In which I win the state championship. Two years in a row.
Posted by Isabel on April 22nd, 2008. Filed under: Back in the Day, Me.The spring of my freshman year an open meeting was held for the high school track team. I had always loved running and so I stayed after school and attended the meeting. Everyone who attended that first meeting became an official member of the high school track team.
Track practice was held everyday, after school, up at the high school. I would ride the school bus to the high school, change into my new Nike Air shoes, shorts and a t-shirt and walk out to the track field. The coaches used this time to assess who could do track events the best. The boys all wanted to do pole vaulting or the long and high jumps.
I just wanted to run fast.
I spent that track season running my little fourteen year old heart out everyday after school and on the weekends. There seemed to be a track event every week and I anxiously awaiting all of them. I ran the 100 meter dash. My parents came to every track event and supported me from the bleachers.
That year, the track team won the state championship.
While I enjoyed running track, I quickly realized that I wasn’t a very fast runner. I also realized that I didn’t fit in too well in “team sports”. I continued to run almost everyday, but come the next year, I didn’t try out for the track team.
My sophomore year, still sort of interested in playing some type of sport, I tried out for the high school volleyball team. Tryout outs were nothing like the track tryouts where everyone made it. Volleyball was a little more serious. And strenuous. It lasted all week. Again, I wasn’t too confident in my athletic abilities, but I made the team.
I knew it my heart that I only made the volleyball team because my dad was a teacher at the school (who also coached in his spare time), and the volleyball coaches didn’t want to disappoint him. I tried to act like I made the team because I could jump higher then anyone else on the entire team. I tried to act like it was because I was the only one of the sophomore team that could over hand serve. But the truth was, I felt under qualified and out of place.
I’ve never been able to adequately explain it, but I’ve just never felt like I fit inside my body right. It’s like there isn’t any fluid communication between my brain and my limbs. I have no coordination, no skill, and basically no confidence. This makes doing anything athletic and physical unnerving and uncomfortable.
I played volleyball that season and I truly did enjoy it. Sure the girls and I didn’t become fast friends. Sure I wasn’t good at volleyball at all. Sure I hated the after school practices. But overall, it was a fun time.
The volleyball team won the state championship that year. Seriously, no thanks to me at all. It was thrilling to be a part of another winning team. But it was also embarrassing to know that I had absolutely nothing to do with the win. I got to ride into town on a firetruck, but I knew I didn’t belong there.
I knew I wouldn’t be playing again the next season.
The volleyball season was over and the school year was coming to a close. I rarely gave any thought to volleyball. The other girls on the team continued to hang out together. They ate lunch together. They spent their weekends together. They walked through the halls together. While I don’t think they were trying to leave me out, I never hung out with them outside of games and practices, not even a simple wave or smile took place between me and any of my teammates.
While I didn’t care about waving goodbye to my chances to play team sports, my dad did care. He never said it, but I knew he wanted one of his kids to excel at sports. I was, honestly, his only hope. And I wasn’t much of a hope. That summer off from school, I kept up my running but I didn’t attend the volleyball workshops. I knew that attending the workshops was pretty much mandatory if you wanted to keep playing at the high school level. But remember, I didn’t really want to play.
Volleyball tryouts took place the first week of the new school year. I told everyone around me that I wasn’t going to try out. But secretly, to make my dad happy, I decided I would try out. I just wouldn’t tell anyone.
And so I lied to my family and friends about where I was going after school, I packed up my gym bag with my volleyball uniform and shoes and hid it in my car. I showed up at tryouts and ran laps with my previous teammates, worked on my rolls, and hit ball after ball.
During tryouts I quickly realized I wasn’t going to make the team. My dad being a teacher at my school only held so much clout, and it wasn’t enough to compensate for my mediocre athletic skills. At the end of the week a list of those who made the team was posted. I didn’t even have to look. I knew my name wouldn’t be on the list.
I wasn’t sad that I didn’t make the team. I really wasn’t. But I was upset that I let my dad down. I was also hugely embarrassed that I was the only person that had tried out, but didn’t make the team. I knew it, and the rest of the girls knew it.
