting. Plus they make my feet hurt!
If offered the opportunity to be taller I would never, never, in a million years take it.
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