COLUMN: Insult from injury
When I was in the seventh grade, I tried out for the volleyball team.
I didn’t have much experience with sports. I had been on a team or two at a young age, but volleyball was the first sport I took a real interest in.
I asked for a volleyball for Christmas, and I even attended a volleyball camp to prepare. I was ready to go.
But I didn’t make the team. Oh well.
The real punch to the gut came after learning that a girl with a broken leg had made the team over me.
Not just a sprained ankle, or a boot on her foot. But a full-blown, full-leg cast, complete with crutches. This girl made the team over me. Talk about feeling like a failure.
Everyone assured me the coach was playing favorites. But I still couldn’t shake feeling completely inept when it came to athletics.
I am 6 feet tall and 130 pounds. Though I don’t have an accurate record, I would say I have been this tall since I was 14. That makes for one very tall seventh grader.
While I know athletes are not built on body structure alone, I wish the coach would have seen some potential in me to grow at the sport.
Eight years later and my confidence in sports is unchanged. I never again tried out for a team, and have spent the entirety of high school and college avoiding physical activity all together.
Somehow I’ve managed to keep thin, but my superhuman metabolism gets to take credit for that one.
After attending this university for four years, I have only visited the Student Activity Center once — to use the hot tub.
I have a legitimate fear of athletics and have always felt like I was missing out on a fundamental life skill. But maybe I was wrong.
According to families.com, there are many benefits to children participating in sports. These include a strong body image for girls, discipline and goal setting, greater academic success and improved motor skills.
Well, I may not be perfect, but I have a strong body image. I hold two jobs and attend school-full time, so I would venture to call myself disciplined. I have been on the Dean’s List my entire college career, so I’ve experienced academic success.
And while my motor skills might not be as developed as an athlete's, I can beat out my boyfriend in "Wii Sports" boxing, and he strives to be a professional mixed-martial arts fighter.
So maybe I’m not as handicapped by an aversion to sports as I thought I was.
I could try to incorporate physical activity into my life for the pure fun of conquering a fear. Maybe tomorrow I’ll even give the SAC a shot.
Maybe.