And so ended my foray into the world of physical abilities and athletic prowess. I walked away, and never looked back…
…until now.
I’ve been back on the Weight Watchers wagon for almost a month. And while I’m happy with my current six pound loss, I’ve known all along that at some point I was going to have to start actually doing some sort of physical activity. I knew my daily walks to and from work and Babboo’s school weren’t going to be enough. I knew I would have to do something physical and athletic.
I woke up a little earlier then normal this morning and devoted 10 minutes of my day to my flabby abs via my “10 Minute Solutions Pilates” DVD. I know it isn’t a lot and that a measly 10 minute work out isn’t going to do that much. But it’s a start. And knowing myself as well as I do, I know that this is a good place to start.
Too bad I don’t have anyone around that will join a gym with me. It sure would be more fun to have someone to do this with.
So tell me, am I the only one that feels inadequate when it comes to any type of physical activity? And if you are the type of person that likes to be active, what types of activities do you enjoy?
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April 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
it is too bad we can’t join the gym together. it sounds like you hate exercise as much as I do. we’d probably just end up in the sauna together gossiping about tv. so it’s probably for the best.
speaking of pilates… I’m going to my first ever pilates class tonight. wish me luck! and I think your abs are going to look smokin hott when we see your Europe photos. hopefully you won’t pull out the black bar on your stomach.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I guess I am fortunate that I was good at sports. Not all sports by any means. I played softball for 7 years from age 10 to 17 and I was good at it. I tried out for basketball, but I am just under 5′5″, so, I, uh, sucked at that. I had no interest in soccer or track, but I think I could have done well at those also.
Sometimes I think about finding a co-ed adult softball team to play on. I think it would be fun and it’s good exercise. I am actually starting some belly dancing as a workout too. Not so sure I am coordinated for that, but we will see once I get this stupid boot off my foot!
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I love love love playing volleyball. I pretend that I know how to play and when people turn to me and say, “You’re second,” I say ok (but I have no idea what that means. Am I supposed to be the second person to hit the ball and therefore “setter”? Yeah…. I just pretend to know what they want me to do and I hit the ball if it comes to me. They’re probably thinking, “Didn’t we just tell he she’s second? Why isn’t she doing what we tell her to?”).
I once played co-ed softball. Dude! I really suck at anything that requires hitting a ball with a piece of sports equipment.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I am such a klutz when it comes to ANY sport. Except, I am damn good at golf. And, I am an excellent bowler. Both in real life, and on the Wii. I’d like to be a good runner. But that would require me to get off the damn couch.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I’ve always played sports or worked out, but never very well. But I’d weigh twice as much as I do now without it, I swear. Don’t discount all the walking you do — it adds up!
I think 10 mins of pilates is better than zero. Especially if it makes you feel good.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
You are not alone. I feel like a loser for admitting this, but I HATE exercising! I don’t get people who LOVE it! My fiance is in great shape and is always doing something active…like riding his bike from Seattle to Portland! No thanks…I’d rather drive.
Now that I’m back on WW also, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things with points tracking, etc. I plan on giving myself a few weeks and then starting some sort of workout regimen.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I learned to love running after I got married. I HATED to run when I was in high school & college. But I’m not good at running. I’m not the fastest for sure, and I don’t even try to be. I run because it gives me something to do all by myself. I could probably get a lot more health benefits out of it if I did it more than 1 or 2 times a week, but I feel like I’m trying & that has to be good enough.
And, I had no idea you were on the track team. Or the volleyball team. That is a lot more participation in team sports than I ever had.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I’m not athletic at all. I never learned how to roller skate, ride a bike, or ski. In elementary school I was one of the slowest runners in my class. I remember getting a physical from my doctor and attending an open gym in high school so that I could practice before trying out for the basketball team. I was always a good shot, but my lack of running skills and the fact that I’m just under 5′4 didn’t work out in my favor and so all the other girls there that night ran circles around me and I realized there was no way in hell I was going to make the team, so I didn’t try out. Instead I became manager of the boys volleyball team and travelled with a bus full of boys to other all-boy schools for a couple of months. If only boys would’ve been a sport…
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
HA! I agree with Liz – if only boys were a sport!
