Athletic Ability

"It all began in fourth grade. My first day at a new school. My desk was perfectly organized, several times in the morning. There wasn't any doubt or questioning. I already knew I was gonna be a straight A student and have an amazing year with all these new people. Recess, time to play.

Basketball was the sport of choice today. We would shoot free throws for teams. I was next to last to make a basket. The only one who I beat was the comic book kid. I didn't score any points in the game and had convinced myself already. I was no good at basketball. The guys who were better at basketball were just cooler over all. I didn't know why, I just knew it was true. It seemed to me like no matter what games we played all year I was never the best. I did ok sometimes. But I was never number one.

Next year we started 5-8 grade basketball. I'd always known that the older kids were cooler. So in fifth grade when I was on the basketball team I figured out that they were all cooler because they were taller and better at basketball. In eigth grade, the tenth graders were cooler, in tenth grade the seniors. All through life it was just a gradual progression.

Really it was ninth grade when things got serious. Throughout middle school it was just known that the better athletes were cooler. In high school it was clearly stated on a regular basis. If you're a good athlete in high school you're made. I decided that I was gonna have to do what I could to become the best athlete. I started lifting weights constantly and in just over a year I had the highest parallel squat on the varsity football team. I was number one. The highest parallel squat in the history of the school actually. So that was something to shout about, and we did.

I had a week off between breaking that record and our first day of practice. I was King for a week. I couldn't have been happier. Well football started and we quickly found out that I wasn't all that good at football. I had really bad technique and was just kind of lazy. So I was benched after 1 day of practice never to see a starting position in a varsity game. I became so unbelievably bitter and had a miserable season what is important though is to consider the ridiculing that was directed at me because I never started. Day in and day out. I felt so worthless and frustrated that I couldn't seem to do any better.

All that mattered in life was being good at sports and I wasn't. How could I stand to be the way I was? Embarassing to just go to school. Living hell, all because I couldn't block as good as some other kid?

Looking back it's really quite foolish but it shows in stunning quality the way high school athletics are. I remember how we had the football table and the nerds had the nerd table and they weren't as cool as us. Everyone knew it. Some of the players would take to mocking people, some wouldn't.

I was really good friends with most of the players. I know for a fact. The biggest and meanest jackass on the team, who would treat non-football guys like shit. Did the worst in school, never had a girlfriend, was overweight, and did nothing after high school. Sure he could beat a lot of people up in a fight. Sure he had more sacks than anyone on the team. But does that matter now? Is he better off for it? Focusing all his energy on athletic ability and the prestige that came along with it, at the end of it all he was left with less than he started with.

Then there is my friend who worked really hard at football, worked just as hard in class, worked a job in high school to make money. Who is now enjoying tremendous success in all avenues of his life. Not because he was so good at football, or because he was smart or rich. But because he knew the importance of balance. He would be at parties once in a while but not much. He would have flings with girls rarely, but not often. He worked so he could have a car but was far from rich.

The rambling so far in this post is meant to show that entire engagement into athletics can lead to a frustrating path. I remember hearing comments about football in March when the season had been over for six months. From the kid who shortly thereafter got his girlfriend pregnant and is now what we'd call "white trash".

The key to happiness in high school in relativity to sports. Try and be a good athlete. Try and be a better person. The good person is the one who will end up with true success."

This post isn't as detailed as it could be. Just a sharing of some of my experiences and showing the mindset that is carried all throughout high school. I don't regret any of the choices I made in high school. I believe it all happened for a reason. I'm just wanting to show that the people that were cool and feared in high school aren't the definition of success lately.