Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Enemy

by Susan Sey
When I was in high school, I was an avid athlete. Not gifted, sadly--no sports scholarships for me, much to my father's chagrin--but I was an enthusiastic joiner nonetheless. I loved being part of a team. Loved the routine of practice, the high of competition & the comfort of sharing a loss (or, on rarer occasions, celebrating a win) with comrades.

When I graduated from high school & moved on to college, there wasn't really an avenue for me to continue playing sports. I went to a Big Ten school and didn't have the talent (or the size) to qualify for any of their sports programs. There was the intramural sports option, I guess, but it was expensive, and I was a shy kid. I didn't know nearly enough people to put together a team, & hadn't the first clue how to wangle my way onto an existing one.

So like a lot of young adults, I stopped playing sports. I graduated, traveled, got married, graduated again, had babies. I didn't have time to miss it for several years there. But recently I got an invitation I couldn't refuse.

Kickball.

Yep, kickball. Like third graders play. On the play ground. With a red rubber bouncy ball. My husband and I were invited to join a summer kickball league for adults, & we accepted. I thought, sure. I'll play. It's kickball, right? It's ridiculous. Too ridiculous to be taken seriously. It'll be a fun way to get to know other post-sporty people & enjoy the summer.

And then I played. And it was fun. It is fun. Kicking the crap out of one of those red rubber balls is just as satisfying as it always was. But I was startled to find it was more than just fun. It was also surprisingly...cathartic.

Because team sports provide something far more important than exercise & camaraderie. They provide an outlet. For what, you ask? For all the aggression & anger produced by dealing with normal life. Life is so often frustrating & unwieldy & disappointing. Sometimes I swear people (cashiers, my children, other drivers) thwart me just for the heck of it.

But I, unlike my two year old, am not allowed to pitch a fit in the produce aisle & get it out of my system. No, I have to shove it aside, smile through my teeth & make nice anyway, because that's what grownups do.

The exception to this, I've discovered, is sports.

Not that we allow or condone poor sportsmanship. We don't cheat or yell, hurt one another or behave at all unpleasantly on the field. But for the space of one hour, we are free to hate the people on the other team.

Okay, hate is too strong a word. But for the space of that game, those people are the enemy. The other. It's us against them & we get to try like hell to beat them silly. It's harmless, it's all in fun but it's also deeply satisfying. To be part of an US that's united in an effort to conquer THEM. It speaks to a deeply rooted human drive to belong & to triumph, I think. A drive that's often out of place in a modern world where battles are fought via keyboards & soundbites.

Kickball gave me an outlet to indulge that primal urge without suffering any real world consequences, & it's been good for me. I'm happier, more relaxed, & aside from barking my shin during an accidental slide into second, pretty healthy, too. I'm already dreading the end of the season because it means another long, dark winter full of things that want to thwart me (balky car engines, slick highways, children who resist mittens) with no social appropriate outlet for my anger.

Thank god we've been asked to join the dodgeball team.

So how about you? Did you ever give up something you loved, only to rediscover it later in life? When it comes to sports, are you a player or a fan? Or are sports just not your thing, & you have other ways to deal with life's little frustrations? Let's hear about them!

53 comments:

Linda Henderson said...

First ?

Linda Henderson said...

I've never been a player but my youngest daughter played soccer, basketball and ran track. Reading takes my mind off my problems and frustrations.

Anna Campbell said...

Oh, man, Linda, you JUST beat me!!!! I saw zero comments and snuck in but some cunning person beat me. Congratulations!

Susan, what a great post. Actually something that's fallen by the wayside for me is something that really was an outlet. And that's playing the piano. You wouldn't believe how cathartic it is to thump the h*ll out of some poor, innocent piece. You made me think I should take it up again! See, SS, you're an inspiration! Glad you're having such a great time at the kickball!

Christine Wells said...

Susan, great post and I LOVE the punchline about dodgeball. Snork!

I have no idea how you play kickball but it sounds like a lot of fun. I played touch football while I was working (like Rugby only you tag people rather than tackle them). You have to be ultra fit to play that game and for a while I was. Then it became too competitive to be fun for me any more and I stopped and became the lardass you see today. However, recently I've taken Kirsten's advice and started yoga and it makes me feel fabulous and energized in only 20 minutes. I find that really cathartic, even if it's not as aggressive as dodgeball!

Anonymous said...

