Stories Plus

In all honesty, I don’t spend much of my time watching or playing sports. However, that does not mean I don’t go out and watch an event with friends at time.

In elementary school, particularly third grade, I was obsessed with basketball. My dad bought me and my brother our own balls and a hoop which he filled with sand and placed a giant rock on top to keep from falling over. My brother and I loved to spend our time in the driveway trying to shoot a hoop. As a nine and eight-year-old, we didn’t make many baskets, but we still had fun. I wasn’t too bad and managed to keep up with my dad in a game of Horse sometimes. We also liked to play with the neighbor kids but both of them ended up playing on teams so we were outmatched. By the time I was old enough to join the basketball team at my school, I had lost interest in the competition.

The neighbor kids were very interested in playing baseball, which I was no good at, but being the only girl playing with three boys (my brother and the two neighbors) I had to adapt. I could throw a ball, but I couldn’t hit one. As I grew older, I often enjoyed going to the baseball stadium with my friends and watching a game. The mascot would come down to our school and act out a book read by another representative from the team. My dad’s work was a sponsor for the stadium so we were able to get tickets in the skybox a couple of times and someone would buy us nachos.

Every one of my siblings and I tried soccer at one point in our lives. It’s the first sport my parents put us in. I tried it once when I was 8, but it was okay for me. My brother fell in love with it, though. I often went to practices or games to watch or hang out with the other kids who had siblings playing. I have more fun kicking the ball around in the house than I do playing on the field. Mostly, I just enjoy messing with my younger siblings.

I don’t know much about American football. My dad loves to watch it and I would sit with him a few times when I was a kid and color while he watched the game. I’ve been to a few college games to hang out with my friends. I didn’t really pay much attention to the game itself though but I always liked hanging out with my friends.

Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite sport to actually watch was ice hockey. I only got to go to one game but it was a lot of fun to watch a bunch of people glide across the ice trying to score a goal. It’s been a few years so I don’t remember much from the game itself but having been ice skating myself a few times I find ice hockey and figure skating to be very impressive sports. Just the sheer attempt to balance oneself while the world blurs around them is truly an impressive feat.

I also find gymnastics to be a fascinating sport. My brother and I did a little gymnastics when we were really little but we didn’t get very far. Now I wish I had gotten into it. If not for being in great shape, for all of the cool tricks they can do. I’d love to learn how to do a simple flip but to do a whole routine on a balance beam or a high bar is terrifyingly exhilarating! Now my little sister has started gymnastics and she loves every part of it! She’s a natural and she’s thriving! It’s a lot of fun to watch her practice and compete, she does really well!