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

[Angie]

My daughter has both a piano recital and a T-ball game in the course of two hours this afternoon, and we have been trying to decide if she is going to keep going forward with those activities, or start new ones. It made me start thinking. What types of activities/sports/clubs were you involved in when you were in elementary, middle, high school? How many of those have you continued to pursue as an adult? Why did you continue to pursue them - from the enjoyment, because it was beneficial to your career?

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I was involved in pretty much everything in middle and high school. I played sports in middle school, but for health reasons (cancer), I had to stop by about 9th grade - so I threw myself into everything I could that wasn't sports-related. I tied for a school record in individual speech contests, was in musicals and plays, in 4-H and church groups, Spanish club, yearbook editor, etc.

I've continued public speaking because I really enjoy it, and because it's a great skill to have in pretty much any career. I've been in a couple of community productions, but nothing recently at all (like, 12 years ago at most recent). I had really enjoyed taking photos and developing them in the darkroom as yearbook editor, and so I picked that back up and made a side business out of it.

How about you?

 

[wxman1]

Too much everything. A couple of sports along with band, choir, show choir, jazz band, contest speech, and the announcements which we did as a TV broadcast. There would be days where I was at school from 6 AM to 9 or 10 at night. I loved most of it but was clearly getting burned out and my parents didn't push me to narrow it down. Thus my grades suffered.

I do wonder if this has any impact on how I am not a big fan of my wife and I being involved in a lot now as adults.

 

[MeanDean]

- Cub Scouts - Dropped out when nothing was available to earn badges
- 4 H - Raised swine. Barely did my project book. Didn't show in Fair, but did make some $$$.
- Band - Cornet. Quit in 8th grade. Band was uncool and played uncool songs. I did get to perform once as a solo in a school recital in 6th grade. The teacher was surprised I learned the song. If I want to do something I will work on it until I master it.
- Basketball - Quit after Sophomore year when it was abundantly clear I wouldn't ever play meaningful minutes.
- Church - Stayed active in church activities up until about 10 years ago.
- Baseball - Didn't have elementary or Jr High baseball (except softball little league). Tried out for baseball summer of Freshman year, but we lived 6 miles from town and had no way to get to practices so had to quit.

Basically, I'm a quitter!!

Edit - Forgot I was in Speech Competition in HS. Went to regional and did well. Went to State and did ok.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

High School had 500+ in the graduating classes. You had to be super good at sports to be on a team, given the fact that there were VERY limited sports options for females in my area. Title IX wasn't implemented until my senior year, so our options were tennis & gymnastics (I wasn't in Iowa then). I did some gymnastics in junior high (beam & floor ex) but I wasn't anywhere near good enough to make the team in high school.

I started singing in choirs when I was three because my mother directed the children's choir at church, and it was cheaper than getting a sitter. I've stayed pretty much involved with vocal music my entire life. I chose not to make a career of it because it wasn't the kind of life I wanted (I wanted kids & a family lifestyle) For quite a while I was one of the "on call" paid vocalists for a local funeral home (for families who wanted vocal music but didn't know any singers to ask), so I guess you could say I've sung professionally. All things considered, I much preferred singing for weddings! I've lost my range with age, but I still crank up the radio & beller along if a good song comes on.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I was extremely active in 4-H in Jersey (yes folks) for 9 years; played clarinet and sax through HS; active in church youth group through HS. I still volunteer with 4-H here in Iowa.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Sports: I played baseball until high school, played 2 years of basketball in junior high, ran cross country and golfed in high school.

Non-sports: I was in band (trumpet) in grade school and junior high. I was in student council my senior year. I was in speech from junior high throughout high school. For speech I was actually the first student from our school to go in the "improv" category (I can't remember what it was called anymore, but they gave you 2 characters, a setting, and some scenario, and you had 15 or 30 minutes to put together a speech)

With growing up on a farm, my mornings before school and evenings after school were for chores. I was pretty fortunate to get to do as much as I did. My older sibs didn't have the same luxury. My dad started scaling down the farrowing operations on the farm as his "help" graduated high school and left for college.

I think there were benefits to everything I did. I think it's important to be part of a team as a child. Speech was good for confidence and learning public speaking. Individual sports also help you push yourself since it's just you out there. And band, even the limited amount I had, helped me develop an appreciation for music.