I’m not excellent at sports, but I’m not bad. I know the rules and I know in theory how to play – it’s the execution. I am pretty good at golf and bowling, too. I hate exercising right now but in a couple of weeks I’ll feel better and then I won’t hate it quite so much.
Maddy is playing softball this year for the first time. She’s good at throwing and fielding, but not so good in the hitting. So we’re working on it, and I’m glad that I can help her with the theory of the swing. The execution – eh, we’ll see.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I played sports in HS, but wasnt very good. i do like to ride a bike, but I dont seem to have time to do it anymore. However, I no longer fit in any of my clothes and refuse to buy bigger b/c I know its just b/c I am inactive. So I am trying to hit the treadmill to talk 3 x a week. Not losing any weight really, but i have a ton more energy on the days I do it.
If you liked running in HS, maybe you would like it again – maybe when you move into your new house you can put babboo ina jog stroller & run? I wish i liked to run.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I’ve never been any good at playing sports. I don’t know the rules and I don’t care to learn … not that they bothered to teach us during gym class. That always annoyed me, that they just assumed that everyone knows how to play softball, or football, or whatever. Aren’t you supposed to be TEACHING us something? Gah.
As much as I hate sports, I know that if I had kids I would try to encourage them (gently) to get into stuff like that. I know it’s probably good for social development and hand-eye coordination … all kinds of stuff that I DON’T have. Which makes it even harder for me to start working out now, when I really need to. Good luck with the Weight Watchers and Pilates!
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Move here so we can join the gym together! As long as it has a daycare!! (or I guess I could move there!) I so need a motivation buddy to work out with! (and time to workout while someone watches my kids!)
I always thought you rocked at volleyball and running! I hate team sports (I always feel like I am going to be the reason we lose!) but I love dancing (you know that).
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I consider myself pretty darn “athletic”, but I totally suck at team sports. I run, I hike, I do yoga… I even enjoy (sometimes) going to the gym. Because they have cable and I can watch Gilmore Girls reruns.
I always wanted to be into team sports, but I finally had to accept that I just sucked too much for it to be any fun. I played on the softball, volleyball, and basketball teams in middle school and I hated every minute. I was on the swim team for three years in high school, hated every MILISECOND of that. Joel is always encouraging me to join the Baltimore Sports and Social club because they practice in the park right next to our house, but dude. I don’t want to play kickball/baseball/soccer, even if it does mean I get to hang out at a bar with the team afterwards. I’d rather just go running by myself and then get home and watch TV with my cats.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I lack any type of eye hand coordination. Despite that, I have played softball (4 years),basketball (1 year), cheerleading (1 year) volleyball (7 years) and ran track for 3 years. I pretty much sucked at all of them. My sister and I both lack the coordination that most sports require, so perhaps it is genetic. My husband is super athletic and can pretty much play any sport he tries. Butthole.
I have even flown off a treadmill while running.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I’m horrible at any sport that uses a ball, which is most sports. I tried soccer, basketball, raquetball, and tennis. The only sport I’m good at is swimming.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I am so beyond terrible at athletics. I was a decent runner, but I was never dedicated enough to join a school team. I took tennis as a P.E. elective in college, and I liked it, but I wasn’t too good.
