Growing up I was always a tall kid; usually taller than all the girls and most of the boys in my class. I also was pretty energetic and liked to participate in team sports, unfortunately this combination did not magically create a great basketball player.
I think I peaked the first year I played. In the 4th grade I scored 10 points in our 5-game season. Ten points was exactly half of the total points our team scored that year. (Side note: I can't imagine how awful it must have been for parents to watch a game where the final score was typically something like 6-4. I guess we'll find out when Lana Jean starts playing in a few years.)
My junior high years were full of effort (I did work hard at practice and could run line drills and do the three-man-weave like nobody's business) but lacked talent, skill, and natural ability. Our team wasn't particularly good and my being a part of it didn't make it any better. However, because the school was so small, they needed the players to field a team and I got lot of playing time.
I stopped playing in the 9th grade. I wasn't getting any better, didn't love playing the sport, and thought the merciful thing to do was retire. It also saved my parents an extra trip into town to pick me up after practice.
I often hear stories from 30- or 40-somethings who speak nostalgically about their sport-playing days. Some swear they'd have had a college scholarship if it weren't for an ill-timed broken ankle or jammed finger. Not me. Nope, I know how it really was an how bad I really was.
So, what about you? Did you play sports? Were you especially bad? Good?
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