Monday, February 10, 2020

i actually wasn't that bad at sports when i was a kid, it's more that i wasn't very interested in playing them, i was more interested in doing homework - i was a nerdy kid, and i preferred spending time by myself.

on my father's prodding, i actually made the high school football team in grade 9. even with his prodding, i wouldn't have gone to the tryouts if a friend of mine wasn't there, and when he didn't make the team i largely lost interest in going. i just didn't like hanging out with the jocks. it was when they tried to pull me out of math class to go to a game that i decided my schooling was more important.

yes: i actually made the football team, but then quit it when they tried to pull me out of math class to go to a game. i picked math over football. because i'm a nerd, and i'm proud of it.

but, my aversion to the people involved aside, i grew up with a very athletic father, and i had little choice but to engage with sports in some way in order to relate to him. i think i've mentioned here before that he was actually drafted by an ohl team, and was on his way to the nhl, but he blew his knees out and had to end his career. and, that had something to do with the fact that i never learned how to skate.

what my dad told me about sports was that it was about teamwork, and what he always tried to get across to me about it was the importance of being a good team player. if i learned anything from him on the topic, it was that.