I HATE sports, truly hate it. On the other end I love watching it on TV. That's strange I know. My favorite sports : Football and Hockey (but that's maybe because I've read too many Jock romances ;-).

Tawny said...

I am a total klutz. I could give lessons to other klutz's in the art of falling down. I've NEVER been into sports. I do, however, exercise as a goal oriented punishment... I mean, turn to exercise to lose and/or (depending on the time of my life) control weight. I did give it up, gained mucho pounds and am now finding the the joy (aka, lying to myself) of exercise once again :-D

Jane said...

Congrats on the GR, Linda.

Hi Susan,
I remember playing dodgeball. It was a brutal game. I played a little softball in elementary school. I'm not much of a player, but I'm a big sports fan. I share a love of hockey with Anna, but we're crosstown rivals. I also love baseball and watch a little soccer and football.

Helen said...

Congrats Linda is this your first time with him enjoy

Susan I agree a great post I have never been into sports I have always loved reading although I did do a lot of Ice Skating in my teenage years that is where I met my Hubby although I don't think I could do it anymore LOL.

I am though a very big armchair sports fan I love watching cricket and football on TV if that counts.

Have Fun
Helen

Lynz Pickles said...

Sports? Me? Do anything other than watch? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO.

In other words, I'm a total [hockey] fan and about as far from being a player as is humanly possible. But I make a mean bowl of popcorn, and isn't that what really matters?

Anna totally stole my rediscovery! I quit piano for quite some time and thought I'd never really play again, only to start again about a year and a half ago. There's something so amazing about finally getting a piece down... and yes, it's also fun to pound when you're grumpy. LOTS of fun. :)

One thing I'm glad I never rediscovered? Up until I was six, I had a special sandwich I loved: crab apple jelly and mayonnaise on untoasted English muffin. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? Well, for some reason, it did sound delicious to young Lynz. *shudder* I'm so glad those days are in the past, where they belong.

Beth Andrews said...

Susan, we all love kickball here! It used to be the kids' number one fun activity to do as a family *g* Wonder if I could convince the almost-eighteen-year-old to join us for a game?

I love sports - both playing and watching - but the only sport I played when I was younger was softball.

Fo, I rediscovered the joy in playing the piano a few years ago and then stopped again. I need to pick it back up (the playing part, not the actual piano *g*). I also haven't made any bead jewelry in a year and lately I've found myself searching out ideas and wanting to order supplies.

String pretty beads together is very relaxing ;-)

Linda Henderson said...

Since I am new to this blog I really have no idea what the significance of being first to reply is all about. I just noticed that everyone referred to it. So yes, it's my first time.

Anna Sugden said...

Wow - what an enlightening post, Susan.

Maybe this explains my love of watching sports (especially live!). And my fan-girl behaviour about my fave teams and players ... and about our rivals (sorry, Jane *g*). And why I miss it so much when I can't go (and why watching on TV isn't the same as being there!)

I'm not a great sports player - never really good enough or fit enough (or, truthfully, dedicated enough) to play beyond school.

But, I've always enjoyed going along to games and shouting, cheering, chanting (except these days when the chants are too rude). Just ask the people who sit in front of me! LOL

My favourites are hockey (shocking, I know!), football (or soccer) and American football. Baseball is okay if you're there in person, but it can be too slow otherwise.

Anna Sugden said...

PS All is nearly right with the world as hockey season is about to start again! Happy sigh.

Claudia Dain said...

What a great story! My daughter planned to join a kickball team and let the chance pass. I'm sending her here to read your story and get inspired.

I gave up writing. Yup. Way back when I was just a kid. I wanted to be a writer and my mom talked me out of it. I found my way back to it, lo these many years later.

Kirsten said...

Susan, I am afraid I don't quite get the whole sports thing -- never have. The only team I played on in school was the swim team, and even then I liked the practices more than the meets. Exercise to me seemed like what Tawny described: self-imposed punishment to ward off middle-aged spread.

But then yoga came along, and I think it does for me what your kickball does for you. It gives me an outlet to match up my mind and my body. It forces me to take some time to quiet my mind and let things be. It's soothing in a way I can't really describe.

Kirsten said...

Christine!! You didn't tell me you'd tried the yoga! Way to go! I hope you're enjoying it. :-)

Susan Sey said...

Linda! You got the GR! Talk about a guy who knows how to deal with life's frustrations! Good luck keeping him in line!

Susan Sey said...

