Friday OT #1 - When I was a kid...

[jbindm]

Not much up until middle school. We lived on a farm about 12 miles outside of town, so transportation or lack thereof made any extracurricular activities kind of difficult. I did start playing organized basketball around fifth grade and kept at it through college. Tried football in junior high and quit after two years. I just didn't have the build for it; too tall and skinny. The coaches tried me at OL/DL (LOL), safety, and TE before we all mutually agreed that it was best that I walk away. I sang horribly for the high school choir and half assed my way through some speech/improv stuff.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Ha, all of you Renaissance people. I guess I was a Medieval Man, not really good or involved in much of anything. Got in touch with my inner sloth in HS. Thumb through my HS year books and it's just golf, a little cross country and the sound/light tech nerd for all for the school plays. Good kid, boring kid.

 

[ISU85]

When I was a kid ...

We had to hunt Pokemon the old fashioned way - with a shotgun, not a phone.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

When I was a kid ...

We had to hunt Pokemon the old fashioned way - with a shotgun, not a phone.

And then did you eat them, too?

 

[55dB]

I took dance lessons from third grade through 11th grade, I still like to dance and am drawn to games like Just dance to play in my free time, and I also really liked taking hip hop workout classes...but haven't done that in nearly a decade.

I played rec softball for pretty much the same span of time, I wish that I could get organized next summer and get a softball team together, because I enjoyed that.

I played soccer/tennis in high school....don't do anything with either of those activities in my adult life. Soccer just reminded me of how much I really really hate running.

I was in band from 4th grade-sophomore year, played the flute. I quit because I hated marching band and my high school required it to be in band.

I did a lot of clubs like french club/science club/yearbook, but was most active in DECA. I went to nationals my junior and senior year of high school, and that led me in the direction of marketing. Which is what my degree ended up being in.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Ha, all of you Renaissance people. I guess I was a Medieval Man, not really good or involved in much of anything. Got in touch with my inner sloth in HS. Thumb through my HS year books and it's just golf, a little cross country and the sound/light tech nerd for all for the school plays. Good kid, boring kid.

I did the makeup for most of the theatrical stuff...we would have been backstage buddies.

 

[cloneswereall]

My parents are teachers and coaches, so a majority of my extra curricular activities are sports related. When I was in elementary school, I was always at the HS football games and wrestling matches "helping out". I did play trumpet in middle school, but quit doing that once I was told that if I wanted to be in band, I had to do marching band (conflicted with football). I did model UN either 1 or 2 years in high school because we got some days off to go to UNI's campus (Djibouti was my country, and we unsuccessfully tried to instigate nuclear warfare the entire time).

Played baseball until sophomore year, wrestled from 4th-8th and Junior/Senior year of HS, football all through middle school and HS, threw in track for 3 years in high school. Only way I've tried to pursue them after high school is through coaching.

 

[madguy30]

Played Tball and fast pitch (baseball) in elementary/early middle school, then was football, basketball, track and baseball in high school. It was a small school so being remotely athletic got you out on the field. Went to football practice for two years in college and hung up the shoulder pads for many reasons outside the fact that my chances to play even small school D3 ball were minimal.

I also wrestled in middle school, but chose basketball due to more enjoyment although I may have been a decent wrestler.

T-ball and fast pitch stick out...and a lot of us in the area played baseball in one another's yards.

I guess now they have other sports readily available including football starting in 5th grade, which I think is over the top.

Otherwise did a bit of farm work including detailing in high school.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

I did the makeup for most of the theatrical stuff...we would have been backstage buddies.

I was in plays and the annual variety shows, but mostly played in the pit band for musicals. I did like the makeup part though.

 

[carvers4math]

School related, did cross country, basketball, tennis, softball, band, choir and madrigal, yearbook and newspaper staff.
Church related, lector and choir.
Work related, wrote school and sports articles for local paper, worked as lifeguard.
Just for fun, lots of fishing, hiking, camping. Lived outside in summer.

I still swim and play tennis a lot, and participate in community choir and band and church choir. Still spend a lot of time outdoors.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Loved almost all sports, but only went out for 7th grade football. So many kids out that no one really got a good look.

Had coaches ask me to play basketball after I grew a foot, but by that time I felt like I was behind the curve in knowing plays. Wish I would have tried anyway.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I forgot, I was also a member of the junior polar bear club. My mom called it swimming lessons at 7 AM, but I knew better.

 

[NickTheGreat]

My K12 school was about 300 so we all did everything. 4H/FFA, all 4 sports, band, speech contests, etc. Heck, sometimes the football players would go play in the marching band at halftime. :twitcy:

I stuck through most of it into high school mainly because there wouldn't have been another alternative.

It sounds weird on a sports site, but I feel now as an adult that the sports benefited me the least of all. I mean, band teaches how to read music, determine pitch, have rhythm, etc. Speech taught you how to speak to groups, and properly communicate to other humans. I guess once I become President I'll be able to throw out the first pitch without looking like a girl. And playing catch with a FB at tailgates I can really bomb it. :twitcy:

 

[BCClone]

Baseball until junior high. All the way from start to finish I was in football, basketball, FFA, 4H,band, student government, and I'm sure a couple others I forgot.

 

[demoncore1031]

I just played basketball and baseball in school and that'd pretty much it. Didn't start playing guitar until after high school. Sports and partying was all I did in those days. Gotta keep your kid involved in activities. Too many kids just want to sit on *** and play video games all day long. My son is taking guitar lessons and it has been great for him. I'm hoping he will get into sports and start playing, but that seems like a long shot.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Right around that transition between middle and high school I did more. Football, basketball, track for sports and was in choir. By the time junior year rolled around, football was all I focused on. I suppose you could throw in newspaper and yearbook, but all of that work was accomplished during the regular class time, so it wasn't really extracurricular. Couple of offers from small division III schools for football, but blew my knee out twice in high school and figured it wasn't worth the risk for small time college ball (I actually kind of regret the decision, but I also wouldn't have my time at ISU if I did it). Majored in journalism, so obviously I still did the newspaper thing in college, but then that ended after I graduated, got offered a job for 16k a year and had 25k in student loan debt and figured I needed to get into a more lucrative field. I actually use my emphasis in sociology significantly more at work now than I ever do my major of journalism.

 

[bringmagicback]

continue piano, quit tball.

 

[kentkel]

Grew up on the farm & that kept me pretty busy. I got involved in Cub Scouts and Little League early on. My friends and I would often get together just to play football, basketball or some other sport - no parental organization of the activity - we played just for the fun of it (we did this even into our HS years). I entered HS and, since it was a small school which needed bodies for all the activities it offered, I became quite involved. Plays, musicals, speech (state and All-State), band & jazz band, choir, FFA officer, tennis and basketball and two years of football - (I was a statistician the final two years). I enjoyed my experiences and, best of all, my parents were supportive but NOT pushy. There was some natural peer pressure to be involved, but ultimately I feel good about the choices of activities I pursued.