Poetry in Motion
First to Ten
Y’all thought game 1 was intense? Guess again.
New teams, new refs, new intensity.
Many crossovers, so much competition, but only ONE winner.
The day started before it even began. FC rolled up early to set the scene. Capture the ambiance, the calm before the storm.
Little did we know we were late to the party.
The energy was full with more players, more supporters, more refs, and more community. The realization set in for the basketball community, as the potential for a new team to take the crown set in.
“How do we know if we're gonna play?” “Only one team gets picked?” “Who do we gotta beat to move to the next round?”
As the videographer for the event my thought process was overwhelmed with the eagerness from some of Tacoma’s finest hoopers to make their mark on the scene.
What can we say? We leveled up. The vigor from Dawson Playfield was brought to life with the intensity carried over from a much more simplified court from Game 1. Actual three point lines, multiple professional referees, game station with hydration beverages and loved ones with chairs, cameras, and sideline coaching. The city showed up, but what team would show OUT
“We’re ready to keep the crown,”
We stood together in a circle, sticking to our roots—going over the gameplay overview, rules, and guidelines. Excitement built as we waited to see which second-round lottery pick team would be chosen to face the defending champions: the Tacoma Demons. I stepped aside to interview their team captain, hoping to get a read on the mindset of the reigning champs as they prepared to compete with some new faces on the roster.
“We’re ready to keep the crown,” Tacoma's Demons captain Cam said. A man with few words off the court but insane floor coaching on it. Soon enough, taking on the team “Heavenly Squeezed” in a battle that would be some of the best street ball I’ve captured on camera thus far.
The Game
Tip off started, the Tacoma Demons and Heavenly Squeezed were underway. This first game we saw the Demons walk the walk and talk the talk, taking game 1 with ease. Domination from inside the key, and sharp shooting from the arc. The look of disappointment from Heavenly Squeezed was minimal, with their grit and determination to keep their head in the game.
The question of who would take game 2 was precarious, but the basketball gods answered with Heavenly Squeezed getting a one way ticket to the gates of heaven with a W in hand. Tremendous ball handling, authority in the post, they reiterated who the Demons were face to face to face with.
Game 3. Unfamiliar with this tournament so far. When I mean we had a crowd there, I mean we had a crowd there. It was a party. Nobody left. The teams that weren’t picked? They stayed. They watched. They cheered. The community level was in full effect, as game 3 was underway. $300, a chance to be in a full length, theatrical film release, and of course the title, the first to ten game ball. Heavenly Squeezed was not out for the count, and the Demons knew they had to do whatever it took to keep their accolades.
“What I witnessed wasn’t just street ball, but heart for the game”
Tremendous competition, energy, and hooping. What I witnessed wasn’t just street ball, but heart for the game.
The fellas battled with three pointers draining from downtown, and occasional trash talk to mentally defend the crown, but in the end, there was only one winner.
The team captain moved like Steph Curry from the three, with a bold choice to not take the 1, but the 2 pointer to solidify the win, as the score was bone chilling close. The perfect build up, shot from, and touch of the fingers as the crowd went silent with the trophy ball gliding through the air, all eyes tracking.
JUMP.
CATCH.
SWISH.
Tacoma has a new champion.
Squeezed from the lemons of the higher power and portraying poetry in motion,
who will have the chance to take on the new champions in the 3rd and final game of the First to Ten series?
The air is thick with anticipation, the city eagerly waiting to see who rises above the rest, come October.
So now what?
The question is: who’s next? Where will the next game be? What court will we play on? Who is the final champion?
You won’t know until a couple weeks before. .
To be in the know, you have to be tapped in.
Follow @theten253.
Watch the film.
Feel what we felt.
And stay ready.
Because the next First to Ten is already circling. See you later.