 

[MeanDean]

I thought this might be something like "List one or more things about how normal life was different when you were a kid than now - that kids now might not be aware of." Of course Boxster, KC, and I would have the longest lists...

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I thought this might be something like "List one or more things about how normal life was different when you were a kid than now that kids now might not be aware of." Of course Boxster, KC, and I would have the longest lists...

Me too!

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Sports: I played baseball until high school, played 2 years of basketball in junior high, ran cross country and golfed in high school.

Non-sports: I was in band (trumpet) in grade school and junior high. I was in student council my senior year. I was in speech from junior high throughout high school. For speech I was actually the first student from our school to go in the "improv" category (I can't remember what it was called anymore, but they gave you 2 characters, a setting, and some scenario, and you had 15 or 30 minutes to put together a speech)

With growing up on a farm, my mornings before school and evenings after school were for chores. I was pretty fortunate to get to do as much as I did. My older sibs didn't have the same luxury. My dad started scaling down the farrowing operations on the farm as his "help" graduated high school and left for college.

I think there were benefits to everything I did. I think it's important to be part of a team as a child. Speech was good for confidence and learning public speaking. Individual sports also help you push yourself since it's just you out there. And band, even the limited amount I had, helped me develop an appreciation for music.

I really like your conclusions...

 

[MeanDean]

Me too!

Hey Angie, let's do that one sometime!

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Hey Angie, let's do that one sometime!

Hey, Angie - let's NOT!!!

 

[Al_4_State]

Extracurricular was pretty limited. Football was the only thing I did in high school, and I played basketball in junior high in addition to football. I learned how to play piano, then guitar, but that wasn't through school or anything like that.

Outside of that, I was working on the farm. Pretty much started when I was 8-9 years old.

 

[Farnsworth]

Wasn't really that great in sports when I was younger, mainly because my parents were pretty disinterested (I play a lot more now as an adult). But for sports: Basketball (ended Soph year), Tennis (throughout HS), Track (middle school), Baseball (stopped after Middle School).

Only other activity I was in was FBLA, which I was pretty involved with in High School. Best. Conferences. Ever.

 

[cowgirl836]

does farm labor count?

I did start music/piano lessons in about 5th grade but eventually gave up on the piano. Stayed with voice through college. Showed cattle a couple times but family didn't want to get into that. Never did FFA or 4-H because we'd have missed chores. Industry person tried to encourage parents to put us into breed association activities but no-go there either. When I got to college and got involved in activities related to my career, I was pretty far behind the other farm kids who had done all of those things.

Always have wondered how it may have turned out if I'd had 10 years of 4-H experience. But I probably wouldn't have ended up at ISU so it probably worked out.


In my mind, future kids can do a couple things but I don't want to be running around to a gazillion activities.

 

[Alswelk]

In-school extracurriculars: Band (Trumpet) pretty seriously. I practiced ~4 hours a day my senior year of HS. Did marching band all through college (obviously). Choir, swing choir, speech (individual and group). Ran track for 2 years as an 800 runner. Before moving to the little town, I was in orchestra (upright bass) and transitioned to electric bass when my friends got into metal (\m/).

Otherwise, I was in Boy Scouts till I turned 18 (got my Eagle..with 4 days to spare). Did a lot of miscellaneous town-service things for my Eagle project and other guys. Took piano lessons for a little more than a decade. Still play occasionally, but never got beyond brute-force repetition as a means of learning pieces.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

Both my mom and dad were school teachers when I and then my brother were born but I was too young to remember that. Dad - high school ag and my mom - home ec. (I'm dating myself already.) My dad took a teaching job at another school and my mom stopped teaching when they had two more kids. She did substitute occasionally, and for a time I thought I might like to be a teacher. I started 4-H in 4th grade and continued through 11th. We moved just before my sr. year so I didn't want to start over for one year with a new club. Girl scouts as a brownie, then again in another town for about 3 years. I was in band (drums, then clarinet) starting in 5th grade, and took piano lessons for a year or so in JH. Wish I had kept up with that more, now. Was in softball (summer and fall), basketball (most of 7th-12th), golf (two years), speech (individual and group, district and state), national honor society (I know that's not a choice, but I'm sure some of my choices had bearing on the teachers voting process), and some newspaper here and there.

Because my dad taught, then was a principal and then superintendent, I attended five different schools, and three of those were when I was in 9-12 grades. Mostly smaller schools, all in Iowa, and that was a pretty darn good introduction to the real world.

