To be honest with you, I've had more true life lessons from athletics, coaches, sports and athletes than I have sitting through any lecture in any classroom from any professor.
If it was a sport I played it until highschool. It was then that I stopped everything for baseball. I played at East Cobb, which is a baseball factory here in Georgia, and I am sure we have come to your town and beat little Johnny:D:D:D. Their is ALOT of money and big names floating around there. We would play our highschool season and then immediatly go into a 180+ game schedule for the summer. We played fall ball as well as long as your high school did not require you to play for them. We carried about 30 guys to remain fresh and save our arms and bodies. A gentleman by the name of Bruce Sutter, you St. Louis fans may have heard of him, was coach for a couple of those years. His boys Chad and Ben grew up here. I was on a few AAU national champs, A CABA World Series Title team, and alot of other regional and national invitation championship teams. All State my senior year of highschool where we were split into 6 difffernt region teams from around the state and competed against each other at Kennesaw State College. We swept that as well winning the gold medal, which was the first time a team has ever swept the event. I had alot of D-1 interest but (like most stupid kids who think the world evolves around them) made a me first decision to go JUCO instead. I knew D-1 required 3 years to get drafted, but Juco meant I could get drafted after each year so I signed on the dotted line. I LOVED and still do LOVE the game even after it all ended. One on One all the time, but still part of a team. I often think back on those fond years and all the life lessons that were learned...and realize that hunting was always in the mix and now it is what I do. I have rambled enough and hope i did not come off and pompus, as I never felt satisfied with any achievement and hope that list does not relflect who you think I am on these boards. IF YOU EVER WANT TO TALK, ARGUE OR JUST DISCUSS SPORTS IM YOUR MAN.
I was a late bloomer athletically.I did play football and tennis in high school.I actually became a better athlete in my late teens and early twenties.I had played a lot of baseball,basketball and softball after having graduated from college.I have some very fond memories of modified fast pitch soft ball tournaments all over a good part of New York State.There are so many sports where I was decent or fairly good but not exceptional. Physical fitness and nutrition continues to play a big part in my life. A lot of you guy's have some pretty impressive athletic resume's!
Not time for it between hunting, trapping and chasing women. Does it count for anything if you sat at the football team's table with them at college once?? Oh that was a bad hangover. I was feeling tuff and found the only table available to sit down. I wondered why my buddies keeped on walking and were snickering. Then biggest dude I have ever seen sits down in front of me on the other side of the table. It dawns on me whose table I am sitting at. The rest of the team files in. No one sits at their table unless they play football. I am trying to stomach the crap they called food ... course that could have been the hangover back talking... when the big dude says... " Hey I've seen you before ". The whole team is looking at me. I reply " don't think so ". He keeps looking at me. He just isn't letting it go and knows he has seen me. The team is still looking at me. Then it dawn on me... I was hitting on girl that he was hitting on at the bar the night before. I purposely put a shoulder into him a couple time when walking by to let him know I wasn't giving up on her on account of him. He didn't look that big in the bar !! Gawd I was drunk !! The hangover just took a turn for the worse and now I felt like 10 day old road kill. I figured I was dead anyways as I knew... he knew... as he wasn't drinking the night before so he definitely is remembering. I looked at him and said " she was a hotty wasn't she ". He grinned and said yes she was. We both laughed and had a pretty good chat. The team was laughing to so I have a feeling they knew what was going on. He was a very nice guy !! Team actually was pretty decent too. Even said I was more then welcome to sit with them any time. I could see my buddies peeking at me from across the room. They were at the bar the night before too and knew what was going on with the big guy. I think they were betting how long I would last before he hurt me. LOL Tim
One could argue that for days....not at all disagreeing with you. But, you more then likely had those moments while being on a school team. However, tough argument that teachers are helping to build the future. Not that you were arguing that..lol
Actually one that sticks out in my head was when I was standing on the 16th tee during a mini tour tournament. At that time I was young, single, bouncing around from tourney to tourney trying to gain experience and work my way up the chain. Anyway, I was standing there and knew I was a couple shots from making the cut (making money). Just went through a rough stretch of playing and have'nt been in any kind of money for weeks now. I was pretty much OUT of money. I had no idea how I was going to afford food, gas , lodge, etc... another day let alone next week. I've already slept in my car more than I would have cared to. So I had a little talking to myself waiting for my turn to play. Not like there's not enough pressure playing in events like that to begin with, but combine it with the fact that if you miss another cut you don't eat and you sleep in your car. So I was pretty sure I needed to play the next 3 at least 1 under, maybe 2 under, 3 under would definitely win. So I birdied 16, birdied 17 and eagled 18 (par 5 hit my approach to 18 inches). Played the last three holes 4 under and made the cut by 2. Ended up finishing top 20 and finally got some money again. At that moment I actually went on to playing some pretty good golf and took off from there. I learned something about myself that day.
Did not have you pegged for a grappler. What a awsome sport. I played hockey all the way through, had I known. I graduater high school 115 lbs. Man I could have had a dynamo high school wrestling career. Now I live it through my boys.
I played baseball and football from little league and midget all the way through high school. Third base-pitcher, fullback-outside linebacker. Softball for about 10 years after school.
I know what making the cut means, thanks. Congrats on the run. Prolly would have had problem reading the score card, however with the aid of schooling! .....I'm ALL for sports. I played in college, and my dad is an IL HOF bball coach. However, at a younger age more of the learning experiences come from a school environment - wether in the classroom or on a team, IMO.
