Sports, children & nerdiness

I would be curious, what some of you were like as children in physical education classes and any sport in general.

Today I was talking to a guy, father of 2 teenagers, 13 & 16. The guy is regular cyclist himself, his wife also cycles often but not as far. Neither child have exhbited much interest in sports...they seem to like computers, not social oriented alot. However 1 boy likes archery, fencing..of all things. Stuff that's not on the curriculum.

Either kids are find with phys ed. or sports. Or go through years of nerdiness. My view is that during school there's alot of team sports or trying things in groups where other kids see you fail/look clumsy. Solitary sports are just near impossible since kids need supervision at school.

Honest, think sometimes just spins out to some kids just hate exercise. Period. And that leads to other bigger health issues in life.

Another situation, a mother whose boys go bowling. Boys are 19 & 20. But that's all. Her ex was so demanding on the boys to be "manly" and accomplished in baseball, cycling, soccer etc. that the boys gave up. A real shame.

Were you the sports nerd and what is it now for you? And your children?

As far as team sports go, I was a sports nerd. Can't really figure out why; maybe because it was more or less popularity contest.

I did a lot of horse back riding, and won several ribbons in that department. Later in life I turned into a tennis nut. That was a sad day when I had to hang up my racket forever because of my knee. Now I go sailing, cycling (nothing like what you do Orchid), and play golf. I also love hiking.

My sons played ice hockey from three years old till 20 years old. It was fantastic. It kept them off the streets. They travelled through Europe and participated in summer camps. I'm sure it was one of the reasons why we didn't have any problems during their teenage years.

I agree computers ruin a lot of those outside activities. Do you know they sell now laptops for toddlers?!! Nothing like that is ever coming into this house. I take my granddaughter once a week to toddler gym. She loves it, and is the fastest in “walking backwards”. lol

I wasn't particularly sporty but as kids/teens, we were always outside playing/building forts/going for bike rides, etc. My own teen kids are very into their computers and I do struggle to get them outside in the fresh air. It does bother me that they don't get enough exercise - we even bought a tramploline which gets used sometimes in the summer, but they are getting to an age now where I can't 'force' them to go outside, etc. I just hope that as they get older they'll want to do more with their spouses and own kids, rather than just sit hooked up to a machine. Well, I can hope.

In school, I played all sports but excelled at track - long distance running and hurdles. I also took ballet, tap, ballroom, etc. In high school, I lettered in tennis and did a lot of horseback riding. My kids did all the team sports and were active in Scouts from Cub Scouts, and both became Eagle Scouts. All three grandkids are also into either soccer or football. I tried to give my kids all the opportunities, so one son did ballet for a while as well as football and baseball; the other was into music - piano, organ, drums. Today, both kids, who are in their thirties, are much more sedentary, as am I. I did learn to ride a bike when I was in my forties (never had one as a kid so never learned how to ride) but have inner ear issues so my balance isn't the best and I'm not comfortable on a bike. I do enjoy rollerblading, if I can find a nice flat smooth surface. And I walk as much as I can. I do miss the dancing though. My partner has two left feet (his description, not mine) and doesn't like structured dancing - learning steps etc. And I don't have the time right now to go dancing by myself. I would love to get back into playing tennis, but my joints might not like it!

Wow, some real active gals when you were growing up. I played softball during recess and after school. And biking around on a bike that I shared with 2 other sisters. Of course, there was skipping rope contests..you know doing double dutch skipping...up to 2,000 jumps.

But that's all. Couldn't afford to attend leagues, camp, etc. I was more a happy bookworm at that time. Phys ed. was a pain in the butt to me.

THank goodness the bike was somewhere in my childhood. I was/am pathetic on ice skates. A friend introduced me to xcountry skiing by loaning me her sister's skis for the day.

Now, as an adult, probability of becoming a serious couch potato would have occurred a long time ago if it weren't for the bike.

The tough thing is that team/group learning of sports just doesn't help...a certain % of kids. I would say that number is high since kids want to be continously accepted by their peers..and hence, not spoiling the "game" if they are perceived as a lousy player.

I was a par excellence academic nerd who was atrocious at sports. My gross motor coordination was extremely poor until my late teens, and by then it was too late to be good at any team sport because everyone else had years of experience where I had years of failure. I don't have good depth perception -- perfect eyesight until my 40s but could never really tell where things were -- which made most sports impossible: I could see the ball perfectly but had no idea exactly where it was in space, which means I usually failed to hit or catch it.

As a child, I went through extremes in movement patterns. I could sit and read for five hours straight, almost motionless, and then I'd get up and run for an hour non-stop. I had tons of energy -- actually, until maybe 5 years ago.

So what does a highly energetic KLUTZ of a child do with all that energy? Especially if one is incapable of participating in most sports?
1. Run. I wasn't particularly fast, probably because the moving parts wouldn't co-ordinate, but at least I could do it.
2. ride my bike, as long as an hour through the city, and often into neighborhoods where I wasn't supposed to be in.
3. Jump. Over things (bushes and trash cans) and from things (staircases, trees.)
4. Climb. Trees, fences (ones with "No trespassing" signs had special appeal) and buildings. I can climb pretty much anything. And then when I climbed over the fence that said No Trespassing, and climbed up the wall of some building (NYC apartments, factories and such) I could leap across close rooftops onto more buildings where I wasn't supposed to be. HA! The amazing part of this is that my bicycle never got stolen when I hid it in bushes or whatever so I could go climb those buildings. I would've been in major MAJOR trouble if it did, because then a kid with no money would've had to figure out how to get home many hours walking. Although at least I wouldn't have been lost, because I'm like a little homing pigeon.

