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definitelyzoey · 7 years

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FRIENDS: Why we’re still in love with this charming and lovable gang? #SquadGoals.

Friends is a successful American television sitcom, which includes Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer as part of the show’s main characters. The TV sitcom revolves around the interesting and unpredictable lives of the six 20–30-something friends who live in Manhattan.

The hit series was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and was aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. It has already been 23 years since the show was out and to this day, MY FRIENDS are still loving this hit TV show. I cannot even begin to explain how this show had turned my life around. The six talented actors/actresses had their different kinds of contributions to the show that only the six of them could ever fulfill. And just like any other success story there were a lot of setbacks and struggles for the show but they still pulled through and lasted with 10 seasons.

One of these struggles included Jennifer Aniston and how she was almost replaced for the show due to filming commitments with the short-lived series, Muddling Through. She has people calling her saying that they are auditioning for her part as Rachel Green and she struggled with the back-and-forth from Sony to Warner Bros. for two weeks. Luckily for the 45-year-old actress, Muddling Through only lasted three months so she was able to keep the role of Rachel, but confessed producers almost made her play Courteney Cox's character, Monica. Jennifer said: “They wanted Courteney to play Rachel, and unbeknownst to each other, I wanted to play Rachel and she wanted to play Monica. It worked out perfectly.”

Another struggle for the show was the unexpected rehabilitation of Matthew Perry. Behind the sarcastic and witty persona Matthew Perry played as the famed Chandler Bing — the former "Friends" star was battling a serious addiction to drugs and alcohol. He really opened up about his struggles during the hit show's 10-year-run.He reflected on his routine alcohol abuse and a jet-ski accident in 1997, which led him to the use of prescription drugs. "Here, take this,” the actor recalled of a physician telling him at the time."I did and I felt better than I ever felt in my entire life. I had a big problem with pills and alcohol, and I couldn't stop." Perry was cast on "Friends" when he was 24-years-old and entered rehab twice during his rise to fame. The cast was raking in an unbelievable $1 million per episode."I was on 'Friends' from age 24 to 34. I was in the white-hot flame of fame. The six of us were just everywhere all the time," Perry told People’s Magazine."From an outsider's perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism." And though he was having a battle between his use of alcohol and drugs, the cast and the whole production did not allow him to be left in that state and had helped him through his personal crisis and not giving up on him. Soon he had recovered and had gained the weight he had lost and was able to start his life the RIGHT way.

And other few minor things that they’ve gone through were Ellen DeGeneres turned down the role of Phoebe that was played by Lisa Kudrow, the renaming of the series countless of times and the show was originally intended to be called Insomnia Cafe but producers thought it wouldn't catch on. It was then renamed Friends Like Us, and then Six of One before finally becoming simply Friends, and then there was a time where Lisa Kudrow got pregnant and was unable to get out of work so the storyline of Phoebe carrying her brother's triplets was only written because Lisa Kudrow was pregnant in real life and can’t take a time out from filming, another struggle would be the part where some casts like Jennifer Aniston had to work with people she didn’t like and unfortunately for Reese Witherspoon who was signed up for around six episodes, got cancelled because apparently Jennifer Aniston disliked her and asked the producers to fire her.

Some of the other struggles of FRIENDS are actually still present in today’s topics of society like their view about how Chandler's transgender father is often referred to as her birth name 'Charles' rather than her new name 'Helena Handbasket'. Incorrect labels are used when the cast are talking about her, lots of jokes are made about her gender and whether she has a penis, and there is definitely a bigger issue throughout the sitcom with transphobia. Another would be the racial diversity in Friends that had always been a topic of contention. Considering how multicultural New York is, it's interesting that the 6 main characters all happen to be white, straight and middle class - and with the exception of Charlie aka Ross' paleontologist girlfriend, named black characters barely appear for more than three episodes in a row at a time.

Early reviews of the series were mixed; and it holds a Metacritic score of 59 out of 100, based on 20 sampled reviews, indicating "mixed to average reviews." Tom Feran of The Plain Dealer wrote that the series traded "vaguely and less successfully on the hanging-out style of Seinfeld",while Ann Hodges of the Houston Chronicle called it "the new Seinfeld wannabe, but it will never be as funny as Seinfeld." In the Los Angeles Daily News, Ray Richmond named the series as "one of the brighter comedies of the new season", and the Los Angeles Times called it "flat-out the best comedy series of the new season."

But despite those kinds of setbacks the show truly won our hearts with their talented portrayal of their characters and with the relatable and random scenarios in life. And what makes it so lovable is that there really was a connection and a bond between the cast. The writers were also very good and their story lines were very unpredictable. The characters also showed versatility towards the complex situation given by the writer and what’s great is that they had fun and left a piece of them in their characters and how they stick to each one’s individuality.

Rachel Green’s character (Jennifer Aniston) is a naive runaway bride who reunites with her childhood best friend Monica and relocates to New York City, Rachel gradually evolves from a spoiled, inexperienced "daddy's girl" into a successful businesswoman. During the show's second season, the character becomes romantically involved with her friend Ross, with whom she maintains a complicated on-again, off-again relationship throughout the entire series. Together, the characters have a daughter named Emma.

Monica Geller’s character (Anne Cox) is a chef known for her cleanliness, competitiveness and obsessive-compulsive nature, Monica is the younger sister of Ross and best friend of Rachel, the latter of whom she invites to live with her after Rachel forsakes her own wedding. The two characters spend several years living together as roommates until Monica begins a romantic relationship with long-time neighbor and friend Chandler, whom she marries. Unable to conceive children on their own, the couple eventually adopts twins and moves out of their apartment into a larger house in the suburbs.

Phoebe Buffay’s character (Lisa Kudrow) is a masseuse and musician, notable for her offbeat and sometimes ditzy behavior. She was Monica's roommate before Rachel. She plays guitar and sings at Central Perk. During the show's ninth season, Phoebe is introduced to Mike Hannigan, played by actor Paul Rudd, by Joey, and the two begin a romantic relationship. The two later get engaged, then married. She is the daughter of Frank Buffay and Lily Buffay and her birth-mother's name was Phoebe Abbott. She has a twin sister named Ursula Buffay. She can speak several languages like French and Italian.

Joey Tribbiani”s character (Matt LeBlanc) is portrayed as promiscuous, and dim-witted, but good-natured, as well as very loyal, caring, and protective of his friends. He's a food-loving womanizer who has had more luck with dates than any of the other group members. In contrast to his "ladies man" personality, he has also a marked childish side. He enjoys playing video games and foosball. He loves sandwiches and pizza. He is a big fan of Baywatch. As a struggling actor, he is constantly looking for work. He was ordained as a minister in "The One with the Truth About London", and officiated at both Monica and Chandler and Phoebe and Mike's weddings. He does not like sharing food and has difficulty with simple mathematics.