Linda, I also meant to say that reading is one of my very favorite forms of escapism, too. When I really want to shout inappropriate things, though, I find it doesn't quite do the trick. Or maybe I'm just not reading the right books. Suggestions??

Susan Sey said...

Anna Campbell wrote: You wouldn't believe how cathartic it is to thump the h*ll out of some poor, innocent piece. You made me think I should take it up again!

Good morning, Anna! You should definitely take it up again! I didn't understand how hard real pianists bang those keys until I was at a friend's house who teaches piano. My child was thumping on her piano & I rushed to snatched her off what I thought was a fragile instrument. My friend laughed & said, "That thing is designed to withstand concert play. Your two year old can't do a thing to it."

So I bet it would be a great release to really, really play the heck out of something. :-)

Susan Sey said...

Christine wrote: Then it became too competitive to be fun for me any more and I stopped and became the lardass you see today.

Oh, Christine, you make me laugh. And I don't think people look at you & think, "Sheesh, what a lardass." But I understand what it feels like to go from being decently fit to walking up the stairs & thinking, "Yikes, I'm out of breath." I highly recommend play ground sports to get your groove back. Fun, cheap, & very, very funny.

Joan said...

Dodgeball? With my litte Smoov the target?

I'm on the next plane to MN to swathe you in knee pads, helmet, shoulder pads, kevlar vest, force field.

My affinity for sports got side lined by two childhood incidents. Playing neighborhood touch football and being on the bottom of a pile of kids where I knew I was being suffocated and when I was too YOUNG to appreciate that there were boys in that pile :-)

The second was playing softball. Brother's up to bat, I'm pitching and he line drives that HUGE ball right into my nose!!!

Ouch.

Susan Sey said...

Emannuell wrote: I HATE sports, truly hate it. On the other end I love watching it on TV.

That IS funny, because I'm the opposite. I love to play about any sport you could suggest, but I despise televised sports. I think maybe it's because they take so long. Seriously, three hours for one stinkin' game of football?

On the other hand, my husband had both our kids shouting "GO BIG RED" during Huskers games by the time they could talk. I might not be as powerful an influence around here as I previously thought. :-)

Susan Sey said...

Tawny wrote: I could give lessons to other klutz's in the art of falling down.

Ha! I didn't say I don't fall down a lot. :-) In fact, I may have mentioned that "accidental" slide into second that left me with a shin full of scabs. I was being polite--I just sort of tripped. That's the great thing about kickball--there's a lot of standing around & chatting, but there's also an unexpected amount of exercise involved. Sprinting around the bases--even when you inevitably get tagged out or (more likely) fall down--has to be worth something, fitness wise.

Susan Sey said...

Jane wrote: I remember playing dodgeball. It was a brutal game.

And it continues to be. :-)

It doesn't help that we're all in our mid-to-late thirties, playing against blood thirsty college kids. We trooped into the gym last week with all our various children for our first game & overheard the opposing team say, "Geez, it's like they brought their own kindergarten class." That's how old we are. We have CHILDREN.

I suppose we were lucky they didn't mistake us for the players' parents. :-)

Susan Sey said...

Helen wrote: I did do a lot of Ice Skating in my teenage years that is where I met my Hubby

Hey, Helen, that sounds like a story right there. How exactly did you & your husband meet while ice skating? I'm picturing a meet-cute where he barreled into you, righted you, looked into your eyes, then fell in love. And then realized you were standing next to your fiance or something.

Hmmm. Do you think I'm a romance novelist? :-)

Susan Sey said...

Lynz wrote: One thing I'm glad I never rediscovered? Up until I was six, I had a special sandwich I loved: crab apple jelly and mayonnaise on untoasted English muffin.

Hmmm. Well, I won't say it sounds delicious, but I am not one to scoff at another's comfort food. Children are particularly incomprehensible. My own baffle me daily. My eldest is ridiculously picky eater, & refuses to touch anything that may or may not have come into contact with sauce of any kind. She will, however, happily eat a bowl full of edamame beans, squirting them out of their fuzzy little shells.

So to each her own. And if make a mean bowl of popcorn, all is forgiven. :-) I do love popcorn.

Susan Sey said...

Beth wrote: String pretty beads together is very relaxing ;-)

Oh, Beth, I'm so glad somebody mentioned the restorative powers of doing something relatively mindless with your hands. I used to love knitting. I could knit for hours in front of the TV or while chatting with other moms. And when I was done, I had a big ol' afghan to give away for Christman. I miss being crafty. Having a house full of little ones is NOT conducive to keeping yarn on needles.

