By Geoffrey Michel / L’Observateur / January 27, 1999

This week, I would like to talk about the retirement of Michael Jordan. I amstill trying to come close to doing the moves he did. I’ll never forget watchingthe turnaround jumper and going up in the air, switching hands, and still making the shot.

But, things were not always like this. He was the grandson of a sharecropper,was cut from his high school basketball team and could not afford his own bicycle until he was 16. His first shot at fame came in the Superdome with theNorth Carolina Tarheels as he hit the game winning shot and cut down Patrick Ewing and Georgetown’s national title hopes.

A couple of years later he was drafted third by the Chicago Bulls. Before he wasselected, two other teams had drafted Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. For Jordan, things took off from there. He has won regular season MVP’s,NBA final’s MVP’s and six championships.

He is also not afraid to fail. He tried to play minor league baseball. That didn’twork out so well. Oh, by the way, I did not try to imitate his batting swing.Through it all, I feel he has been a class act. Most people will look on his careerand think of how well he played, but you only have to look at his last 48 seconds on the basketball court when he led his team to win the NBA finals.

Will I ever master the turnaround jumper? I’d sure like to think that I will, but there are other things that I have learned from following Michael Jordan’s career. When I remember that he was cut from his high school basketball team,I’ve learned that if I initially fail at something, I should keep trying. When Ithink of his baseball career, it encourages me to not be afraid to try new things.

And when I read about his humble beginnings, I remember that it’s not important how we start out in life, but where we go from there that really shows what kind of person we are.

P.S. My Super Bowl prediction: Broncos 28, Falcons 10.If you have any questions or comments, please write to me at straightkids@juno.com or P.O. Box 1493, LaPlace, LA 70069.

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