Ross Geller’s character (David Schwimmer) is a paleontologist and has a Ph.D. from Columbia University. He is known to refer to himself as "Dr. Ross Geller." An ongoing theme of his narrative arc is his romantic feelings toward Rachel Green, an infatuation that began in high school. A theme of Friends is their on-again, off-again romantic relationship. His character is considered by many to be the most intelligent member of the group and is noted for his goofy, pathetic but lovable demeanor. He is a compulsive liar to avoid arguments or situations with conflict, often leading to an arcing story line within a show. His relationship with Rachel Green was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time, as well as Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples".

Chandler Bing’s character (Matthew Perry) works as an IT procurements manager with the specialization "Statistical analysis and data reconfiguration," but loathes it. In Season 9, he quits his job and Monica helps him secure a job in advertising through an old colleague friend of hers.Chandler is Ross Geller's roommate in college. Chandler met his friend Rachel Green while celebrating Thanksgiving with the Geller family during his first year at college. On a tip from Monica, Chandler later moved to Apartment #4 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, across the hall from Monica and her roommate Phoebe Buffay. Actor Joey Tribbiani moves in with Chandler, who becomes his best friend. Chandler has a very good sense of humor, and is notoriously sarcastic. He is the highest earning member of his friends circle on account of responsible income management, having learned the value of money from a young age. He suffers from commitment issues, but later marries Monica. He is afraid of dogs.

Their individuality and great personalities had really captured our hearts with every episode. I had never known a cast that had been so well fitted for each other than the cast of FRIENDS. They all just mix and complement well with each other. The beloved show has been greatly accepted and admired by over 2 generations already and it will continue to be loved by the generations to come. They had won over several awards both for the show and for the characters individually in which they have been given the chance to earn over 22 MILLION per season! They became so wildly popular and everyone just adored them and I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.

After 10 seasons of laughter, some tears, and some more laughter, "Friends" still remains one of the best shows to ever air on television. It has been nominated over 60 times for an Emmy, and won six. We could all agree that the reason behind their success was the connection and relationship these individuals have and their commitment to their work and how much they love portraying the roles. We could all see their essence through their characters and how passionate they are with their acting. And what makes this show believable is that they show their differences and still work things out. I don’t see them acting to be honest, what I want to believe is that they really are the characters because most of the time, everything they do seems so natural and life-like that it seems impossible for me to believe that they are just pretending. From the Chemistry to the relatable issues. They all just seem to be real to me.

Their presence and the whole show makes us want to be part of their gang. No matter the difficulty or complex their situations are, they’re still together and moving forward. And as I watch their last episode, I was in tears for I felt like I was saying goodbye to my FRIENDS. I felt like I grew up with them and that connection will forever remain and be shared with others towards the years to come. The show may have ended years ago, but it’s spirit lives on. And I wanted to share this post for others to know how amazing I think they are, and how billions of people have been touched by this adorable group of friends who will always be in my heart drinking coffee while sitting down on that big old couch inside Central Perk. With their success and their downfalls, I will always say I am proud that they’re MY FRIENDS.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading my post and please do follow me on other social media sites to get more update from Definitely Zoey:

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Till next time guys! I WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

#Friends #ForeverInMyHeart.#SquadGoals.#CentralPerk.

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mhalachai · 7 years

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Eight Days A Week (a Yuri!! On Ice nanny au)

okay but a nanny!AU where Viktor has somehow acquired a bushel of children and needs a nanny to help care for his screaming brood - enter Yuuri, freshly retired from what he thinks was a failed figure skating career, and in desperate need of money to help pay off his student loans.

(it’s also on AO3)

EPISODE ONE:

Yuuri's nervous – it's his very first meeting at the nanny agency and he has no idea how he's gong to pull any of this off, when Viktor Nikiforov, the world's best figure skater (ret.), walks in. Yuuri nearly has a heart attack, but his excitement and energy quickly vanishes when he realizes that Viktor, who stood on the podium with Yuuri at Worlds two years before (for Yuuri's first and only World medal, a bronze) doesn't recognize him at all.

By the time Yuuri takes this in (wondering why he thought Viktor would even remember a washed-up nobody like him, anyway), a weary, weary Viktor is telling him that the longest a nanny has lasted with Viktor's kids is a week, and the last one left after three hours, recommending that Viktor hire an exorcist instead of childcare help.

Yuuri, whose hurt feelings won't pay the rent, swallows his crushed dreams and accepts the job.

(He tells all this to his roommate Phichit that night. “Wow,” Phichit says. “Your life sucks.”)

The next day, he goes to Viktor's house and the door is opened by a tiny blond ball of rage, who promptly kicks Yuuri in the shin and runs off.

“That's Yuri,” says a young boy lurking behind the hall stand inside. “He's three. He hates you.”

“What about you?” Yuuri asks, favoring one leg.

The boy considers. “I'm Otabek. I'm five. I hate you too.”

Viktor comes up, removes the cricket bat from Otabek's hands, and brings Yuuri inside. “The children didn't want to come meet you,” Viktor says in way of explanation as they go into the large house. “I can usually find them.”

They discover Sara and Michele (twins, Viktor tells him, and six) in the kitchen, eating crackers under the table. Jean-Jacques (seven) is climbing a bookcase in the library. Mila (nine) is reading a book in front of the television, with the dog Makkachin at her feet. It takes a while to find the last two, Georgi and Chris, both twelve, but Viktor finally locates them sitting on the garage roof. Georgi has a guitar and Chris has a water gun, which he promptly uses to squirt Yuuri in the face.

“There they are,” Viktor says.

Yuuri takes off his glasses to dry them. He's a little shell-shocked. “Eight children.”

“Yes.” Viktor hesitates. “I have to go. Are you staying?”

Yuuri puts his glasses back on. “Um, sure?”

“I'll pay you at the end of the day.” Viktor goes to the front door, and tries to wrestle his bag out from under a glowering Yuri. “Emergency numbers are on the fridge. Yuri, off!”

Yuri snarls, but he loses his grip on the bag so he crawls over to the wall and sits there to glare at Yuuri.

Right. Yuuri has to be the adult here, because he's about to be left along in a house with Viktor Nikiforov's eight children, who all apparently loathe him. He crouches down to talk to Yuri. “Are you pretending to be a tiger?”

Yuri hisses at Yuuri, and the soft click of the door behind him tells Yuuri that Viktor has vanished for the day.

“Well, you know, to be a great pretend tiger, you need a tiger tail.”

Yuri growls at Yuuri.

“Do you want me to help you make your very own tiger tail? We can make it with construction paper and crayons.”

Yuri growls again, then jumps up to run into the kitchen. Otabek appears out of some mysterious hiding place and runs after Yuri. When Yuuri joins them, he finds Otabek dragging a box of crayons onto the table.

