FORT RILEY, Kan. – Since the age of 8, Pfc. Hillary Sell, a medic with Charlie Company, 701st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, has played basketball.
A natural athlete, the Aloha, Ore., native, played other sports but basketball was where her passion lied. That passion was what led Sell to compete for a spot on the All-Army Women’s Basketball Team – which she got.
Sell played on the All-Army team from July to August. The team went on to compete in the 2010 Armed Forces Basketball Championships where they took home the gold.
Sell says that playing on the team was a one-of-a-kind experience, and she’s grateful to have had the opportunity.
“I liked playing for the All-Army team,” said Sell. “We played basketball for six hours a day; and I think mentally, I just realized that even though you think your body has limits, you can push it pass those limitations. I think being in shape is mental and with the right state of mind, you can push yourself through anything.”
“It was really cool to be able to push myself, physically, that hard and mentally, to try to be better,” Sell continued, “ because it was really good competition there. The girls that (made it) were really competitive and really skilled athletes. It was a good experience to try and better myself and see how I (matched up) to the other players out there.”
Although choosing to serve her country is honorable enough, Sell’s talent and love of basketball helped her serve in another way – which she says she was more than honored to do.
“I just felt really honored that I was one of the 12 people to represent the Army,” said Sell. “And, even more so, that we got the gold. I think that, in itself, was a huge honor to be a part of. It was a big deal. When you go into practice every day, you really don’t realize how big of a deal it is, but it was, and it was a really cool experience to be a part of.”