Like Hannelore, I loved horseback riding and tennis in high school. Beyond that, I was a spectator and went to all the games. Does dancing count???? I loved dancing all the latest stuff of the 60's but also had dance training for 12 years.

12 yrs. of dance training...ladyjane you clearly do something better than I. I avoid any group aerobics classes which involved group coordinated movements, I'm just hopeless with any form of exercise that must be coordinated in tune with music beat. I dropped out of an aerobics exercise course...so I did try!

Am lousy on the dance floor. So is my partner. So we just shuffle along like fools..but who cares.

Of course, dancing counts as exercise..with rhythm and in sych.

meredith-- you seem to have alot of cardio endurance. Running...yeh the loneliness of the long-distance runner. There's a sport/exercise for everyone, a type that fits each person's personality/schedule.

This is a great topic. orchid, you come up with some real winners.

I was a major tomboy! Played outside all day every day in the summer. In sixth grade we began organized sports. I played basketball through high school and it was a fantastic part of my teen years.

My kids all grew up playing sports. Oldest played club baseball at Clemson until he graduated last year. Hannelore, and like your boys, he played since he was five and it was a huge part of his life. He soaked it up. Played so much ball, it was crazy. He pitched, played football, volleyball, soccer and basketball. The majority of his friends have always been team mates.

Our daughter also played soccer, softball and a little basketball, but her biggest and best sport was swimming. Could that girl do the butterfly! We'd sit thorugh swim meets for hours to watch her swim a total of seconds or mintues depending how many races she was in. Those were the good old days of hanging out at the pool all day and then goign back at night for meets! Loved it.

And our youngest played soccer and baseball until he fell in love with skateboarding and snowboarding in sixth grade. Then he dropped all organized sports to skate. We've had ramps and rails and you name it in our backyard and driveway. We chaired the committee to get our county to supply skateparks for our youth. Fun, fun. And that is where his love of photography and film developed. They would all phtotograph and film one another while they skated, then make videos and sell them. He eventually stopped skating because you have to be a real daredevil to get great. He quit skating and became the videographer. He's now in film school and loving life.

I think playing sports is a great way to grow up.

Computers and all screens are making kids too sedentary. It scares me.

We are a long way off to grandchildren, but I think our kids will also want their kids to be active.

I was a tomboy too, but didn't participate in sports. I was in the marching band, though.

I just reread my post and realized how insane it sounded if you don't have a clear picture of the physical world I lived in.

No, I did not scale skyscrapers.
A. There were no skyscrapers in Queens. Mostly 2- and sometimes 3-storey buildings.
B. I did not climb straight up any flat walls either.

3-storey buildings usually had a fire escape starting at 15' or so off the ground. The trick was getting to it. Most of the time I couldn't. I do recall standing on dumpsters and being able to reach a ledge which I'd inch around to catch the fire escape. Also climbing very large trees and I'd slide out on a high thick branch for access. I was not afraid to jump down 5 or 6 feet. In older neighborhoods in Queens the trees could be taller than the apartments, that's how you do it.

Apartment buildings were often flush against each other, maybe just a slightly different height. One of my best finds was a group of apartments where I could go around 3/4 of a large city block. I ran/climbed back and forth on those roofs for maybe an hour because I thought I had found a whole new world.

98% of the roofs were NOT accessible from the outside, so the challenge was finding the ones that were. I suppose I might've made a good cat burglar, if I had intentions in that direction, which I didn't. A couple of times I got banged up a little because I couldn't figure out how to get back down so I jumped into bushes.

For really tall buildings (which were not in my neighborhood) the easiest access to the roof is via the elevator. I know it's cheating, but the view is still good.

Meredith, who was definitely never Bionic- Wonder- or SpiderWoman.

Still, ... the visual you gave us Meredith is like a film running before our eyes.

I'm looking up from a parking lot between two buildings, and see some long legged girl, with braids (?) flying behind her, as she leaps with a wide stance from one flat roof to another. And I'm thinking; I want to do that tooooooooooo.
LOVE IT.

I was once asked to be a part of the cheer leader team at our high school. After the first practice, they kicked me out. I was the one who was always facing in the wrong direction. Say left to me...and I guarantee you I'll turn right.

Meredith, I would have loved hanging out with you as a kid. Your adventures were right up my alley.

me too maerabith espicallie the no traspassing, which over heer is don't pick apples sighnes, which were always rasaked lol.

i played street football (soccer) I ran long distances and sprint and swam for public clubs and for my school. i always looked like a sprinter, not long and lifth like a true long distances runner but i had stamina even if shortish legs. I played hockie and basketball for the school.
I climbed everieething i could, id fly on my bike.the hard work up the yhill was worth the zoomed of flat out dowenhill riding.
when i was older 13 or so i got horseridding lessons, and managed little jumpes but didn't compeat, i had no horse lol.
by 16 i still had the solitorie sports but add weighttranning and martial arts into the mix, far too much energie. I onlie stoped w tranning and swimming when i was in earlie 30's.

my sons way to energetic too. sport be a great lifsaver for him i am sure as it was for me.

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In 6th grade the teachers were still expecting us to climb rope and play baseball in our DRESSES!

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I remember playing softball in gr. 5-6 in either dress or shorts. Whatever I was wearing that day. It was less of a big deal back then to wear a dress and running shoes.

I must have been outdoors alot in summer as a teenager, because when I had to take mandatory indoor swimming lessons in phys ed. for a few weeks, the girls remarked over my tan ..in November.