“I want a cat tail,” he tells Yuuri, his dark eyes serious.

Yuuri nods. “Coming up, one tiger tail for Yuri, and one cat tail for Otabek.”

“How come you remember their names?” drifts a small voice from the pantry. Yuuri hopes it's Sara and not some mysterious ninth child Viktor forgot to introduce.

“I always remember the names of the people I like,” Yuuri says. “Do you and Michele want to come join us?”

A shuffling, then two children appear, hands suspiciously full.

Yuri points his black crayon at the twins accusingly. “Juice!” he screeches.

“Can you get juice boxes to share with your brothers, please?” Yuuri asks, and Sara and Michele do so with a surprising lack of screaming for this house. “Would you like to make an animal tail?”

“No. I'm going to draw a rocket ship,” says Sara, and sets to work.

“Yeah, I'm going to draw a rocket ship too!” Michele echoes. Sara shakes her head.

“I like cats,” Otabek says. He's colouring very careful lines in the tail outline Yuuri had drawn on the construction paper. “Dad likes dogs but I like cats.”

“Tigers!” Yuri shouts, scribbling ferociously in between sips from his juice box.

Yuuri, who, granted, doesn't know much about children as young as Yuri, looks at the boy. From what he could remember of his friend Yuuko's triplets when they were the boy's age, they had been speaking in full sentences, not just random nouns.

At that moment, a dark-haired blur slides into the kitchen. Jean-Jacques put up his hands to model two letter “J”s. “It's JJ style!” he announces dramatically.

“We're doing crafts and drinking juice, if you want to join us,” Yuuri says.

JJ drops his hands. “Nah.” He bounces over to the counter and grabs an apple from the bowl. “We still hate you, you know.”

Yuuri looks around at the gathered children. They're all nodding, except for Yuri, who is chewing on the end of his juice box straw. Yuuri takes a deep breath. “Huh. Well, I guess we'll find a way to get through the day.”

“Do you hate us?” Otabek asks.

Yuuri is horrified. “Of course not!”

“The other nannies did,” Sara says. She's kicking her chair leg as she draws. “They all thought we were terrible.”

“One of them said that Yuri should be di-ag-nosed,” JJ put in. “Georgi heard her, and Dad fired her as soon as he found out.”

“What's di-ag-nosed?” Michele asks.

JJ shrugged. “Something bad. Everyone thinks we're bad.”

“Time out,” Yuuri orders. His voice is probably a little sharp, because everyone looks at him warily, except for Yuri. How is this his life? “You guys aren't bad. You're good kids.”

“No, we're not.” JJ crunches into his apple. “We hate you.”

Yuuri presses his lips together. Three weekends of child-care training at the community centre was not enough. “It doesn't really matter, does it?”

Sara and Michele stop colouring in surprise. JJ pauses mid-chew.

“I'm responsible for you all until your dad gets home, so that's what I'll do – be responsible. If you hate me or not, that's up to you.”

“One of the nannies said that hating people is a sin,” comes a new voice from right behind Yuuri. He jumps in his chair as Mila walks around the table to the fridge. “And that we're all born full of sin.”

“That's the one who said Yuri was possessed.” Another new voice. Yuuri twists around to see Georgi and Chris lurking in the doorway.

Yuuri rubs at his forehead. He has a headache. “I'm glad your dad fired that one.”

“He didn't fire her, she quit,” Chris says. He's still holding his water gun.

“No one's born with sin, and no one's possessed,” Yuuri says. He's not sure if Yuri is listening to any of this conversation, but the younger children are hanging on every word, and this has to end now. “Babies are just babies.”

“Like how?” Otabek asks. The air in the kitchen is very quiet.

Yuuri thought back to when Yuuko had the triplets. “When you're born, you don't know anything. You can't sit up, and you can't talk, or control where your arms and legs go. All you know how to do is cry and eat.”

Otabek is still staring at him.

“And you grow up, and you learn things like walking, and going to the bathroom, and drinking from a big-kid cup, and you learn about things you like, and things you don't.”

“Tigers,” Yuri says again, at half his previous volume.

“Like tigers,” Yuuri agrees. “What are some of the things that you all like?”

The children exchange glances. “If we tell you stuff,” Mila asks warily. “Are you going to take them away when we do bad stuff?”

That's it. Yuuri is going to college to learn enough physics to build a time machine and then go back in time to stop Viktor Nikiforov from hiring all these terrible nannies in the first place. “I am never going to take away your things, for any reason,” Yuuri says evenly. “I just want to know what you all like.”

Again, more glances. “Why?” Chris asks, and his hostility is palpable.

“Because, I'm around at least until the end of the day, and I would like to know what you guys all want to talk about.”

Yuri holds up his construction paper. “Tigers!” he crows. “Tiger tails!”

As Yuuri reaches for the child-safe scissors, JJ says through a mouthful of apple, “I like tattoos. I'm going to get ten when I turn eighteen.”

“I like dragons,” says Sara.

“I like Minecraft,” says Michele.

Mila leans against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. “I like fire.”

Yuuri doesn't miss how Georgi rolls his eyes. “With the young ones around,” Yuuri says evenly, “It's important to be safe.”

Mila doesn't look away, but she deflates slightly. “I don't, like, set fires,” she mutters.

“What about you three?” Yuuri looks between Chris and Georgi in the doorway, and Otabek at the table. “Come on, Yuri, let's get your tiger tail on.”

Yuri hops to the floor as Otabek considers. “I like cats,” Otabek says. “And ice cream. And the swimming pool.”

“Those are fun things.” Thankfully, Yuri's pants have little belt loops, so Yuuri quickly ties the tail to the loop. Yuri starts turning in a circle to see his tail. “What about you two?”

Chris shoulders his water gun. “I like not talking to strangers.”

“Yeah,” Georgi echoes. “I'm going to go play video games, who's going to come with me?”

“I am,” Chris says, giving the other children a glare. “Come on.”

“Can I play?” JJ asks.

“No.”

“Then I'm staying here.” He falls into a chair with a dramatic swoon.

“Does anyone want to go play in the back yard?” Yuuri asks. Viktor's large house has a large yard to match, and it's a lovely day.

“Play tigers!” Yuri exclaims, going to tug on Otabek's shirt. The little boy slips off his chair and considers Yuuri before handing him the paper.

“Mila?” Chris asks sharply.

She sighs. “Someone's got to watch the loser,” she says. It take a moment for Yuuri to realize she's talking about him. “Whatever.”

The older boys vanish, and that leaves Yuuri to tie on Otabek's tail and lead the remaining six children to the backyard.

Yuri and Otabek run off to the trees, while JJ retrieves a basketball from somewhere and heads over to the small net. Sarah and Michele pile up in the swinging chair, wrestling over something. This leaves Mila to glare at Yuuri.

