team sports
So as many of you know (and most of you could conjecture), I wasn't into team sports as a kid. I ran around a lot and was a scrawny thing until I hit puberty, but still, team sports weren't my bag. I wasn't into any sports, really, except whatever I could do alone shielded from the eyes of other people.
The thing is that, for the most part, I'm like a lot of other kids where if I suck at something, I will accept that and not try to embarrass myself by trying and failing. So rather than get laughed at in gym class, I would stand there with my arms crossed and glare at the ball. Unless I was playing badminton or something stupid like that with people I liked, where I could be ridiculous and crack asinine jokes.
When I hit college, I decided I needed to drop the non-participating quasi-wannabe-goth shit and take up cheerleading. I needed to find a way to break out of my head and cheerleading worked. However, it's still a slightly different bag since you're throwing each other in the air, rather than chasing a ball around.
I still had something of a demon to conquer, given that I still believe on the inside that I suck at team sports because I am a) too independent, b) too inattentive, c) somewhat out of shape (though I seem to be regulatin' at and around the 140 mark), and d) still of the belief that it's better to stand with my arms crossed and look like an idiot, rather than actually try to hit the ball and remove all doubt.
So I joined my work's volleyball team in the local town intermural league. And no, we haven't won a game yet.
However, after a few weeks of sucking and only getting in a lucky shot now and then, I broke down and bought a volleyball. I hit it around for a few hours this weekend.
You know what? Today, I actually did a lot better.
I think it's easy to forget that practice is helpful. Easy for me, at least, since things usually come quickly to me.
I also hear Rob in my head, like "Volleyball is pretty lame, but it's a lot less lame than playing LARPs or whatever all the time like you used to."
The thing is that, for the most part, I'm like a lot of other kids where if I suck at something, I will accept that and not try to embarrass myself by trying and failing. So rather than get laughed at in gym class, I would stand there with my arms crossed and glare at the ball. Unless I was playing badminton or something stupid like that with people I liked, where I could be ridiculous and crack asinine jokes.
When I hit college, I decided I needed to drop the non-participating quasi-wannabe-goth shit and take up cheerleading. I needed to find a way to break out of my head and cheerleading worked. However, it's still a slightly different bag since you're throwing each other in the air, rather than chasing a ball around.
I still had something of a demon to conquer, given that I still believe on the inside that I suck at team sports because I am a) too independent, b) too inattentive, c) somewhat out of shape (though I seem to be regulatin' at and around the 140 mark), and d) still of the belief that it's better to stand with my arms crossed and look like an idiot, rather than actually try to hit the ball and remove all doubt.
So I joined my work's volleyball team in the local town intermural league. And no, we haven't won a game yet.
However, after a few weeks of sucking and only getting in a lucky shot now and then, I broke down and bought a volleyball. I hit it around for a few hours this weekend.
You know what? Today, I actually did a lot better.
I think it's easy to forget that practice is helpful. Easy for me, at least, since things usually come quickly to me.
I also hear Rob in my head, like "Volleyball is pretty lame, but it's a lot less lame than playing LARPs or whatever all the time like you used to."