By Clara Moffitt
You often hear the phrase, “Talent can begin at any age.” Well 7th grader Mary Elias has proven that statement. Mary belongs to a club basketball team called AZ Lady Wolf Pack. This team is an all girls team that is free. Mary says, “I play with other girls that are very talented. The team is mostly Native American and they are like another family to me.”
At the end of the summer of 2015, Mary and her team traveled to the Big Island in Hawaii to play at a world championship tournament. Much practice and effort was put in to getting to the championship game. Mary says that getting to the championship was something her team had been working on from even before she joined the team. She says, “Winning meant a lot to us. Not only [would] it show us how great of a team we can be, but it also [would show] everyone else.”
Mary played front and center throughout the tournament, showing audiences from all around the world how hard she worked and how well she could play. Her effort paid off because she and her team won. Now, she and her team are the 12U Youth World Champions.
Mary has been familiar with basketball almost all her life. When she was about three years old, she tried it out at the Boys and Girls Club. “It just seemed like something I wanted to do, and continue to do.” And continue she did. Mary has loved basketball most of her life. “I love it for the thrill I get during games and the feeling of accomplishing something.”
Mary Elias did accomplish something. Her talent showed when she played in the championship. Mary’s talent will continue to grow as she balances TPA and basketball stardom.