Yuuri is tired. “Do you want to go get a book?” he asks.

Mila doesn't blink. “No.”

“Okay.” Yuuri sits down in what he hopes is the best place to keep an eye on the other five children. Yuri and Otabek dart in and around the large trees at the end of the yard, always moving, so it's a challenge, but Yuuri keeps his eyes open. That's what he's being paid for, after all.

After a while, Mila vanishes, only to return ten minutes later with a book. She sits down on the steps, so she can keep Yuuri in her sights, and angrily opens the book cover.

Eight children, Yuuri thinks. No wonder Viktor retired after his major accident the previous year, rather than try to rehabilitate the injury. He'd known Viktor had a family; most of the skating world did, but the man was so private about his personal life, Yuuri had never heard how many children he had. Some of them had to be adopted, although Yuuri doesn't know which or how many. Probably the older two, at least, unless Viktor had been far more precocious at fifteen than anyone knew.

But it's not any of Yuuri's business.

The backyard is quiet, Yuri and Otabek's yelling muffled by the trees. Mila's angry page turning and the bounce of JJ's basketball are soft, in this sunny, warm place.

Yuuri puts his arms around his knees. He wonders why Viktor doesn't stay home with his kids; it's not like the man needs any more money. Everyone in the skating world knows how rich Viktor is from his sponsorships. Yuuri, with his pitiful track record, only ever pulled in enough to cover his rink costs and coaching fees, not leaving anything behind for when he retired.

With a sigh, Yuuri stands up. Viktor is paying him twenty dollars an hour to watch his eight kids, and Yuuri isn't going to just sit on his ass all day.

“Does anyone want to play a game?” he calls.

The twins appear in front of Yuuri, covered in dirt with leaves and sticks in their hair. “What kind of game?” Sara demands.

“Yeah, what kind of game?” Michele asks.

JJ catches his basketball mid-air. “Like a board game?” he asks, and Yuuri notes the interest in his voice.

“No,” says Mila. She snaps her book closed. “Card games. We play board games after lunch.”

“All right, card games.” Yuuri glances over to make sure Yuri and Otabek are okay. “How about…” What did children like to play? “Go Fish.”

Sara shakes her head decisively. “Seven-card stud!”

“I'll get the cards!” Michele yells.

“I'll get the chips!” JJ runs after Michele into the house.

Mila is looking at Yuuri and shaking her head. “Loser,” she says again.

Yuuri wonders what he's let himself in for.

Yuri's meltdown happens before lunch.

Yuuri takes the lasagna out of the oven (pre-made and ready to cook, thank god) as Yuri jumps up and down, yelling indistinctly.

“We'll eat in half an hour,” Yuuri says, focusing on not dropping the bubbling casserole. “Yuri, please stop.”

“No!” Yuri screams, his bouncing turning frantic. “No!”

The boy lunges for a chair and tries to pull it over to the stove, but the chair leg catches and the whole thing topples over, nearly dragging Yuri with it. Startled, Yuri backs towards the wall and just starts screaming.

Georgi appears from some part of the house, holding his hands over his ears. “Stop yelling!” he shouts at Yuri, who only screams louder. “Stop it!”

Yuri, his face red and angry tears streaming down his cheeks, clenches his fists and screams in Georgi's direction.

All of the children are in the kitchen now, all talking loudly, although none of them is trying to get too close to Yuri. Yuuri's heart is pounding in his throat. He's the adult in the house. He has to do something about this.

“Yuri.” Yuuri sits on the ground, legs crossed. “Yuri, please come here.”

Yuri takes a deep breath and screams at Yuuri.

“Yuri, please.” Yuuri holds out his hands, open and non-threatening. “I want to make sure you're all right. You sound very unhappy.”

Yuri screams again, stomping his little bare feet.

“Yuri, please come here,” Yuuri repeats. “I want to make sure you're all right.”

Still screaming, Yuuri shuffles over towards Yuuri. There's a moment when everyone in the room is holding their breath, then Yuri rushes Yuuri with a classic shoulder tackle, screaming into Yuuri's shirt.

Very carefully, Yuuri pats Yuri on the back. “It was scary when the chair fell over.”

“Yes!” Yuri yells, flinging his arms around Yuuri's neck. He squishes his face against Yuuri's neck, wiping tears and snot on Yuuri's shirt.

“Did you get hurt? Or scared?”

Yuuri's screams break into sobs. “Scared!” he wails.

“Oh dear.” Yuuri pats Yuri's back as the boy cries. “It's scary when things fall over.”

“Yes!”

The other children, who are watching this scene with wide eyes, start exchanging glances.

“Sometimes, when we're scared, we cry, and that's okay.” Yuuri doesn't wince when Yuri digs his tiny fingernails into Yuuri's back. “We all do different things when we're scared.”

“What do you do?” Sara asks from her crouch under the table.

“When you're scared?” Michele asks at her side.

Yuuri breathes a little. “When I'm scared, I turn into a turtle. I like to sit in the corner and wait until I'm not scared any more. That's what I do.”

Otabek approaches. Yuuri barely has time to put one arm out before Otabek collapses on him beside Yuri, hanging on Yuuri's other shoulder.

“My sister Mari, when she gets scared, she makes a big noise, to scare away the scary things.” Without any free hands, Yuuri rocks back and forth a bit to try to sooth Yuri. The boy's sobs are tapering down to cranky whines. “Everyone gets scared in different ways, and everyone tries to feel better in different ways.”

“Dad never gets scared,” Chris says unexpectedly. “He said so.”

Yuuri has seen the video of Viktor's horrific accident the previous year in the Grand Prix, and remembers the look of pain and terror on the man's face as he was being helped off the ice. But this isn't something Yuuri will ever tell the man's children. “Everyone's different,” is all he says. “Now, lunch isn't ready yet, but how about we all have a little pre-lunch snack?”

“We're not supposed to have snacks,” JJ objects. “It ruins our appetites.”

Yuuri sighs. “Lasagna makes great leftovers, so if you're not hungry at lunch, that's fine.”

Georgi gets a container of vegetable slices from the fridge and Chris finds plates, while Yuuri washes the goop off Yuri's face, then washes Otabek's clean face at the boy's insistence. Everyone sits at the table and crunches on vegetables for a little while.

“How come you're not terrible?” JJ asks after a while.

Yuuri shrugs. “My friend Yuuko, she has three kids. She says that if you remember that kids are people who just have less life experience than you, then everything works out in the end.”

Yuuko had also told Yuuri, never be a dick to kids, they don't take any bullshit, but that was a level of profanity that Yuuri would keep to himself.

“I like her,” Sara declares. “Can she be our nanny?”

“No, she runs an ice rink across town,” Yuuri tells them as he gently removes the celery stick Yuri has been mangling, and replaces it with a baby carrot. “We used to figure skate together when we were kids.”

