Ageing for an Amateur Athlete
From soccer to pickleball
Athleticism. I was never a good athlete. It was not an emphasis in my house. In fact, it was discouraged.
In my junior year in high school I for some random reason decided to go out for soccer.
First practice some guy said the guy in the blue shirt sucked. That was me, did he not know I was sitting there? Damn if I ever passed to him.
I literally had never played on a team.
I had some good moments. Was reasonably fast and the best player on the team liked my passes.
Then played on a rec team and made the local papers after the other keeper and I had collided to the point I decided and did score on him the third time.
I showed up for a tryout in college. Dumb me had a cigarette pack in my pocket, coach said a few things and I gathered that was not happening. I was working through college, what was I thinking?
But I started an intramural team that made it to the finals. The team did things together, which added to the fun. I honestly don’t remember much about the games except the final.
I found out later that the guy that started the club my son played on played at Georgia State at the same time.
