Ravelli a cuore aperto sui suoi guai

Intanto anche Ashley Ravelli a cuore aperto, però in inglese, lingua in cui evidentemente la ragazza italo-americana si esprime con più naturalezza:

Story of an athlete.

Part 1.
I am not quite sure why I am saying all of this right now but it has been sitting with me for sometime, I usually keep my thoughts for myself but this one just keeps coming up.
So maybe it needs to be heard.

About a year ago I decided to change teams, it was one of the toughest decision I ever made but I knew it needed to be done. Things were happening off the court, things were happening on the court and they all affected me as a person and as a player. Truth is I lost it, I lost the fire that for 22 years until then was inside me every single time I stepped on the court. Whether it was a workout, a practice, a lift, that fire was there.
Once I realised that I kind of felt like I needed to go back, take a step back. So I decided to go down in A2, I decided to go play with familiar faces that knew me and could have helped me, I decided to get closer to home. Obviously the club that I was playing for didn’t truly understand my choice, even though I explained more than once that it had nothing to do with them and it was me. I wasn’t well, my mental wasn’t well. I would barely sleep. They decided to let me go but to “punish” me because I wasn’t respecting the contract, but that’s a story for another time.

Once I got to my new team I could finally breathe but that didn’t last long. A series of events in the new team happened. I still wasn’t performing, the fire was still gone but at least I was having fun. For those who think it’s easier to play in a lower division, it is NOT. You have to completely adjust your game because it’s just a different basketball.

Part 2.
Season ended and for anybody that knows me know that summer is my favourite time. I get to work on my game!!! I was motivated, I was excited, and all I wanted to do was to just get my fire back. I was ready.
But then life happens, again, I had to get surgery on my knee, and unfortunately I am still not back, though I see the light. However this is also a story for another time.

All this really just to say that you never know what’s behind an athlete’s choice, a bad game, or a bad season, so please just be mindful of that. Be mindful that we are people, we are not machines. We need to be well mentally in order to perform at the best of our capabilities. We are all so quick to judge and not too often quick to listen, observe, and help.
Questa è la mia storia.