“Our dad's a figure skater,” Mila declares. “He's the best. In the whole world.” She sits back defiantly, daring Yuuri to contradict her.

As if. Yuuri has been Viktor Nikiforov's number one fan for over a decade. “I know he is.” Yuuri gets a fresh napkin for Otabek. “Your dad is a pretty famous guy.”

He's trying not to remember the medal ceremony at Worlds, where Yuuri stood looking up at Viktor Nikiforov, willing the other man to look at him, just for a moment, to recognize Yuuri as a competitor, someone worthy of sharing the ice with him.

Viktor didn't looked at Yuuri. Not once.

Yuuri shakes it off. That was a different lifetime for him. In his current lifetime, he's responsible for eight children until five o'clock that night. Six hours to go.

“What are we going to do this afternoon?” Yuuri asks, and the table erupts in voices. Only Yuri is quiet, happily nibbling on his carrot stick like a little rabbit.

Yuuri cannot comprehend why anyone would think these kids are terrible.

After lunch, Yuuri coaxes everyone into the living room to watch a movie. Chris and Georgi are suspicious, but everyone else finds a spot on the couch. Ten minutes in, everyone younger than eight years old is passed out in a post-lunch carb coma.

“You did that on purpose,” Mila says quietly from behind her book.

“Yup.” Yuuri looks over at the boys. “You two got any plans this afternoon?”

Chris shakes his head. Georgi bites his lip. “We could…” His cheeks are red. “We could play a board game until the others wake up.”

“Sure,” Yuuri says. Soon, the four of them are playing Clue.

Yuuri moves his Professor Peacock piece along the board. It's quiet in the house. “All right, I have a question.”

Georgi looks at his cards. “What?”

“I need to tell your dad at the end of the day about if I'm staying on the job. I'd like to stay. But if you really don't want me here, I'll tell him that it's not going to work.”

Chris slumps in his chair. “You're not the worst,” he grumbles.

Mila rolls the dice. “You're the only one who didn't yell back at Yuri.”

Yuuri is appalled. “He's three.”

“Yuri brings out the worst in people.” Georgi starts chewing on his fingernail. “No one ever just gave him a hug before.”

Yuuri presses his fingers against the table. “Your dad,” he says fiercely, “Really needs to pick a different nanny agency.”

“Maybe…” Mila's voice is soft. “Maybe, if you stay, he won't have to.”

No one says anything for a minute. Then Chris puts in, “We still hate you.”

“Just a little,” Mila agrees.

It's the nicest insult Yuuri has ever had. “Then I'll stay,” he says, his heart singing. The day started off with him worrying about Viktor Nikiforov, but now it's the kids who are important. “We should do something fun tomorrow.”

“Can we go to the science centre?” Georgi asks hopefully, sounding more like the twelve-year-old boy he is, not the angry pseudo-adult he'd been acting like that morning.

“I will check with your dad,” Yuuri says. “Now, let's play before the others wake up.”

JJ wakes soon, grumpy from being tricked into a nap. He sits beside Yuuri and gets to move the playing piece, which cheers him up.

Once the round of Clue is done, Chris calls for a game of Boggle, and Yuuri is pleasantly surprised when JJ's seven-year-old vocabulary holds up to the older children's.

Sara and Michele and Otabek wake up soon after, and they demand that Yuuri restart the movie. He complies, leaving the older children to argue about Boggle. On his way back to the table, he nearly falls when a small hand grabs his sock.

“Up,” a cranky Yuri demands.

Yuuri picks the boy up and carries him to watch the board game. “Did you have a good nap?” he asks as he smooths the fine blond hair back from Yuuri's forehead.

Yuri nods. “Dreamed I was a tiger,” he mumbles, surprising Yuuri to no end. His expression must have given him away, because Mila rolls her eyes in his direction.

“Yuri can talk,” she says witheringly. “He just likes to scream instead.”

Yuri sticks his tongue out at her, and she returns the gesture.

“Well,” Yuuri says. “I guess we have a long afternoon ahead of us, don't we?”

The front door creaks open at quarter to five, and Viktor pokes his head inside. He stares at Yuuri, who is sitting with Yuri, Otabek, Sara and Michele on the hallway floor, helping them to fold paper airplanes. “What…”

“Hi Dad,” Sara says breezily. “We're playing thermodynamics!”

“Aerodynamics!” Chris calls from the living room, where Yuuri left him and Georgi playing Mario Kart.

JJ slides down the banister to land at Viktor's feet. “JJ Style!” he shouts. “Dad, can Yuuri take us to the science centre tomorrow?”

“That was my idea!” Georgi yells from the living room.

“I…” Viktor stares some more, then shakes his head as he closes the front door behind him. “Okay.”

“Thanks!” JJ bounces down the hall.

Yuri gets up to wander over to Viktor, handing his father a lopsided paper airplane. “Look, I folded it!” Yuri exclaims with pride.

Viktor crouches down to examine the airplane. “That is very good,” Viktor says gravely. “You will make a very good engineer.”

Yuri beams.

“All right, let's show your dad how these fly.” Yuuri gets everyone on their feet and in position. “And…”

Otabek's plane goes only a few feet, but Sara and Michele's fly down the hall and land on a sleeping Makkachin. Yuri lets out a yell as he holds his airplane aloft, running up and down the hallway.

“That was all very impressive,” Viktor tells his children.

“Thanks!” Sara says. Michele jumps up and down, and the twins run to pick up their airplanes

Otabek is staring forlornly at his airplane. Yuuri goes down on one knee to say, “We can try to make a new one tomorrow, how about that?” Otabek nods and drags his feet over to Viktor, who also kneels down.

“Did you have a good day?” Viktor asks, pulling Otabek in for a hug.

Another nod, then Otabek says, “Can Yuuri come back every day?”

Viktor looks at Yuuri, who for once in his life keeps his head up and looks straight back at Viktor. “If he wants to,” Viktor says cautiously.

“I want to,” Yuuri replies quietly. “I think today was a good day for us all.”

Some of that ever-present weariness in Viktor's eyes fades, just a little. “I think tomorrow will be even better.”

And Yuuri smiles.

End episode one.

(keep going, there's more story down in eps 10-12)

Episode 2: Park Adventure! Aka everyone goes to the park and Yuri has a hard time and there's ice cream (not every episode needs drama)

Episode 3: Adventures at Ice Castle! aka everyone skates and Yuri falls in love with Yuuko and the kids realize that Yuuri was a real figure skater (although not how far he went, competitively)

Episode 4: Adventures in Illness! Aka everyone gets the cold, in various stages, and feverish shenanigans ensue. Added bonus: At the end of the episode, when Yuuri has finally succumbed and had to call in sick, Viktor shows up at his apartment with chicken soup and a get well card from the children. The first hints of love are stirring.

