Levels of Skill in the Composing Process
Richard L. Graves · College Composition and Communication · 1978
only they knew how to dribble, he mumbled to himself. From that day forward, he decided, all practice sessions would be totally devoted to dribbling. The regular practice routine was dropped and became the watchword. New drills were devised, all based on dribbling. At first the team grumbled, but gradually each player began to accept the new routine. Soon the team's best dribblers emerged, and they became leaders. After several sessions, even the water boy could sense a new enthusiasm. Up and down the court the team went, dribbling with more ease and confidence, moving in more complicated, more intricate patterns. This particular Midwestern town being what is was-namely, a basketball town-the word soon spread about what was happening. Drugstore, supermarket, and beauty shop all buzzed with the gossip and excitement of dribbling. Nowhere, though, was dribbling more the topic of conversation than in a gas station near the Courthouse (similar but much neater than that infamous establishment in Plains) where the locals gathered daily to rehash the news. When the night of the first game finally arrived, long lines formed outside the gym. Tickets had been sold out for weeks, and the unfortunate ticketless ones came hoping for a just glimpse of the team. What a show that team put on! Never before had dribbling been performed in that gymnasium with such grace and skill. One youngster dared omething even the pros find difficult, namely, to dribble with his left foot. Everyone agreed that the performance was superb; some were even overheard talking about the Guinness Book of World Records. Only one thing clouded that memorable occasion. The team lost, 100-0. Somehow with all the emphasis on dribbling, everyone lost sight of the importance of shooting. Nobody could put the ball in the basket. And the same is true with us. For