Most of my professional life I've done some type of communications/journalism, but I really didn't think about that as a career when I was a kid. That experience absolutely influenced my adult "extracurricular" activity as I've been involved with 4-H as an adult volunteer, leader and judge for decades, I judge FFA communications and other areas at the state level and am a mentor for ISU's Science With Practice program.

As a kid I grew to really dislike changing schools, but when I got to ISU as a freshman it was reassuring to meet someone from one of our previous rival schools at a dinner exchange or in a class. And as corny as it sounds, I still remember certain things people told me along my growing up journey, and they apply today as well. As long as it's possible, you can choose to do whatever you want. But if it isn't helping you or you aren't going to play much of a role, make the hard choice to stop doing it.

I was never discouraged from trying anything in school or out. But I'll always remember my mom telling me that they (she, her sister and brother) were not allowed to play basketball because that included practice and games after school, and they had to work at home. She did play drums, but band didn't require out-of-school practice time or buying an instrument. I was surprised to learn all that, because I figured everyone was like our family -- you could do and try and play whatever you wanted. Another life lesson that didn't cost me anything, because my mom had already paid the price.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Sports - Played park and rec soccer around 5th grade mainly because I got to play with my best friend at the time. Biggest claim to fame though was getting a red card because we were getting killed and one player from the other side continually verbally rubbed in it so I gave him a piece of my mind with a few profanities mixed in which the ref heard.

Played basketball in 7th and 8th grade and was on the "C" team. Scored 1 basket each season in the last game of the year.

Band - Was given the trombone and never put in the practice and quit within a few weeks.

Cub/Boy Scouts - Got all the badges in Cub Scouts and think I got pretty far in Boy Scout badges but eventually quit.

 

[Kagavi]

Interesting topic. I did the usual variety of extracurriculars from sports to boy scouts, but IMO children are often over scheduled. There's no harm in letting kids try a variety of things to see how they like them, but I think the only thing that should be mandatory is learning multiple languages from an early age, since there are clear tangible benefits career-wise to that.

One of the most valuable things I got to do as a child was to have downtime where I could create, imagine, explore, and play. Visiting the park and going "treasure hunting" along the river, creating movies with Grandpa's VHS camera, making LEGO sets, creating fictional video games and newspapers. Those are the things that stick with me to this day and when Kagavi was created, it was those lessons that I used.

 

[BikeSkiClone]

I was always in a sport as a kid -- started sports around 5 with soccer, t-ball, basketball, etc. and was always in at least one every season. Had bad injuries resulting in various orthopedic surgeries in freshman/sophomore year of HS so laid off of the sports and got really into my FFA stuff. I only signed up for the class my freshman year b/c I didn't want another study hall; FFA was probably the most productive and worthwhile thing I did in HS. I wasn't a farm kid but loved the classes, other students, and my advisors. Did at least one CDE a year -- Conduct, Parli, Chapter Program, Prepared Public, etc. Went to state convention 3 or 4 times, national convention a couple times, DC twice, met people from all over the country who I still talk to regularly 10+ years later. Would love to get involved as a volunteer if (when) I move back to Iowa.

Was in percussion through 7th grade and then quit when I moved to a new school district. Never was in choir. Kinda wish I'd done a wider variety of things, but I was super dedicated to the few things I was in and it seems to be working out.

Edit to add: My parents never required anything. We weren't allowed to quit anything mid-season, but we never had to sign up or join anything. I just happened to be an active kid. One of my brothers was also very active and the other preferred playing computer games, building 3D puzzles, and making incredible K'Nex builds -- he's now an engineer.

 

[NATEizKING]

Soccer since age 3, still play Iowa Games each summer but taking this year off because I hurt my knee last year during it and haven't gotten around to getting it looked at/fixed yet. Two years ago I had elbow bursitis from getting taken out at full speed and landing on my elbow, might be the worst pain I've ever experienced, thinking about retiring.

Basketball played from as young as the Y league starts through freshman year of high school, then played park and rec and my team scrimmaged the girls varsity team.

Hockey from 2nd grade through 8th grade.

Football from 2nd grade through 5th grade.

Track and cross country in 7th grade, until I realized I hate running without a purpose.

I didn't do anything outside of sports, played soccer all year round starting when I was 10 or 11 and that kept me busy enough.