Episode 5: Family Photo Adventure! Aka everyone goes to Phichit's photo studio for family portraits. Everyone is cranky, including Yuri, who hates everyone for making him wear socks. Phichit saves the day.

Episode 6: Dance Adventure! Aka it's time for Mila's ballet recital, and she has stage fright for her solo, so Yuuri (and everyone else) help her practice. The kids realize that in addition to figure skating, this Yuuri fellow is a really good ballet dancer. Viktor shows up for the recital and Mila is over the moon. Yuuri and Viktor share a Moment.

Episode 7: Hidden Identity Adventure! Aka the one where Georgi uncovers Yuuri's shameful past as a Worlds bronze medalist and one of Japan's best figure skaters. Georgi and Yuuri connect over feeling like nothing they do is good enough, and how hard it can be to follow one's dreams when family is involved. Georgi confides that he wants to be a figure skater too, but he knows he will never measure up to Viktor's achievements. Yuuri promises to talk to Viktor.

Episode 8: Adventures at Ice Castle Part 2! Aka Yuuri can't figure out how to ask Viktor about Georgi's dream, so he packs everyone up to go to Ice Castle. He gives Georgi, Chris and Mila a little lesson in some figure skating stuff, while Yuuko has the others at the other end of the rink practice skating (Yuri is adorable on skates with his little helmet and his gloves). Yuuri ends up showing off his skills, including his triple axle, then, buoyed by how much fun everyone's having, demonstrates what he's been working on – Viktor's last short program before his injury. The children (and Yuuko) are flabbergasted. No one except Yuri notices the triplets recording.

Episode 9: Blind Date Adventure! Aka Yuuri, on his day off, comes across Viktor who had been stood up by a blind date, and they end up spending the evening together and Viktor walks Yuuri home and there's a kiss!

Episode end scene: the video of Yuuri skating Viktor's program goes viral.

Episode 10: Disaster! Aka The next day, Viktor tells Yuuri that, as Yuuri's employer, Viktor overstepped last night and this can't happen. Yuuri, who has had his heart broken so many times by Viktor, says he understands. Then the doorbell rings and it's Yakov Feltsman, Viktor's old coach... who promptly asks Viktor why the 2015 Worlds bronze medalist is in Viktor's house?

Viktor, who doesn't remember Yuuri at all from over five years of competing in the same field, thinks Yuuri tricked him in getting the job at Viktor's house. Yuuri, who has finally, finally, had as much as he can take, tells Viktor that there was no trick, only a need for a job, and he understands now that Viktor had so little regard for Yuuri as a figure skater that he never even noticed him, not even when they were on the same podium, and that he (Yuuri) was a fool for imagining that anything had changed.

Viktor tells Yuuri to get out and not come back - he's fired.

Cue a terrible saying goodbye scene with the children. Everyone cries and the episode ends on Yuuri, leaving the house, his heart completely and utterly broken.

Episode 11: Missing! Aka the next day Yuuri is moping at home, looking for new jobs, when a frantic Viktor calls him. Otabek and Yuri have vanished, and Viktor doesn't know if it's a kidnapping or what's happening. Yuuri gets to the house as fast as he can and the police are there and it's complete chaos. Yuuri quickly takes charge of the remaining six children, and it becomes apparent that something is wrong with JJ. Yuuri gets to work on him, and it soon comes out that JJ noticed that Yuri's favourite toy in the whole world, the stuffed tiger Yuuri got him in episode 5 (Family Photo Adventure!) is also missing and JJ doesn't know what that means.

And then Sara remembers that last night, Otabek asked her if she knew where Yuuri went when he went home.

Yuuri hugs all the children, puts Georgi in charge, and goes to find Viktor.

“I think they may have run away,” he blurts out. Behind Viktor is a very suspicious police officer. “Yuri's tiger is missing and you know he never takes that out of his bedroom, and last night Otabek asked where I live.”

Viktor, who is falling apart, grabs Yuuri's hand. “If they ran away, where would they go? Otabek's only five, he's never been anywhere on foot except for his school and the playground.”

Yuuri puts his hand over Viktor's. “You check the school and I'll check the playground,” he says. “We're going to find them.”

The faint hope in Viktor's eyes is enough for Yuuri to hold on to.

A cop goes with Yuuri, and they quickly walk the few blocks to the playground, looking in every corner and under every bush. At the playground, no one has seen two unaccompanied children. Desperate, heartbroken, Yuuri walks the edge of the playground, calling for Yuri and Otabek.

By the time he reaches the baseball diamond, he's a wreck. He leans against the backstop and looks out at the playing field, knowing he's going to start crying. Where are Yuri and Otabek?

There's a flash of movement in the trees that skirt the left side of the diamond. Yuuri goes still. Another flash, of what looks like tiger print?

Yuuri's off, running as fast as he can, and halfway across the field he sees little Yuri emerging from behind a tree, running towards him, and Otabek right on his heels. “Yuuri!” Yuri yells, waving his tiger. “Yuuri!”

Yuuri falls to his knees and lets the children crash into him, holding them so tight. “I missed you so much,” Yuuri gets out. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Yuri bops Yuuri on the nose with the tiger. “We found you!” he crows. Otabek, on the other hand, looks abashed.

“I was going to come find you,” Otabek says. “But then Yuri followed me and we got lost.”

“Well,” says the cop, coming up behind Yuuri. “I'll be darned.”

Yuuri hugs the children again. “I love you guys so much,” he whispers.

“Yeah,” Yuri whispers back.

Viktor shows up minutes later in a scream of police sirens and it's a cacophony of crying and gentle remonstrations. Otabek, once he's gotten over his fright, sulks, but Yuri is very proud of himself for following his big brother out of the house on an adventure!

Everyone goes back to the house and while Viktor wraps everything up with the police, Yuuri makes lunch for the kids and everyone eats in a happy silence.

When Viktor comes back in the kitchen, however, the mood in the room shifts. Chris slumps down in his chair and mutters something indistinct.

“What did you say?” Viktor demands.

Chris sits up, takes a really deep breath, and says, “This is your fault!”

“Chris!” Yuuri exclaims.

“It is!” Chris stands up. “Yuuri's the first person who ever even wanted to take care of us, and you can't just kick him out of our lives!”

“Chris—“ Yuuri tries again.

“Maybe we should go live with him, he cares more about us that you seem to!”

Viktor is ashen. Yuuri goes over to Chris's side. “Hey, it's okay,” Yuuri says, rubbing Chris's back as Chris crumples in his chair. “Remember what I said about us all doing different things when we're scared?”

Chris starts crying; unflappable, stoic Chris. Mila pulls Sara and Michele against her in a hug as Yuuri tries to sooth Chris.

“Here's what's going to happen,” Yuuri says after a minute. “Viktor, sit down. Yuri and Otabek, go sit with your dad. Everyone else, let's finish our lunch and then we can all go sit in the living room. It's been a very stressful morning.”