Someday, though, I'll get back to it. In the meanwhile, could string some pretty beads together on my behalf, will you?

Susan Sey said...

Linda wrote: Since I am new to this blog I really have no idea what the significance of being first to reply is all about.

I can't remember how it started, but somehow we began congratulating the first poster every morning. And then we started being impressed with how early people would get up to BE the first commenter. And one time somebody mentioned that the first commenter had won the Golden Rooster--cock crowing at dawn & all that. It just sort of snowballed from there, & now we have this ladies' man of a rooster who may or may not be a super spy who spends a wild day with our first commenter of the day.

The Golden Rooster (or Coq d'Or, as he sometimes refers to himself) is a wily one, & a charming rogue. Be on your guard. :-)

Susan Sey said...

Anna S. wrote: Maybe this explains my love of watching sports (especially live!). And my fan-girl behaviour about my fave teams and players ... and about our rivals (sorry, Jane *g*). And why I miss it so much when I can't go (and why watching on TV isn't the same as being there!)


Exactly! I've been nursing this theory for some time but have never been able to put my finger on it exactly. As a sports player but not watcher, I've never understood how people...okay, how women in particular...could get so wildly invested in watching sports on TV or in person that they themselves have never played & may only partially understand.

**DISCLAIMER**I am in no way implying that women don't understand sports. I have simply investigated informally (by asking certain rabid female fans of my acquaintance to explain different baffling aspects of football to me) & discovered that many of them are really in it mainly for the yelling, the tailgating, the beer & the camaraderie. They understand what's going on to a degree, but not to the depth I would expect of somebody who paints her face to match the team & screams herself hoarse at uncooperative officals.

So anyway, once I stumbled on the idea that it may be a socially appropriate form of releasing aggression, it all began to make a great deal more sense. There are many fans who understand every little particular of the game, of course. But there are also fans--men & women--whose understanding lags somewhat behind their fanship. They just need a place where it's okay to drink beer & dislike the guys wearing the wrong color.

And that's just fine with me.

Susan Sey said...

Claudia wrote: I gave up writing. Yup. Way back when I was just a kid. I wanted to be a writer and my mom talked me out of it. I found my way back to it, lo these many years later.

And we're all so happy you did.

:-)

And do tell your daughter for me that kickball rocks. She should definitely give it a try.

Susan Sey said...

Kirsten wrote: But then yoga came along, and I think it does for me what your kickball does for you. It gives me an outlet to match up my mind and my body. It forces me to take some time to quiet my mind and let things be. It's soothing in a way I can't really describe.

I so wish I liked yoga. Everybody who does it routinely talks about it just that way, & I could use some of that peace & quiet in my head. Maybe kicking the crap out of that red rubber ball is great for my energy level but not so good for inner peace. I don't know. Maybe I'll try pilates. Do you do pilates? Is it actual yoga, or just yoga like?

Susan Sey said...

Joanie wrote: Brother's up to bat, I'm pitching and he line drives that HUGE ball right into my nose!!!


Oh, Joanie, OUCH! People don't give softball the credit it deserves for the dangerous sport it is! I played on my church softball team for a while & got my lip split open my a grounder that took a bad hop. Or that's what I tell myself. I suspect I'm just bad at fielding grounders.

Anyway, I now only partake in sports where the balls can't hurt me. Like dodgeball--foam rubber, nerfy like things that bounce harmlessly off my head & yet can be thrown satisfyingly hard.

No helmet necessary. :-) Though you could still fly to MN for a game. I'd be thrilled with a visit...

jo robertson said...

Entertaining and thought-provoking post, Susan. Great reading!

Linda, a big whooooopt to you.

Like Linda, reading is my escape clause, Susan, but there is something terribly satisfying about being physical.

I'm not much of a sports person, but I do love to run, uh make that walk very fast. I love when my endorphins kick in about 10 minutes later and I feel like I could go forever.

Susan Sey said...

Jo wrote: I'm not much of a sports person, but I do love to run, uh make that walk very fast. I love when my endorphins kick in about 10 minutes later and I feel like I could go forever.

Oh, man, do I envy that endorphin kick. I've been running for years--seriously, like since I was ten--and I have never once experienced a runner's high. *sigh*

Back to the kickball field for me, I guess. :)

Cassondra said...

Oh, dear Susan, I think you may have just answered my whole question, which never got answered way last year when I asked what it was about sports, and why I should be a fan. I could not figure out why people got all excited about it if they've never played it.

