Charlotte, Esther & Daniella Interviewer (Jack): Okay, so when did you start coming to Turnpike Lane to play basketball?
Charlotte: Last year? January…
Jack: January? Oh, so not that long. So why did you start playing basketball?
Daniela: Our mum brought us! (Laughter)
Jack: Ahh so you had to! So, what do you like about basketball?
Charlotte: It's fun and competitive.
Daniela: I just liked the sport. There's no particular reason.
Jack: When you come to the sessions here, how’s it different to playing at school?
Esther: In school they're not as educated on how to play basketball. Like, they don't know the rules that you know. They'll be fouling all the time. And then at that point, you just give up. But… you’re one of the best players there. Unlike here… here you have to work harder because there's so many good players.
Jack: What do feel playing basketball against these good players teaches you?
Charlotte: Teamwork, because you have to get everyone to be at the position to play, and leadership as well, to tell everyone what to do at what stage.
Jack: What about you Esther? And you can’t say the same thing! (Laughter)
Esther: It teaches you discipline because you have to work on your dribbling moves and be better on the court.
Jack: So, who do you guys look up to and why? It doesn’t have to be players; it can be anyone…
Esther: My favourite gymnast is Simone Biles. She's very determined in gymnastics and I want to be very determined.
Jack: Ohhh she’s that American gymnast? She's incredible - What about you?
Charlotte: The American female basketball player Flau’jae Johnson. When I watch female basketball players, she's like one of the best… She’s a rapper as well.
Jack: What do you want to be? It’s a very general question.
Daniella: There is nothing specific…
Jack: Come on…You must have something you wanna be?
Charlotte:An MP
Jack: What was that?
Daniella: She said I wanted to become a member of parliament but that's an old dream.
Jack: Why is it an old dream?
Daniella: I don't really like it anymore.
Charlotte: - Ohhhh she wanted to be a youtuber!
Daniella: No I didn’t! (Laughter)
Charlotte: She was filming videos of us!
Jack: Doing what?
(All laugh)
Daniella: You didn’t wanna see us when we were 6 years old!
Jack: What were you doing, eating dirt or something??
Daniella: (Laughter) No!
Charlotte: We made a band! (All laugh)
Daniella: It was us three (laughter),we used a broken toy leg, (All burst out laughing) that was the microphone!
Jack: So I guess you were singing Daniella, what were you doing Charlotte?
Charlotte:Drums!
Jack:What with the other toy leg?
Charlotte:No! (Laughter) Like with kitchen spoons, on this toy drum!
Jack:What about you Esther?
Esther: Guitar! A plastic guitar… No strings, it made sounds but was a toy!
Jack: What songs did you play?
Daniella: (Laughter) Do you know the movie Sing? We sang one of the songs, you know the hedgehog? We sang the one at the end…
Jack: Oh the closing one, that’s a great song!
Esther:We just made it horrible!
Jack:That’s a hard song to sing, no?
Daniella:At six years old yes!
Jack: What would you say you're good at Esther?
Esther: Right now… Gymnastics, dancing and baking!
Jack: Why are you proud of your gymnastics?
Esther: Because I've improved -
Daniella: - Show him the backflip.
Jack: You can do a backflip?!
Charlotte: She can do an aerial.
Jack: What’s an aerial?
Esther: A cartwheel with no hands! (Gets up…)
Okay, I can't do a standing one but I can run into it.
Jack: I don't want you to injure yourself…
Daniella: She’s good.
(Esther does an aerial)
(The aerial pictured happened later and is not representative of the incredible skill that was on display)
Jack: Oh! Yeah, that's crazy. Wow. Okay, fair enough. I wish that could come through on audio but that was good. (Everyone claps)
Jack: What do you like about Haringey?
Daniella:The fact that we know a lot of people… it gives you a wide range of different perspectives. If you see Haringey as a bad place but then somebody else sees it as a good place…. you might be able to come to an in between point.
Jack: Can you elaborate on that? You’re gonna be an MP, I want to hear this answer.
Daniella:I said that was an old dream! (Laughter)
Jack: Even if it was an old dream, I know you have an answer. Why do you think it's useful to have a lot of perspectives?
Daniella: I don’t even know…
Jack: Come on now… Yes, you do!
Daniella: It's good to have a lot of perspectives… So, you can kind of understand how the other person feels. You get to know the person better. It kind of shows you that you can look at something from one way and another person can look at it from a different way…. and that’s okay.
Jack: That’s fantastic. What would you guys like to change about Haringey?
Esther: Maybe opportunities?
Jack: What type of opportunities? Debate club? If you want to be MP? (Laughter)
Daniella: I'm scared of debate club. I’m an introvert!
Jack: How do you feel about being the few girls that come to basketball practices?
Charlotte: Yeah, the coaches like… when the boys are picking teams, they force them to pick the girls first before they pick their friends. Yeah.
Jack: Would you like more girl only activities or is it fine the way that it is?
Esther, Daniella & Charlotte: It’s fine the way it is.
Esther: I mean, the boys, they’re already friends and were excluded out of that. We are the only three girls… Yeah, there used to be more but they came from different schools and they just left so we don’t know where they went.
Daniella: I do enjoy playing basketball, but… I don't like playing the guys because when they pass you the ball, they give you those hard passes that nobody can catch! Like they go over your head! And then they expect you to somehow just magically jump up to the ball, catch it, then shoot.
Esther: Also, when someone doesn't pass the ball to you... When you're in the game and they pass to you at all it's like, ‘why are you there’? Like, if you're wide open and there's one guy with like 10 defenders on him, they'll decide to throw the ball to him instead of you. And even if they pass the ball to you, they want the ball back. So, you don't have time to dribble.
Jack: What would you say your biggest struggle is right now?
Daniella:Trying to get involved with other people. Social anxiety, Introversion & INFP personality type (Laughter)
I don't want to go outside. Like, I'm the type of person that wants to stay in 24/7. I’m in my comfort zone and I don’t really need to talk to anyone.
Jack: What do you like to do at home?
Daniella:Just be at home, like do nothing.
Jack: You must do something? Look at the wall? (Laughter)
Charlotte: Binge watch… movies, tv series.
Jack: Why’d you want to get better at social interaction?
Daniella: So, it’s easier to interact with other people. Also, to have connections, just in case something happens.
Jack: Ah, I see, like some people to help you in tough situations...
Jack: What about you? What is your biggest struggle, Charlotte?
(Pause)
Charlotte: We're both the same thing.
Jack: Are you friends with each other?
Daniella: We’re sisters!
Jack: No! …But like, are you friends? Some people are just sisters and they're not super close.
Daniella: We’re… (Looks at Charlotte) sisters. (Laughter)
Jack: What’s your biggest struggle right now, Esther?
Esther: Study.
Jack: Why is it difficult?
Esther: Because once I'm in school, like I study every day! Once I'm at home, I just want to watch and relax.
Jack: You’re going into year 10, so that’s GCSE’s, right? How are you feeling about that?
Esther: Scared.
Jack: What are you worried about?
Esther: I just want to get good grades. GCSE is like setting the tone for your life. I want to go into sixth form and then I can go to a good university.
Jack:What do you want to do, Charlotte?
Charlotte: Computer science.
Jack: Oh nice! How’d you feel about that because that, like basketball, is quite a male dominated area?
Charlotte: Good! It means I can be an inspiration to others.