Slowly, Viktor sits on the floor, and Yuri pounces on him. Otabek is more hesitant, probably worrying if he's in trouble. But Viktor holds out his arm to the little boy, and a smile lights up Otabek's face as he jumps over to Viktor.

Chris soon stops crying, embarrassed about the whole thing. They all shuffle into the living room and find seats. Yuri abandons Viktor to climb happily up next to Yuuri.

“Now,” Yuuri says, realizing that he is 100% out of his depth. “I think we should all take a moment, and say anything that's bothering us. It's important to talk about things as a family and—“

“I knew about Yuuri,” Georgi blurts out, looking at Viktor. His face goes red. “I knew Yuuri was a big deal figure skater. I didn't tell you because I thought you knew.”

“I want Yuuri to keep taking care of us,” JJ adds. “Everyone else is mean to us. And people say bad things about Yuri. I don't like them.”

Yuri appears remarkable unconcerned with the conversation.

“Yeah, Yuuri is the best,” Mila says, which might be the nicest thing she's ever said about Yuuri. “I think we should take a vote to see who thinks Yuuri should still be our nanny.”

“Mila-“ Yuuri tries to interrupt, but Mila stares him down.

“All in favour.” Eight hands shoot up into the air, followed by, to Yuuri's intense surprise, Viktor's hand.

Viktor clears his throat. “I made a decision that affects everyone without taking about it, and I'm sorry.” He looks around, making eye contact with his children, except for Yuri who is currently trying to climb the back of the couch. “Yuuri, if…” Viktor's voice breaks. “If you want to…”

“Yes,” and Yuuri's heart is soaring. He snags Yuri off the couch back before the boy jumps to the ground. “I do.”

It's a mob scene, with the children piling onto Yuuri for a hug, then Mila goes to hug Viktor, and as Yuuri and Viktor make eye contact across the room, Yuuri realizes that Viktor Nikiforov finally, finally, sees him.

Episode end scene: the kids all asleep, we see Viktor watching the triplets' viral video of Yuuri skating Viktor's program.

Episode 12: Starting Over! Aka Yuuri shows up early to Viktor's house the next day, the kids still sleeping, and Viktor and Yuuri go out onto the back step to talk.

“Yakov told me that we've been competing around each other for years,” Viktor says, staring out onto the back yard. “That you won bronze at Worlds two years ago.”

“Yeah. But when you saw me at the nanny agency, I could tell you didn't remember me.”

Viktor's hand is shaking as he smooths the fabric of his trouser leg. “I don't remember much about that year,” he finally admits. “I was… I have depression. I didn't want to admit it to anyone, I didn't think they'd let me skate any more, and that was all that kept me going. Skating, and the kids.”

Yuuri goes still.

“That last season, when I had my accident…” Viktor clenches his hand in a fist, pushing it against the spot in his thigh where the deepest of the muscle damage must have been. “I kept telling myself that if I won one more gold, then everything would just get better.”

“What happened?” Yuuri asks, mouth dry. “I wasn't at Skate Canada, but I saw the tape. When you…”

“I can't even remember.” Viktor put his hands on the deck. “I wasn't looking where I was going. It was my fault. The other skater's blade got me in the leg so deep…” Viktor draws a ragged breath. “I'll never be able to land a jump again. But you know what?”

“What?” Yuuri whispers.

“In the hospital, when Yakov told me, all I could think was, thank god. I didn't have to pretend any more.”

There's something so lost in Viktor's face, that Yuuri reaches out to touch Viktor's hand without thinking.

“So I packed my skates into a box, hobbled home on crutches, and here I am.” Viktor turns his hand over so he can take hold of Yuuri's. “I'm seeing a therapist. I started taking medication, and it's like the world stopped being covered in fog.”

“I didn't know it was like that for you.”

Viktor's hand is warm in his. “It… I think, if I didn't have skating back then, I'd have fallen apart years ago. Skating was something that I loved, I still love, it's just that everything else got to be too much.”

“I'm glad you're doing better.”

Viktor finally turns to look at Yuuri, and it's like the sun has come out from behind a cloud. “With everything yesterday, I never got to say thank you.”

“For finding the boys?”

“Yes,” and Viktor's hand shifts, his fingers sliding through Yuuri's. Yuuri's heart skips a beat. “And for everything you've done with everyone this summer. I've always been terrible with the children, but with the changes in the nannies and ending up with the worst ones, and everyone thinking so poorly of Yuri… all the others were having to pick up more weight that they should have. And I didn't see it until you came, and made everything better.”

“I just listen to them,” Yuuri whispers.

“I know.” Viktor smiles at Yuuri, and it's the best thing in the whole universe. “You understand them. And you care about them. Yuuri…”

Yuuri leans closer, hypnotized by the deep blue of Viktor's eyes.

“Will you move in?”

Yuuri blinks.

“We have a lot of space, and I think the kids would do better if you were around all the time.” Viktor's cheeks are glowing with what might have been a blush. “Please. For… for the children.”

Yuuri's heart races as he looks at Viktor, who is still holding his hand. “Yes,” he says, and it's like he's floating on clouds. “For… the children.”

There's a moment when Yuuri wonders if Viktor is going to kiss him again, when all of a sudden the back door burst open and everyone in the house under the age of ten swarms out. “Where's breakfast?” Michele demands.

“I want waffles!” Sara shouts.

“Hash browns!” Mila demands, dumping Yuri onto Viktor's lap. “And omelets!”

“I wanna Gogurt,” Otabek says, patting Yuuri's cheek.

“Can we watch TV?” JJ asks.

Yuri climbs up to blow a raspberry against Viktor's cheek. “Hi!” he crows.

Viktor squeezed Yuuri's hand. “Why don't we go inside,” he says, smiling at Yuuri.

And everything is perfect.

Stick around for Season Two, in which:

Yuuri's skating talent is rediscovered by the internet, and Yuuri has a hard decision to make around coming out of retirement!

Viktor wonders if he should become a figure skating coach!

Yuri is suddenly the only Nikiforov child not in school, and he's angry about it!

Otabek makes new friends in kindergarten!

Sara and Michele struggle when they're placed in different classes for the first time!

JJ has a hard time making friends!

Mila has to handle bullying in her dance class!

Chris takes up soccer, and encounters peer pressure about smoking!

Georgi wants to ask a girl out for ice cream, but what will that mean?

All next season, on Eight Days A Week!

(you can go leave a comment over at the story on AO3 if you would like - thanks for reading!)