Various theories were stated here by commenters, but none answered my questions as clearly as yours. I think someone did mention the whole "needing a team to identify with in the modern battle without swords and clubs" thing, and that sounded the most logical.

But I think you have hit the proverbial nail squarely. We get to hate the other team all in good fun and still be okay people because everyone shakes hands at the end.

As to kickball, I remember not knowing the rules, getting picked last, and not knowing when to run. I could kick the ball, I was not uncoordinated, but nobody ever explained the rules. They just expected you to "know". :0/

As to dodgeball. It was brutal. The only broken bone I've ever had was due to a mean boy shoving me down on the gym floor during dodgeball. And the ball was a soccer-type ball, and the guys threw it HARD and baby, it burned when it hit you.

I was just not aggressive enough to be good at ball-oriented sports. I can shoot pool with the best of them though. And is poker a sport?

So I guess the whole team-sport thing is lost on me. Getting picked last for any team does that, I guess. :0( I have wished, recently, that I had an adult women's soccer team to join, as I think it must be fun and a great form of exercise. All those hot Central American Soccer players look like they're in GREAT shape.

Hellie Sinclair said...

I'm not into team sports. Oh, I'm competitive--I can be a blood thirsty little soul, but I was usually the one gang-banged in dodgeball, and I've never appreciated being singled out for elimination just because of my looks. And lack of coordination.

But I did get into kickboxing at the gym--not as a sport competitively--just against myself and seeing myself improve over the weeks as we beat the hell out of bags and do the same kicks over and over.

And I've learned to do BodyPump and Step...and yoga...and now our instructor is leaving, so now I'll either have to learn with someone new or figure out something new to learn that I never thought I could do. I suck at running; I thought I might take the up next and maybe work towards doing a 5K.

Me versus Nature. That's enough of an Us vs Them to sustain me, I think, and running will wear me the hell out. *LOL*

Susan Sey said...

Cassondra wrote: I could kick the ball, I was not uncoordinated, but nobody ever explained the rules. They just expected you to "know". :0/

Ha, I know! It's still like that! When we joined this league, they actually sent out a list of rules so we could refamiliarize ourselves with them. I'm telling you, it was obvious that a bunch of 3rd graders came up with this stuff. There's actually a rule called "No Cheese." After much parsing of the language, I came to understand this as similar to the infield fly rule (I think) in which you're not allowed to set yourself up for a double play by deliberately failing to catch a catchable ball on the fly.

I think.

Why they call that "cheese" is beyond me. And the possibility of my considering this as a viable option, then strategizing to accomplish it, all in the three seconds between the ball being kicked & my scrambling to catch it?

Yeah. Maybe some people play kickball on this level. I am in no danger of cheese.

Susan Sey said...

Mshellion wrote: Me versus Nature. That's enough of an Us vs Them to sustain me, I think, and running will wear me the hell out. *LOL*

Amen, sister. Some days I turn up for kickball and/or dodgeball already worn out from a run or a workout or just chasing my kids & think, "Really? I'm going to do this tonight?"

But then I get into the spirit of the thing. And having an actual person upon which to focus my daily, garden-variety rage? Somehow I find the energy. :-)

Hellie Sinclair said...

*snorts* Susan, you remind me of my friend Pam. She looks sweet, but inside she's a towering wall of rage. Her idea of relaxing driving music is Korn. I honestly don't know how it doesn't manage to make her more pissed off. *LOL*

She'd probably love dodgeball and kickball.

Anna Sugden said...

Duh! I forgot to mention, one of the reasons I loved Fitness Boxing was the release it gave me! Boy, did my trainer work me hard. So much concentration to get the punches and footwork right!

But, you know, I always had my best day's writing after a boxing session!

*sigh* Hitting my punchbag isn't the same.

Donna MacMeans said...

Yay Linda - You rooted the rooster right out from Anna (grin). Congrats on claiming the wiley beast.

I abandoned writing for a marriage, kids and an accounting career - but I rediscovered it late in life. It's the rediscovery that counts. I'd be miserable if I never took the chance to write again saying (to myself) that it was too late to try something new. One must follow one's heart.

I do aerobics to relieve stress - no hating the other team in that - but the physical release is good.

Kate Carlisle said...

