Ending Break on a High Note: Meeting Doug McDermott

This past winter break was the longest I've ever had. I was at home for five weeks, thanks to only having one final. which was on the first day of finals. Even though I had over a month to go out and do fun things, it wasn't as fun as I hoped. It did, however, end on a high note ― better than I hoped: I met NBA player Doug McDermott, a sophomore forward for the Chicago Bulls.

About two weeks ago, my sister found out she could meet McDermott at a sports memorabilia store called Sideline Sports Memorabilia at The Arboretum of South Barrington, a mall about an hour away from our house. She instantly knew she wanted to go and told me about it. I was all for it. Why not meet an NBA player who happens to be one of my favorites?



Once we let our mom we wanted to go and bought our tickets, my excitement honestly didn't build up too much. Yes, I was excited, but I wasn't excited to the point where I would wake up every day, count down the days until the meet and greet, and freak out. (That was my sister.)

When January 16 came, I woke up and was pretty excited. I was going to meet one of my favorite NBA players, go shopping, and spend some quality time with my brother and sister. The plan was to go out for lunch, shop for a few hours at a mall near the Arboretum, and then go to the meet and greet in time for the 4 P.M. start.

Things didn't go as planned, and I ended up staying at home all day until leaving for the meet and greet, which I wasn't happy about at all. Eventually, I got over it, because it's unhealthy to be angry, and you just have to accept that you can't always get what you want. Plus, I was going out later, so at least I wasn't stuck at home all day. The hours passed by, and it was finally time to head to the meet and greet!

As I sat in my brother's car for the hour-long trip, I can honestly say I wasn't freaking out or any more excited than before. I wasn't even nervous as I stood in the line for 10 or so minutes even though I had no idea what I was going to say to McDermott. I'm a journalist. I'm a naturally curious person. I should have had a question to ask him, but I didn't.

So when it was my turn, I said hello. Then he asked me how I was (that was pretty cool because an NBA player asked me how I was when he could have just said hi back). I responded, awkwardly lingered behind the table for a bit as he finished autographing the 8x10, and got my picture taken with him. As I left the back area of the store where the event was occurring, I had a smile on my face: I had just met an NBA player and the guy taking the photos was fascinated and blabbering about how he hadn't seen a Polaroid in years. (Scroll down to see the Instax photo!)

Although I was in a bitter mood to start the day, at the end of the day, I was pleased. I met McDermott, got a picture with him, and ended up getting to go shopping at the other mall after all.

That was the last Saturday of my winter break, and it was a great finish. While I was expecting to learn from all the books I read over break, I learned the most from that Saturday. Even when things don't go quite as planned, there's still something to smile about. And sometimes, the plan just rearranges itself.