#yuri on ice #my writing #nanny au #viktor nikiforov #yuuri katsuki #most of the skating fam are kids with no rational explaination #i think this is what came out of that viktor kidfic musing last week #anyway i had fun writing this

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kcalbert3-blog · 6 years

Text

Nonfiction Final Draft

Kendall Calbert

Nonfiction Expository Essay Final Draft

Due: 5/29/2018

Growing up sports was always a thing in my household, especially basketball. When I was younger and my parents were still married, my dad would always be around the house in front of our biggest TV screaming after watching basketball. When he wasn’t watching basketball he would flip the channels to different things like NASCAR, Football, and Baseball, but none of those sports stuck with us. My father played basketball his entire life, it was his first love. Growing up in the South Side of Chicago is not easy now so I imagine it not being any easier then, especially with all of its gun violence. Sports kept my father’s mind focused and motivated for him go to and finish school, along with my uncle who played football. In college my dad attended Kansas University where it was there or either before college he had badly broken his leg to a point it was looking him in the eye. After that injury his game was never the same, with only two years in college he had lost the very thing he loved. Injury’s affected my other uncle too because while playing football he broke his ankle, but decided to play with it anyways making it worse completely altering his foot, making him unable to play football again. After years of not playing professional sports again and after my parents gave birth to triplets (me, my brother, and my sister) it always felt as if wherever our dad was he always had a basketball, and throughout the days we would spend with him the NBA was always our main focus of discussion. Me and my brother had a sports themed room with basketball curtains, a basketball light switch, nightlight, blue painted walls, and a bunk bed, we were always around sports. During our free time on a mini basketball rim for young toddlers, my dad would teach me and my brother how to dribble and shoot the ball and keep on practicing for us to get good at it. Around that time was also when my parents divorced, and we weren’t seeing our father every day. My love for playing the sport died down, but I still to this day love watching it. As a result of not seeing our father everyday me and my brother stopped practicing the sport and just went on with our regular lives, our dad would have loved to teach us the sport so we could one day join our school’s team, but we were never motivated enough. He did at some points try to keep playing basketball on our minds by buying us small basketball rims to place in our room that would hang on the door, so we could play against each other, but our grandmother made us stop since we would make too much noise. Whenever we would see him the main topic of discussion would be basketball and since he always carried a basketball in his car we would sometimes go out and play for a while. My love for basketball really grew even more after my parents divorced since my mother and grandmother are both really big LeBron James fans, and with them we would watch the game and like our own individual players, my brother and sister gravitated with LeBron like everyone else in the household while I gravitated towards Kobe Bryant and literally became a big fan in no time. Being a young boy at that time I wanted to be just like Kobe, I had his shoes, his jersey, only played with him in video games, watched all the DVD’s about him, read multiple different books on him from my school library, and had a bunch of pictures of him from multiple different magazines stamped on my wall looking up to my idol. I even asked my mom at one point why she didn’t name me Kobe when I was born, that’s how much I loved Kobe Bryant.

I would continue to play basketball only for fun in school and outside of it with my dad or friends depending on the situation, but I never joined a team. But, I did join a sports team all the way from my 6th grade in middle school to my senior year of high school and that was a sport called “Squash”. Every time I mention the game squash, most people are unfamiliar with the game, but it’s basically racquetball just with a smaller sized court, different balls, and is a 1 on 1 matchup. The main reason I got into a sport like squash was because my school took a field trip to watch a squash tournament to advertise a new program opening on the South Side of Chicago called, “Metro Squash”, and the program was looking for new students to join. The benefits of joining the program is the main reason me, my siblings, and friends at the school tried out for. The benefits were academic help, trips all around the world from different states to different countries, and an eventual scholarship for when you would graduate from the program and move on to college. Those benefits (mostly the trips to different cities and countries) were the main reason for me joining the team, I wasn’t even focused on the sport and I just tried to take advantage of the resources the program would give me for as long as I could. After everyone was admitted to the program and we were taught the game I was still not giving my all to the sport and was just doing as I was told, playing lifeless on the court. After our first few months on the team we went to our first tournament in Detroit against our biggest rivals and it was there where I realized that I was actually good at this sport. Coming into the tournament our coaches made it clear we were trying to win and how important it was that our rivals didn’t have anything to brag about. While in Detroit, I had played around 2 or 3 different matches and had won them all. My points ended up playing a key factor in us winning since I was one of the last to compete. When our group was presented with the tournament trophy it was given to me and another teammate to pose with the trophy for us being key contributors, and that was my first real feeling of importance on a sports team and it was something I would continue to do and work on for my remaining years. Coming back from that tournament it set a new mentality to me and the other kids who joined the program with me, that winning feeling was something we as a team wanted to continue feeling so we all continued to work on our game with a new found passion that would help grow our program from a church building and move into its own facility. I felt as if I was on top, and that whomever I played I would find a way to win, my confidence shot up tremendously. As time and years passed I had established myself as one of the best in my grade, and it showed when my group went to Canada for a tournament and I was listened as the 3rd best player on our team out of the 12 that went.

It was the second time our team went to Canada, but with a completely different roster then the first and had different students of the program selected to perform. I went the 2nd year after our team won the Gold medals the year before, and had already established to the team that we had to get gold. The day we arrived was the day we played our rivals from Detroit and I came prepared winning my first match easily in three or four games giving me the upmost confidence that I could go undefeated through the entire tournament. The first day was good for me and a few other of my teammates, but not for the top two who lost their matches that had us at the bottom of the ladder having to come back. Throughout the rest of the tournament my mentality was just to win every game I played and do whatever I could to lead the team to the gold metal, especially since our top two players had not won a single match yet, and I did, I went undefeated the entire tournament along with two other of my teammates in both the position 4 & 5. But it wasn’t enough for us to bring home the gold and we lost by only 1 point to our Detroit rivals and received the silver mental for the tournament. After that I can remember being so angry and disappointed that my team could not repeat what the other team did last year and get gold, I was proud of myself because I did everything I could to secure a W for my team, it was just that our supporting cast lost matches that they should have won due to laziness. That was the last big tournament I competed in and for the rest of my time at the program devoted to getting into college, but I still would practice my game whenever I could. Now that I have graduated the program and look back at the impact it has had on my life, it has done a lot for me and has increased my love for sports and has left me open to try other sports.

In conclusion, my love of sports started when I was a young boy with my families love for basketball it continued to grow on me as I got older with my love for both my family sport and Squash. Basketball is something that I love to watch everyday and is something that will never get old for me. When it comes to Squash, since my brother now works for the program everyone still sees me on a daily basis, and whenever I mange to get some playing time in it is clear that I still got game. Sports has greatly impacted my life for the better, I was a troubled youth with no sense of direction or motivation, after I joined the program I became a top player on the team to now being a college student. I love the sport of basketball that I can’t get enough of it, and squash kept my mind right over the years and helped guide me into the path of success and not letting me succumb to my surroundings, and I really appreciate them for it. Both have had a lasting impact on my life and is something that I would love to continue doing for the present and with the many generations of my family to come.

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