Wiggling myself in: Joining a basketball game in Brighton

As an intern who will only be in Brighton for three weeks, I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to play many sports during my time here. But things changed quickly when I saw a basketball court on the beach. It was just my second day in the city and we were just walking around a bit, but I just knew I would have to find a way to play at least once. I love playing basketball and I didn’t want to miss the chance of playing if I could.

I couldn’t have anticipated the courts on the beach, so unfortunately, I didn’t think of bringing my basketball with me. This, of course, was a problem that needed to be fixed. So, the search began.

Every baller needs a ball?

As pretty much anyone alive in this decade, I started my search on my phone: where can I buy a basketball in Brighton? I was a bit disappointed, though, when my phone only showed me ways to order a basketball online, which I didn’t want to do.

So, next stop: a sports shop. It seemed to me like they had every type of ball: volleyballs, footballs and, of course, tennis balls — but no basketballs. I felt like I was about to miss a wide-open dunk when I wasn’t able to find a ball in this big city.

At this point I really thought about the possibility of ordering a basketball to my host family. Spoiler: this wasn’t the case because ordering a basketball during a three-week stay abroad wouldn’t have made much sense… just like it doesn’t make sense to take a well-covered jumper when there is an open look in the post.

I gave it another shot and headed to another sports store.  Second time was the charm, and they did have a ball, but I wasn’t sure if buying a ball would be worth it. How many times would I be able to use it? And, of course, I would want to take it home with me, and it would take up precious space in my suitcase. So, in the end, I decided against it.

Later that same day I walked by the court on the beach with some friends. It was pretty crowded, and we figured that even if we had a ball, we wouldn’t be able to get a lot of playtime anyway. My chances of playing basketball in Brighton seemed to be slipping between my fingers.

No ball, no problem

On an afternoon off, I was taking a walk along the beach and I passed by the basketball court again. This time only a few people were playing. At this point, I was really missing my basketball fix, so even if I couldn’t play, I thought I would at least watch.

Ten minutes later, one of them came over and asked me if I would like to play with them. It felt like I had just hit a three-pointer! I was really happy I would be able to play one of my favorite sports. They were super friendly as well, and it was nice to meet new people. In the end I regret that I didn’t take the initiative to ask if I could play instead of just lurking around.

More than just basketball

I really enjoyed playing with them and talking to them after we played. I found out that they were from different countries as well: one of them was from Brazil, another one was from Italy and so on.

I finally played some basketball but what makes me even happier is that I talked with them and made new friends. This moment really made my stay here so far. I think that was the clutch moment I needed at the beginning of my internship here. I’m looking forward to making many more great memories like this.

About the author:

Georg Vorraber is 17 years old. He attends business college in Weiz, Austria and his specialty is international economy. When he is not at school, you can often find Georg playing sports. He spent three weeks doing his internship in Brighton in the charity sector.