" And if I stole the ball or made a good pass, Do would be the first one to yell " That's the way I knew you could do it." By the end of the game I had confidence, a confidence that Do brought out of me, a confidence that would remain with me for years. Although my confidence failed me my eighth grade year, Do never did. It was the Sagebrush League Tournament and my team was playing the undefeated Fallon Greenwave. Before the game I went to Do to get my pre game talk. Instead of giving me his usual speech, "I expect you to score eighteen points, five assists, and three rebounds," he simply told me to go and play hard. Do reminded me how hard I had worked to get to this point and how much we deserved the title. I agreed, but reminded him that the Greenwave was undefeated. All he did was laugh and say, " Steph 40% of basketball is talent, and the rest is mental. Everyone in this gym believes in you, but that doesn't mean a thing if you don't believe in yourself." That day, we put up a hell of a game. Even though we lost by only three points, I learned that you learn a lot from losing. Two years after giving me my confidence boost, Do came through for me one more time. It was my sophomore year and I was going to try-out for the Y.H.S. varsity basketball team. We had been practicing all fall and the night before try-outs, Do knew that I was worried about making the team. Putting his arm around me, he told me that if I played hard I would make the team, and then went on, "but if you don't then the coach is a real idiot!" For some reason, that little joke that he told me made all the difference in my performance. For that matter, Do has made a difference in all my performances, not just giving me confidence, but also giving me support.
Ever since the first day in the tribal gym, Do has been my biggest fan. When I tried out for the Elks Hoop Shoot in the fifth grade, Do took off work to watch me.