LOL......I'm still LMAO at Madame Christine's "lardass" comment. Right there with ya, Sparky!! LOL

Good grief, Susan, I admire you! Sort of. *g* I just know I would end up in intensive care if I joined a kickball team at this point in my life. I have a friend who's been playing all summer and their league just started their fall season. My girlfriend's team has a perfect record - NO WINS! But they're definitely the cutest team, so who cares about winning, right? ;-)

Lardass.....LOLOL......

Congrats, Linda!! The GR loves a good kickball game. :-)

catslady said...

I never got to play sports when in school - my parents thought every thing should go into homework. I play bocce and darts now lol. Not very physical but I do love competition and play lots of board or card games and oh, yes, the Wii!

Susan Sey said...

MsHellion wrote: Her idea of relaxing driving music is Korn.

Yikes. She *definitely* needs to look into a kickball league. You might want to point her carefully in that direction. :-)

Susan Sey said...

Anna S wrote: But, you know, I always had my best day's writing after a boxing session!



Interesting! All that punching & kicking cleared out the junk & let you get right at the heart of your story, huh? I'll have to try writing after a workout...

Susan Sey said...

Donna wrote: It's the rediscovery that counts.

This is so insightful, Donna. I think it's the same brand of courage that allows us to get a blistering rejection letter, pull it together & try again. There's no shame in letting go of something. The shame is in being too afraid to try something again if you loved it.

Susan Sey said...

Kate wrote: My girlfriend's team has a perfect record - NO WINS! But they're definitely the cutest team, so who cares about winning, right? ;-)


Winning is definitely not on my radar, LOL! My oldest sister founded the women's soccer team at our high school, & it wasn't until my senior year (nearly 8 years later) that we managed to so much as tie a game.

Clearly I'm not in it for the victory. I just like to sweat for fun. And look all squinty eyed & mean at the people wearing the wrong color shirt for a while. :)

Susan Sey said...

catslady wrote: I never got to play sports when in school - my parents thought every thing should go into homework.

Oh, that's too bad! One of the greatest gifts my parents gave us, IMO, was a culture of physical activity & fun. We played tennis the whole time I was growing up & they're both still avid players. They golf, too, & play lots of card & board games. Games = fun for my family, which is probably why I even considering playing kickball at my age. :-)

pjpuppymom said...

Great blog, Susan! I love sports! Really love them. It's a darn shame that I'm not coordinated enough to play them. lol! My dad started taking me to college football games when I was about two so I've grown up being a huge (American) football fan. I was probably about 12 when I discovered hockey. The fact that my college boyfriend was a hockey player just cemented the deal. ;)

I've tried playing organized sports (softball) but ended up being rotated from position to position because, let's face it, I sucked at all of them. But, hey, at least I tried! lol

I've never played dodgeball or kickball. In fact, I've never seen anybody else play them either. I wouldn't have the first idea of how to go about it.

Susan, I didn't know you were a Big Ten girl. Me too!

Susan Sey said...

PJ wrote: Susan, I didn't know you were a Big Ten girl. Me too!

Okay, you know how I said I wasn't into televised sports? I only play, I don't watch? When I was writing this blog, I had to ask my husband, "Is the University of Michigan a big ten school?" I couldn't remember.

When he stopped laughing at me, he informed me that yes. Yes, it is. It was when I went there & it continues to be.

Like I was supposed to know that some fifteen years after graduation.

Huh.

I do understand we're supposed to be bitter rivals with Ohio State, though. You're not an OSU grad, are you? (Not that it would matter to me, but I'd feel sad if you were obliged to dislike me based on your collegiate affiliation.)

pjpuppymom said...

You're not an OSU grad, are you? (Not that it would matter to me, but I'd feel sad if you were obliged to dislike me based on your collegiate affiliation.)


LOL! No, I'm not Ohio State. I'm from the other bitter rival, Michigan State. But, if it helps, my dad was a Michigan grad so at least I have the Maize and Blue in the family. (grin)

Fedora said...

Susan, I'm not much of a sporty type--sports unfortunately tends to remind me of all those horrible PE experiences (chosen last, hit by balls, all manner of other incompetence... ;)) I like the *idea* of sports, but haven't found the one that clicks with me yet. Maybe I've got to give some another try!

I *do* love dance--taking a ballet class will still relax me in a way that other things don't. That, or a good walk :)

Congrats on the GR, Linda!

Ammi said...

Do you remember the version of dodgeball we used to play with multiple balls at the OEC? You may have inspired me to get off my rear and start doing SOMETHING again. Time to go research...