Olympics for a non-sports fan

[fbhjr]

I have never been good at sports.  That didn’t stop me from playing them.
And, I often would, and still do, have fun playing them.
I’m just not good at them.

Part of this is semi hereditary.  My grandfather was apparently very good
at sports.  I’m told he got to the point of having the choice of being a
major league baseball player or a doctor.  He picked doctor.
From what I’m told, he wanted his son, my father, to take after him in this.
That was unfortunate as my father didn’t want to be a sportsman and lacked
much talent for it.
But, my grandfather pushed and my father tried.
Both were unhappy with the result.

When I came along, my father hardly even mentioned sports.  He might watch
a baseball game on tv, but never showed any interest in playing.  Certainly
never in showing me how to do it or in any way encouraging it.

Without instruction or support, I did not do well in school sports.  And,
that continued to discourage me to try.  I wasn’t good at it.  Everyone
knew I wasn’t good at it.  Why try?

The sports I ended up enjoying are the more solitary ones.
In highschool I was on the swim team for 4 years.  I was never the best,
but got to be reasonably good for a highschool team.
I spent a summer doing archery to get away from my parents.  Again, never
great, but OK if I practiced for a few hours a day ever day all summer.
I did my physical education requirements in college in bowling.  Same deal.

All of these things are ones where you stand by yourself, do what you’re
going to do, and hope you do it better than other folks.
You don’t have to throw thing for other to catch, catch things other threw,
hit things thrown by others or match what you’re doing to someone else.
You do what you do, and try and do it well.
The exception to this is I’ve always loved to play volleyball.  Don’t know
why as it doesn’t fit the pattern.  Other than I’m still not good at it.

A lot of the sports they do in the Olympics are these kinds of sports.
They do what they’re doing and try and be the best at it.
And, play volleyball.

Maybe that’s why I like it.
Maybe I’m antisocial as I’m not big on team sports.  (Except volleyball.)

But, I do really like the Olympics and do enjoy watching when they come
around every other year.  Winter or summer, I like them both.
I do wish we had better coverage of them.

Comments

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

I was a competitive swimmer too and, also, not great. My dad was a sports writer, but his attitude was always "you were supposed to be a boy so you could play baseball!!" Like in a movie, I only found out a few years ago that he came to all my meets.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

It's cool he went to your meets. My father never did.

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

I didn't know he did. He's still never mentioned it.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

How did you discover it?

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

My mom mentioned it once. I was complaining about how dad would have paid more attention if I was a baseball-playing boy.