The Emily Potter Experience

I have mixed feelings about the Emily Potter Experience coming to an end. What I thought would only last a couple months MAX, turned out to be four+ months of visiting schools throughout Winnipeg.

When Basketball Manitoba presented me with this idea I immediately knew I wanted to do it. What I did not expect is how much I learned from the kids and how much it helped me and my recovery process along the way.

I hope, that of the 16,000+ kids I visited at 61 schools that a few were inspired by me and my story. That was always the goal, get kids excited about basketball, hoping that a few more would join youth leagues like the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association (WMBA) and see that they too can be successful at the sport that I play and love.

But selfishly, I think the kids may have impacted me more than I impacted them, because they taught me so much. I honestly was not a HUGE fan of children before this experience. I have a ten-year-old niece who is the light of my life and my best friend, and I used to jokingly say she was the only kid I liked.

But, that’s just not the case anymore (sorry Annabelle, I still love you the most though). Children really are the future and I learned SO much about them and how great they really are. First of all, kids have no filters, and it’s quite refreshing. I always started every class I saw by telling them a bit about myself and then letting them ask any questions they wanted. I really heard all the questions in the book haha, but I loved their curiosity and interest. I was asked how tall I was (every five seconds lol), how much money I made, if I had a husband or children, how old I was. You name it I heard it.

A few of my favorite questions were why I started playing and what inspired me, and also if I wasn’t a basketball player what would I be doing. I feel like my answer of what inspires me isn’t that conventional. I know a ton of players will say a parent or sibling or coach inspired them, and I do mostly agree. I was blessed with any amazingly supportive family, and have had tremendous coaches along my journey, and I am not taking away anything from that, but for myself, my inspiration lies within.

I always told the kids at the beginning of class that I didn’t care if that had been playing basketball for years already or had never touched a ball. That class that I was there for, was all about practice, it was about maybe learning something new. All I asked is that they tried their best, and had fun doing it. This connects with what inspires me to play basketball.

I told the kids that maybe the person next to them was better at basketball, but that didn’t matter. Maybe that person had more practice already, or they just happened to pick it up quicker. I always told the kids that I SUCKED at basketball when I first started. Grade seven and eight for me were tough, I was shy, lanky and uncoordinated, but seeing improvement in my game and being a part of a team made me feel like I really belonged. I always wanted to share that with the kids. That good things take time and practice, and that comparing ourselves to others can be really damaging. We all have to start somewhere, and every successful person once tried their hobby, job or skill and had to WORK at it to get to where they are today.

I know in sport we are taught that there is a winner and a loser, and every game we play we come out on one of those sides, and man is winning fun. I LOVE to win. I want to win at basketball just as badly as I want to win at checkers. Competitiveness is in my nature. But kids often asked me how many trophies or medals I had, how many championships I’d won. And I really have no clue how many trophies I do have, they’re packed away in a box somewhere. I tell them that no matter if I win or lose, I have fun. Especially dealing with injuries and not always being able to be on the court as much as I want to, I cherish the opportunity to play every time I step on the court. It’s not a guarantee, and though the motive is to always win, even if I don’t I learned something about myself and I was able to be on the court with my teammates. I love that feeling so much, and maybe more than I like to win, I like to love what I’m doing. That is definitely something that inspires me.

I could never wake up early every day, and continually push my body through and past pain, and come back from injuries and ignore the self-doubt in my head every day, if I didn’t LOVE what I do. The Emily Potter Experience only reiterated to me that I am still on the right path for me, and that I do want to continue to pursue basketball for as long as I can. Talking about basketball and being around those kids was so fun, but it was also hard because it made me miss the game so much. But by not being able to play, I hope the kids could hear the passion in my voice and see it in my eyes when I talked about the game that has given me so so much.

So, what inspires me to play basketball, is what a third-grade girl asked me one day…

I told her what inspires me is to see just how good I can be. I am always trying to be the best Emily I can be. I’ve been successful at many levels thus far, so why stop now? I want to keep climbing and see just how far this game can take me. If all I do is try to be just a teeny tiny bit better every day, and then do that every single day, it will all add up and I will get to where I want to be. I am inspired by my own potential and trying to become the best version of myself I can mentally, physically, spiritually, both on and off the court.

I hope a couple of the kids I told that really heard it. I know my message won’t reach everyone, and that’s okay. I know that not every kid will love basketball, and that is more than okay too. Find something you love and run with it. Strive to be better every day and that’s all you really need to do. That’s success to me. To keep trying, and keep believing. At this point in my career I don’t know how long I will play basketball for, I wish I could say forever but I know that’s not the case. I don’t know if I will reach all my goals in my career, but I try to have unwavering faith that if it’s meant to be it will be, and I’m going to work my ass off to leave as little doubt as possible as well.

Thank you to Basketball Manitoba for making the Emily Potter Experience possible. Thank you to all the staff and students that welcomed me so warmly and listened to me so intently and practiced with so much focus every class. Thank you for having fun with me on the court, whether it was dribbling or shooting games, I loved when the gym was loud and the kids were excited and having FUN. Thank you to the kids for making me realize every single day why I love this game, and helping remind me that I started out just the same as them. Back in 2007 at Samuel Burland School. I was just an awkward kid with some basketball players in her family, now here I am, in 2019, a professional basketball player but also proud to be a great well-rounded person off the court as well.

I never saw myself here in this position, but I am grateful for it. I’m trying to believe I deserve all the good coming my way in life recently. It’s not always easy and I take my job as an athlete and as a role model for younger athletes really seriously. I want the next generation of female basketball players to do even better than I have. If I am an inspiration for a few to pick up a basketball then that is awesome, but I hope that they do not strive to be like me, but better than me. I don’t want to be the only female from Manitoba to have a WNBA tryout, I want there to be more on WNBA ROSTERS in the future. I want more Manitobans in the National Team system and I want more university and professional FEMALE basketball players having the opportunity to have their own “Insert Name Here” Experience and be able to visit schools themselves and learn from the amazing and cute kiddos.

I had a grade two girl ask me early on in my school visits if female basketball players could even be professional athletes, she was so cute, and she really didn’t know that it was possible. I loved her excitement, but it made me a little sad as well, because I want all girls to know they can excel at whatever they want, even if it’s a sport that seems a little tough and rough at times. There’s no problem with being aggressive, and getting sweaty and competitive out on the basketball court.

I really can’t believe it’s over, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to do something quite like that again in my life. I will always be so grateful for the opportunity to be able to interact with kids from all different backgrounds and upbringings, because sport can really connect us. With just a pair of shoes and a basketball, we can make connections and make an impact. The people I meet through my basketball career are the best part of this journey.

Now that the Emily potter Experience is over, I am looking forward to ramping up my workouts by being able to get in the gym a lot more and get back to being a professional basketball player on the court. As I get ready for a (hopefully) full summer with the Canadian National Team, my heart is so happy, and I’m ready to embrace whatever comes next.

As always thank you for reading,

Emily Potter Experience is OUT.