What sports did you play?

[larryhead]

I played soccer for most of my youth.. like 10 years or so. It was a lot of fun as a kid, and I was pretty decent at it... but I quit in high school after a couple of bad injuries and the realization that it was more fun to just be a complete slacker. The cigs and alcohol probably didn't help much either.

Another thing was those elitist bitches on the soccer team were so full of themselves... I was constantly fighting the urge to vomit all over the field (I actually did used to puke before games sometimes... wtf, not sure if that's related?). Anyways, soccer was fun up until high school, and it probably kept me from becoming a lazy fatkid. I think it broke my dad's heart the day I finally quit and and decided to become a 300 lb. gimp. But who's laughing now dad, huh? HUH?!

[andikay]

My parents firmly believed that if your body is lazy and undisciplined, your mind is as well, so I was indoctrinated into the Church of Sports at a young age.

I was in gymnastics and ballet (not quite a sport, I guess) when I was five and six.

I played soccer too, but only in first grade, and only because my tendency to iconoclasm kicked in at an early age:
When the teacher said "Raise your hand if you want to be on the soccer team," I looked around and saw that only boys had their hands up, and I wanted to be the only girl on the soccer team. (Maybe it was just my boy-craziness that kicked in early, rather than rebelliousness!) I ended up not being very good, swallowed my first bug while learning how to dribble, and got to ride back from practice in the closed hatchback of a car with a little boy I had a crush on, whose name I have now forgotten. Then I switched schools and my new school district didn't have many grade school sports teams. Goddamned public schools...

My new school did have a track team, however, and when I was a little kid, I excelled at that. We had a fourth through sixth grade track meet, and so I did that for the next few years.

Then I played softball from fifth grade through eighth grade. I was a pretty mediocre player.

I also was in USS swimming from fifth grade though mid-high school, and also on the high school swim team.
I was fairly decent at that; I lettered as a freshman and sophomore, and went to state. Then I quit because my shoulder got injured, and I was also REALLY FUCKING TIRED of swimming competitively, and I had discovered (like you) that it was more fun to drink and be lazy.

I've been lazy and out of shape ever since.

But now that my body is getting OLDER, I am rediscovering the importance of maintaining it. Not doing much about it yet, just feeling slightly guilty about being lazy.

[Diamond Vision]

does Yahtzee count?

[007]

Cool Andi, I didn't know that you did all those things. You learn something new everyday.

I played a lot of basketball in grade school. Then played freshman b-ball in high school. I always thought I was decent, but the coach in high school had his favorites & they were the only ones that got to play.

I try to stay in shape these days too. I try to walk everywhere I can. I always take the stairs. I lift weights 3x a week. I also try to swim a couple of times a week. I guess swimming is a good year-round option down here.

[andikay]

007: I never knew you played b-ball. Awesome! I always think it is interesting to find out who played sports because they actually liked them, and whose parents forced them to play.

I was forced, but I'm not complaining. It was good for me and I'm glad they did it. I think they could see the laziness developing and wanted to check it early. ;)

BTW, good thread idea, larryhead.

[poofdogg]

well...being the golfing fiend i used to be...i played golf on the varsity level. otherwise i blew off sports for the most part. i was far superior to 007 in the bball realm, but failed to take the initiative to play in hs. i was a lazy stoner kid more interested in academic bowl...ha. now that i've had time to look back on it, i wish i would have played basketball. oh well....

[007]

Oh yeah Poof, you talk the talk, but who owned your ass for approximately 300 games in a row before you even etched one victory?

[poofdogg]

yeah...beat your 5 year old brother...big accomplishment you bully!!!

[matty]

Let's see...when I was about five to about ten I swam with the Sharks, a Fayette-based swim team composed of kids from schools that didn't have swimming, like Glasgow, Slater, Salisbury, etc. That was fun. I started Taekwondo when I was about nine, and stuck with that until I was 16. I warmed the bench for a soccer team in Georgia when I first went to college. I did that for two years. In Springfield I was in the dance program, and while it's not a sport, you have to be pretty damn athletic to do that shit, so it gets mentioned. I recently took Taekwondo up again, and have just started the process of becoming a certified teacher.

I did these sports because I liked them, not because of any parental forcing, though they pushed me often to stick with things, because I get bored easily. (In little girl voice: "My mom was my coach!")

Larryhead--I also threw up before every soccer game. It must be a soccer thing.

[hotfoot]

every goddamn one of 'em. just not all in an organized fashion.

[larryhead]

I recently took Taekwondo up again, and have just started the process of becoming a certified teacher.

That's cool.. I almost forgot that one. I only took Tae Kwon Do for about a year in college, but would like to sign-up again someday. It's a great sport to sharpen yourself mentally and physically. What belt are you? I was an orangle belt. One thing that annoyed me was how it'd cost you more and more money each time you tested for the next belt level. I forget how much the black belt test was (wasn't cheap).

[matty]

I'm a blue belt right now, about to test for my brown. Then is red, then you are recommended for black belt, and then you are a black belt, 1st degree. At 3rd degree, you can become a Master.

It does cost a lot of money. To test for your black belt is $150. Of course, you're paying for a lot of other stuff, new embroidered uniform, embroidered belt, plaque of achievement, lifetime membership to ATA, and of course the salaries of the people who taught you and maintenance of the dojang. It's not so bad, and the teachers have to make money somehow. I bitch about how much it costs now, but if I actually teach at a school someday I'll be raking in as much cash as possible...

[annie]

i took tennis lessons for about 15 years, had to quit once college started... same with lacrosse. both are really bad for the piano players :(

i am a black belt in taekwondo.. only cuz my dad believed that every korean person should be.. :confused: then my mom's side wanted me to take akido since that's what every japanese person should do.... aiyayaya......

[larryhead]

Wow Annie, I didn't know you were such a badass... will you be my bodyguard? ;)

:karate:

[annie]

sure larryhead! :o

and you always knew i was a badass, come on! i'm asian, all asians are... :p

[duckplucker]

then: baseball, track, basketball, karate.

now: drinking and smoking.