I used to watch her from my kitchen window, she seemed so small as she 1)muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all.

I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could.

I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice 2)dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Then she smiled and ran towards the court to 3)recap the routine I had seen over and over again.

Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her 4)varsity team to victory.

One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply. “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team— much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college.

She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet.

She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude. He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.”

The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college 5)recruiter. She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division I, 6)NCAA women’s basketball team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.

It’s true: If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.

我wo以yi前qian常chang常chang從cong廚chu房fang的de窗chuang戶hu看kan到dao她ta穿chuan梭suo於yu操cao場chang上shang的de一yi群qun男nan孩hai子zi中zhong間jian，她ta顯xian得de那na麼me矮ai小xiao。學xue校xiao在zai我wo家jia的de街jie對dui麵mian
，我wo可ke以yi經jing常chang看kan到dao孩hai子zi們men在zai下xia課ke時shi間jian打da球qiu。盡jin管guan有you一yi大da群qun的de孩hai子zi，但dan我wo覺jiao得de她ta跟gen其qi他ta的de孩hai子zi截jie然ran不bu同tong。

    我(wo)記(ji)得(de)第(di)一(yi)天(tian)看(kan)到(dao)她(ta)打(da)籃(lan)球(qiu)的(de)情(qing)景(jing)。看(kan)著(zhe)她(ta)在(zai)其(qi)他(ta)孩(hai)子(zi)旁(pang)邊(bian)兜(dou)來(lai)轉(zhuan)去(qu)，我(wo)感(gan)到(dao)十(shi)分(fen)驚(jing)奇(qi)。她(ta)總(zong)是(shi)盡(jin)力(li)地(di)跳(tiao)起(qi)投(tou)籃(lan)，球(qiu)恰(qia)好(hao)越(yue)過(guo)那(na)些(xie)孩(hai)子(zi)的(de)頭(tou)頂(ding)飛(fei)入(ru)籃(lan)筐(kuang)。那(na)些(xie)男(nan)孩(hai)總(zong)是(shi)拚(pin)命(ming)地(di)阻(zu)止(zhi)她(ta)
，但(dan)沒(mei)有(you)人(ren)可(ke)以(yi)做(zuo)得(de)到(dao)。

    我wo開kai始shi注zhu意yi到dao她ta有you時shi候hou一yi個ge人ren打da球qiu。她ta一yi遍bian遍bian地di練lian習xi運yun球qiu和he投tou籃lan，有you時shi直zhi到dao天tian黑hei。有you一yi天tian我wo問wen她ta為wei什shen麼me這zhe麼me刻ke苦ku地di練lian習xi。她ta直zhi視shi著zhe我wo的de眼yan睛jing，不bu加jia思si索suo地di說shuo:“我想上大學。隻有獲得獎學金我才能上大學。我喜歡打籃球， 我想隻要我打得好，我就能獲得獎學金。我要到大學去打籃球。我想成為最棒的球員。我爸爸告訴我說，心中有目標，風雨不折腰。”說完她笑了笑

，跑向籃球場，又開始我之前見過的一遍又一遍的練習。

    嘿，我服了她了——她是下定了決心了。我看著她這些年從初中升到高中。每個星期，她帶領的學校籃球代表隊都能夠獲勝。

    高中那會兒的某一天，我看見她坐在草地上

，頭埋在臂彎裏。我穿過街道，坐到她旁邊的清涼的草地上。我輕輕地問出什麼事了。“哦，沒什麼
，”她輕聲回答，“隻是我太矮了。”原來籃球教練告訴她，以五英尺五英寸的身材
，她幾乎是沒有機會到一流的球隊去打球的——更不用說會獲得獎學金了——所以她應該放棄想上大學的夢想。

    她很傷心
，我也覺得自己的喉嚨發緊，因為我感覺到了她的失望。我問她是否與她的爸爸談過這件事。

    tacongbiwanlitaiqitou，gaosuwo，tababashuonaxiejiaoliancuole。tamengenbenbudongdemengxiangdeliliang。tagaosuta，ruguozhendexiangdaoyigehaodedaxuequdalanqiu，ruguotazhendexianghuodejiangxuejin，renhedongxiyebunengzuzhita，chufeitazijibuyuanyi。tayouyicigentashuo：“心中有目標

，風雨不折腰。”

    diernian，dangtahetadeqiuduiqucanjiabeijialifuniyazhouguanjunsaishi
，tabeiyiweidaxuedezhaoshengrenyuankanzhongle。tazhendehuodelejiangxuejin，yigequanmianzizhudejiangxuejin
，bingqiejinrumeiguoquanguodaxuetiyuxiehuiqizhongyiduinvzijiazulanqiudui。tajiangjieshoutazengmengxiangbingweizhifendouduoniandedaxuejiaoyu。

    是的
，心中有目標
，風雨不折腰。



注釋：

1) muscle  v. （非正式）（用勁）硬擠入

2) dribble  v. （籃球）運球

3) recap  v. （recapitulate的省略形式）重複，再現

4) varsity  n. 大學運動代表隊

5) recruiter  n. 招聘人員

6) NCAA全稱是National Collegiate Athletic Association全國大學體育協會