Athlete or Fan?

[Guest]

While I played little league baseball and a couple of seasons of pop warner football, I've never really been an athlete.  I stopped growing in 8th grade and topped out at 5'7 1/2" .  I was never fastest, strongest or most coordinated.  I could and did hustle...but truth be told...I just have never had any real athletic talent.  My relationship with sports, and in particular professional football, has been as a highly interested fan.  My only athletic claim I can make is in 1995 I trained for and ran in the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA.  I finished the race, but was exactly in the middle as far as my time...a little over four hours.  

How about you?  Are you a gifted athlete? A weekend warrior? or, like me, simply a fan?

[swede700]

I'm pretty much strictly a fan.  I played basketball until I was about 12, but quit because the local league sort of ruined it for me, as I wasn't having any fun...in essence, it was because the coach I had didn't allow anyone other than his son (who was the point guard) to really touch the ball period.  The funny thing is that his son, even when he got older, never surpassed like the 5'7" you were talking about (he was probably about 4' then).  I think I was over 5 feet tall then (now 6'2", 6'3").  I was never the most athletically gifted, but had height to my advantage, so I was a good rebounder, but never was allowed to develop any shooting skills.  Of course, it was the same coach who put his son on the traveling baseball team over me too.  I certainly wasn't great, but could do more than that kid did.  That entire experience ruined playing sports for me. 

I do a little running now...and hope to do a marathon in the next few years, but not anywhere near prepared for that yet.    

[vikingsrule]

I ran track and played football through my senior year in high school. Made varsity in track as a sophomore mostly running 100M, 200M and sometimes 400M. Wasn’t that great at football but was on varsity my junior and senior years. I had track scholarship offers but they weren’t that great and I wasn’t all that interested in collegiate sports anyway. 
 

Now I mostly work around my farm as the closest thing to regular physical activity that I get. 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

I ran track and played football through my senior year in high school. Made varsity in track as a sophomore mostly running 100M, 200M and sometimes 400M. Wasn’t that great at football but was on varsity my junior and senior years. I had track scholarship offers but they weren’t that great and I wasn’t all that interested in collegiate sports anyway. 
 

Now I mostly work around my farm as the closest thing to regular physical activity that I get. 

I'm sure farm work is physically taxing!  It might ought to be an Olympic sport!

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, swede700 said:

I'm pretty much strictly a fan.  I played basketball until I was about 12, but quit because the local league sort of ruined it for me, as I wasn't having any fun...in essence, it was because the coach I had didn't allow anyone other than his son (who was the point guard) to really touch the ball period.  The funny thing is that his son, even when he got older, never surpassed like the 5'7" you were talking about (he was probably about 4' then).  I think I was over 5 feet tall then (now 6'2", 6'3").  I was never the most athletically gifted, but had height to my advantage, so I was a good rebounder, but never was allowed to develop any shooting skills.  Of course, it was the same coach who put his son on the traveling baseball team over me too.  I certainly wasn't great, but could do more than that kid did.  That entire experience ruined playing sports for me. 

I do a little running now...and hope to do a marathon in the next few years, but not anywhere near prepared for that yet.    

I could never get the hang of anything in basketball...including dribbling down the court...somehow, the ball would always bounce against the side of my foot!  I used to LOVE attending basketball games in high school and college, but find it dull to watch on TV.

[RpMc]

Athlete -

6'3 - 190 coming out of high school and I'm 6'4 225 now.  I played football, basketball, baseball, and run track at the varsity level and had some division II football options.  Walked on my freshmen year of football and fell out of love with playing the organized game.  Transitioned into competitive flag football where I competed in regional and national championships.  Still play beer league softball, volleyball, and coach football for Wayzata High School and the Minnesota Vixen.

[swede700]

11 minutes ago, Virginia Viking said:

I could never get the hang of anything in basketball...including dribbling down the court...somehow, the ball would always bounce against the side of my foot!  I used to LOVE attending basketball games in high school and college, but find it dull to watch on TV.

