I remember the fi rst day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots① just over their heads and into the net.
　　I began to notice her at other times， basketball in hand， playing alone. She would practice dribbling② and shooting over and over again， sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much.
　　Without a moment of hesitation③， 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 scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough， the facts don’t count."
　　I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week， she led her varsity④ team to victory. One day in her senior year， I saw her sitting in the grass， head cradled⑤ in her arms.
　　Quietly I asked what was wrong."Oh， nothing，" came a soft reply. "I am just too short." The coach told her that she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college.
　　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 recruiter⑥. She was indeed offered a scholarship， a full ride⑦， to a Division I， 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.

　　我記得第一天看到她打篮球的情景。看着她在其他孩子旁边兜来转去，我感到十分惊奇。她总是尽力地跳起投篮，球恰好越过那些孩子的头顶飞入篮筐。
　　我开始注意到她有时候一个人打球。她一遍遍地练习运球和投篮，有时直到天黑。有一天我问她为什么这么刻苦地练习。
　　她不假思索地说：“我想上大学。只有获得奖学金我才能上大学。我喜欢打篮球，我想只要我打得好，我就能获得奖学金。我要到大学去打篮球。我爸爸告诉我说，心中有目标，风雨不折腰。”
　　我看着她这些年从初中升到高中。每个星期，她带领的学校篮球代表队都能够获胜。高中那会儿的某一天，我看见她坐在草地上，头埋在臂弯里。
　　我轻轻地问出什么事了。“哦，没什么，”她轻声回答，“只是我太矮了。”原来篮球教练告诉她，她几乎是没有机会到一流的球队去打球的——更不用说会获得奖学金了——所以她应该放弃想上大学的梦想。
　　我问她是否与她的爸爸谈过这件事。她从臂弯里抬起头，告诉我，她爸爸说那些教练错了。他们根本不懂得梦想的力量。他告诉她，如果真的想到一个好的大学去打篮球，如果她真的想获得奖学金，任何东西也不能阻止她，除非她自己不愿意。他又一次跟她说：“心中有目标，风雨不折腰。”
　　第二年，当她和她的球队去参加北加利福尼亚州冠军赛时，她被一位大学的招生人员看中了。她真的获得了奖学金，一个全面资助的奖学金，并且进入美国全国大学体育协会其中一队女子甲组篮球队。她将接受她曾梦想并为之奋斗多年的大学教育。是的，心中有目标，风雨不折腰。