Crossed Up
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for visiting my page. I can’t wait to present to all of you my idea brought to life! But before I do that, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Grace Martinez-Espina. I was born in Cortland, New York, raised in Long Island and now currently living in Brooklyn. Soccer was the first sport I ever played growing up, but once my stepfather introduced me to basketball, I instantly fell in love. Although I played soccer longer than basketball (and was better at soccer in my opinion), I knew that basketball was the sport for me and the sport that I ultimately wanted to excel in. I started playing basketball when I was 8 years old for my school’s C.Y.O. team and then played for the junior varsity and varsity teams in high school. Soon after, I went on to play at Brooklyn College from 2016-2019. After a heartbreaking loss in our championship game, I had a friend of mine ask me if I was interested in playing basketball overseas. Initially, I didn’t think that was in the cards for me and I was still very upset about my last season of college basketball ending. But, as months passed by without anymore practices and games, I realized that I have a great opportunity to play the game that I love at the highest level AND travel the world! I reached out to friends, coaches, and other players who have played overseas and asked a ton of questions about how to get there. From that point on, I put together a highlight video and put myself out there until I found an agent to represent me. I am now currently in training and staying ready for the opportunity to play the game that I love at the professional level.
What is Crossed Up?
Crossed Up is a podcast that bridges the gap between basketball and Catholicism. On this platform, I give you all tips on how to improve your game from the mental aspect alongside the physical while also providing guidance on how to improve yourself from the spiritual perspective.
Why Did I Start Crossed Up?
I believe that the mental aspect of training is superior and it is a big part of my success as a basketball player. Physically training your skills is important, no question. However, if you spend all that time on your physical skills and little to no time on your mental skills, you will never fully be prepared come game time. Furthermore, if you spend all your time working on your game and don’t believe in yourself or have a strong faith foundation to fall back on, then you’ve lost before you even gave yourself the chance to win. Although it is getting far more attention now versus in the past, the mental aspect of basketball is not spoken about enough and definitely not trained enough. Also, the topic of Catholicism and faith is something that not many people tend to speak about, at least not openly. With that being said, I felt that there was a void that needed to be filled.
I started Crossed Up to share some of the experiences I’ve been through on my journey as well as the experiences of others. I have been playing basketball for 16 years and I have been through my fair share of ups and downs. From being the top dog to being the underdog, being told I’d never play college basketball to winning a college basketball championship, losing my faith completely to building it back up brick by brick, I’ve grown through these moments of my life. My goal with this podcast is to teach you what I’ve learned, how to rise above adversity, and how belief in yourself, God, and the work you put in can help you to be the best version of yourself both on and off the court. My ultimate goal is to build a community of like-minded people who impact each other to be better than they were yesterday, everyday. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Matthew 19:26- “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”)
What to Expect?
Moving forward, expect to hear episodes about some of my personal experiences as well as the experiences of other basketball players, coaches, and trainers alike. Also, I’ll be posting weekly blogs along with content on my Instagram page. My podcast can be found on all major platforms and directly through this website. Subscribe, follow us on Instagram, and reach out to me if you have any questions at all. Let’s get to work!