It's about the only thing I could play to any level.  Couldn't hit all that well in baseball, wasn't quick enough to do well in soccer, couldn't skate well enough to play hockey, and neither my mother or grandmother would allow me to play football (although I probably only would have been able to play QB, too slow and too thin to do anything else.)

[SemperFeist]

Fairly athletic. Currently 6’2” 240. I no longer play sports. I like to challenge myself physically, however. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by SemperFeist

[Vikes22]

I’m an Athlete..

played football and baseball. Not very big ( 5’10 185 when I graduated) but ran the 40 in 4.5 

In football I was a RB and MLB. 
 

As a RB, I rushed for over 3000 yards and 48 TD’s. ( starter for 2 years)

As a MLB, I had 348 tackles and I’m still 3rd in school history ( started 3 years)

I started as a freshman in baseball. I was a lefty pitcher.

 

And as some of you guys know, athletic ability runs in my family. Travis Blankenhorn of the Minnesota Twins is my cousin. Go Twins!!!!

[marshpit23]

An old ex-Athlete (I miss it 😢)

I graduated at 5’ 10.5”, 184 (feels like forever ago). 

As a kid, I played football, hockey, hoops, and baseball. 
Throughout high school, I played football, baseball and ran track. 

I stopped baseball (Legion) and football after my 11th grade year. We moved from a rural town into the twin cities. In baseball, I played CF and some 3B. As a football player, I played some RB WR, and Safety. I ran a hand-timed (lol...this was the 80’s) 4.5 in the 40 yard dash. 

I continued track in the cities and made the state my senior year. I triple jumped, long jumped and 4 x 100 relay. I guess I had a decent vertical as I was dunking by 11th grade. 

After high school, I thought about playing football at St. Cloud State as I had someone from the college in my ear. I didn’t play, and really don’t regret it (my joints are messed up enough, ugh). 

So, played  25 years of competitive softball and Volleyball. Went to National Wallyball tournament in Westerville, OH and won the Co-Ed championship (that was kinda cool). 

Now, I bike, kayak, fish and hope to be watching my grandkids play whatever . My kids both played Rugby and Soccer lol.

 

[RpMc]

I loved seeing the varied backgrounds!

[vike daddy]

i ran cross country in high school and had a promising future. then i discovered sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

hey man, it was the 70's.

[wcblack34]

I graduated high school at 6'2" and about 255 pounds. I was never jacked, but was very athletic for my size and had 35" arms. I wrestled, played football, and baseball. In wrestling, I made the state tournament at Heavyweight and even wrestled Brock Lesnar once (that didn't go well for me). As a football player, I was All-Conference and started at DT for 3 years. I also played TE my Jr and Sr years, but was primarily a blocker. In baseball, I was a 1B and 3B. It was probably my best sport, and if I had committed to it, I think I could have played college ball somewhere. Alas, I was not interested in schoolwork and decided that the Military would be a better bet. I played football in the USMC with Mike Anderson (of Denver Broncos fame). I thought about trying to play football when I got out of the Marines and went to college, but decided that education and my newly acquired drinking-age would be my priorities. 

On another note, I was in high school in a smallish town in the 1990s. No one had protein powder. We had a very basic weight room and no S&C coaches. No internet. No idea about proper nutrition. I always wonder how much more athletic I might have been if I had that kind of knowledge and support. Our weight room experience was bench, squat, clean and jerk, and other basic movements. No real specialized training. I marvel at seeing some of the high school athletes these days.  

[swede700]

8 hours ago, vike daddy said:

i ran cross country in high school and had a promising future. then i discovered sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

hey man, it was the 70's.

The post-Civil War era was really wild, apparently.  

[SemperFeist]

7 minutes ago, swede700 said:

The post-Civil War era was really wild, apparently.  

They say laudanum was a gateway drug.