The city and country I call home have become entranced by a game where you put a ball through a basket. And I too have been caught up in the frenzy of the Raptors becoming NBA Champions. On the surface, that doesn’t make much sense…why would a composer of modern art music care about sports?
Well, I do…and I always have. My earliest memory was watching a hockey game with my dad when I was 3 years old. Growing up, when I wasn’t practicing, I was playing or watching sports. Hockey and soccer have always been my 2 favourites, but basketball quickly captured my attention when I was in high school in the late 80s and early 90s watching the NBA playoffs and those amazing Laker and Bulls teams. In 1995, two years after moving to Toronto, the Raptors were born. I had always cheered for the Leafs and Blue Jays, but this new team was special since I too was new to this city and in essence, we were growing together.
Despite many years of losing and oh-so-close moments, there was always hope that one day they would reach the peak – and now they have!
I’ve often wondered why I love sports so much. There are many in my artistic community who don’t. But there’s so much to get inspired by from athletes including:
• Focus
• Determination
• Discipline
• Being able to persevere despite roadblocks and obstacles
• Overcoming rejection even when someone says you’re not good enough
If you’re a musician, dancer or writer, can you relate to any of these? I can. Of course, there are many artists who I have observed over the years that share these traits, but there’s something inspiring to see it come from talented people from a different walk of life than your own. Sure sports tend to be black or white as far as having winners and losers, but I’m a firm believer in the journey, in the every day and persevering and enjoying that.
As I lay in bed listening to the joyous Raptor players being interviewed after their championship-winning game, all these thoughts came flooding into my mind. We all strive to be the best we can be at what we have passion for. In that sense, we are all champions.