Last year, I judged cheerleading tryouts at the middle school I taught at. There had been a cheerleader on the squad that year that was absolutely terrible. She had no coordination, didn’t tumble at all, and actually couldn’t even do a toe touch…it was sad. Her father was a teacher and coach at the school, and the cheerleading sponsor had felt obligated to put her on the squad, despite the fact that her father told her not to unless she deserved it. So, when I judged, I judged her fairly. She was terrible after an entire year of being on the squad, so I gave her terrible marks, as did the two other judges that were from outside the school and didn’t even know she’d already been on the squad or that her dad was a teacher there. The cheerleading sponsor put her back on the squad anyway. It’s a really competitive sport. Some of those girls are truly awesome, and this girl, because she’s a teacher’s kid, took one of their spots. It angered me actually. Anyway, so I guess what happened with you and your dad is the norm…I guess teacher’s kids do have a little extra advantage. If I decide to go back to teaching, I’ll have to make sure and never work at the school Lila attends, lol.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 am
You said what I have always felt perfectly! I have never felt any sort of coordination in my own body. Like I always tell my hubby I couldn’t walk a straight line stone cold sober.
Sports was never my thing although I wish it was. At least you had the guts to try out, public humiliation was also never my thing.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 am
I only run if someone is chasing me. Sadly, I have been put into this position.
Good for you on the weight loss. I’m seriously thinking about Weight Watchers again. I EVEN picked up a magazine the other day. I just don’t want to have to go to a group weigh-in. I can beat myself up on my own.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:15 am
Back in the day when I was on the swim team, I knew I sucked. Frequently bested by a girl 6 years younger than me. (Though this kid grew up & won a gold medal in swimming…) But still. Pathetic.
I love playing Badmitton. And I could (and frequently did) dance the night away. So Badmitton & dancing. So, no, I am not athletic, but I’m cute.
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
To say I lack athletic skill is an epic understatement. I detested all sports as a child but my mom recognized my painful shyness and forced me into softball, cheerleading, etc. My husband is a phenomenal baseball player and the most atheletic person I know and yet none of it has rubbed off on me.
I can’t even bring myself to watch other people play sports. I go to pro games for the food.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I got two letters in High School: Marching/Concert Band, which took oh so much effort. And Varsity Softball, for which I was the manager. This meant that the closest I came to the bats and balls was carrying them from the storage locker to the field. And that was a good thing.
I would also love to find a workout buddy to join a gym with me. This exercising at home thing would be easier if I wasn’t so good at finding valid excuses to avoid it.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Volleyball is pretty much the only sport I am good at. I played all through high school, and won intramurals my freshman year of college. Now I play on a competitive rec team even though I’m not as good anymore (mainly because I am out of shape). I tried other sports – a few years of basketball, a couple of softball, and 1 wtf year of cheerleading. Volleyball is the only one I was passionate about.
These days, I mostly stick to solo workouts – long brisk walks in the neighborhood and light weight training in our guest bedroom. However, I am on my third year playing on a super recreational softball team. While I would tell you not to be nervous and it would be a fun, easy way to get back into sports, in all reality, you go out to dinner and drinks at the sponsoring bar afterwards, which more than negates whatever calories you take in. So it is good for camraderie and making friends, not losing weight.
And I’ll end this ridiculously long comment now.
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I’ve recently started pilates! And I’ve been walking on my lunch break! When I was in school – during my younger days – I played softball, volleyball and I marched in the marching band!
April 24th, 2008 at 4:17 am
I love the idea of being physical. I’ve always wanted to be That Girl who gets up at five to go to the gym and takes step aerobics every Wednesday night. But eventually my laziness sets in and that’s the end of that.
Theoretically, I want to change, but the time never seems appropriate. I always have an excuse. Right now, it’s that I don’t want to spend any more time away from Kara than I have to, since I’m already gone for (at least) eight hours five days a week. So Luke and I have started walking around our complex after dinner. It’s not much, but like you said, it’s a start.
April 24th, 2008 at 4:19 am
P.S. In high school, I played varsity soccer in my senior year, only I never really played in the games because I wasn’t that good. I loved going to practice, though. I also worked for a pretzel place at Navy Pier during the summer, and part of my job involved running fresh pretzels to all of our carts along the pier. I can’t believe how active I was, and all without paying any attention to my weight.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Volleyball huuuuurts.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Dude, I used to tremble in fear at the thought of having to play volleyball.
We started an exercise club at work. Yesterday we hiked up and down 15 flights of stairs. I’m beat.