Memory of a Lifetime
The first time that I played basketball, or at least tried to, it was on a piece of plywood bolted above a neighbor's garage back in the mid 80's. I say "tried", because the ball never came remotely close to the rim - although it did hit the family station wagon multiple times.
That's what makes my first encounter with Lifetime so memorable. It was in my best friend's driveway in the spring of 1990 - I was 12. I helped him unpack the shiny white poles for his new basketball hoop, while he picked an ideal spot for it in the corner of his driveway. With shovel and tools in hand, we began to install what would turn out to be the hub of recreation for us and several friends over the next half decade.
While I didn't know then who Lifetime was as a company, I quickly became familiar with the advantage of their product. After the push of a broom handle, and a 'click', 'click', 'click' the rim was now on my level, thanks to the innovative Quick Adjust height adjustment feature. Suddenly I could dunk like Jordan, or drop a 3 like Bird. My most memorable shot came from the street as I closed my eyes, hefted the ball, and watched it bounce...off the house...off the garage...nothing but net.
I drove by my friend's old house a few weeks back, and the hoop is still there, along with all the memories. Last month marked 5 years for me here at Lifetime, but thinking back on that first hoop, I realize that Lifetime has been a part of the way I live since the seventh grade.
