Friday OT #2 - One Shining Moment

[clonedmax]

I was 15 and playing senior league baseball on an all star team playing to win our district and go on to state. We were ahead by 1 going into the bottom of the last inning and we were in the field. They had runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. I'm playing first and the batter hits a hard line drive over my head. I immediately jumped as high as I could and luckily snagged it. If I wouldn't have caught it, it would probably have been a walk-off win for their team. The next batter struck out and we won and went onto state.

 

[Angie]

Love this story.

And love 6-on-6 basketball! It honestly looks more fun than 5v5 to me. It would get pretty old always playing only defense, or only offense, though.

I loved 6-on-6! I was able to shoot a bit, but wasn't really tall enough to get around people! I think you really had to work the plays more intricately with 6-on-6.

 

[Nader_uggghhh]

Junior year of basketball we were on a fast break and the guy in front of me had the ball. He missed a fingerroll and it came back perfectly over the front of the rim. I jumped clear over his head and went for a 2 hand slam....clanked it right into the rafters. It was nearly the coolest thing I've ever done by a mile.

ln track i also bet a teammate a box of honey buns that I could scissor-kick 5-10 at the conference meet. I made it but our coach about ripped my head off haha.

 

[dosry5]

This makes me think I should have included my 20 minute labor with hospital elevator delivery. That was winning.

Pics or it didn’t happen....

 

[mywayorcyway]

Making a layup in Hilton at Johnny Orr basketball camp when I was in fourth grade was pretty sweet.

I medaled in what basically a snowstorm in high school golf. Shot a 39 on a par 37 course. Next best was a 44. No one wanted to be there for that.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Was a freshman at Iowa State back in 1988. Went to an ISU hockey game, which by the way was a crazy atmosphere. Lots of drinking going on...so much so that the men's room had three lines: a line at the toilet, a line at the urinal, and a line at the sink (not for washing hands).

Between periods, I was somehow selected to go out on center ice for a giveaway contest. Three of us each got one try at shooting the puck through a hole cut in a piece of plywood they had placed in front of the goal. The plywood had three slots.

The other two contestants took their shots (slap shot style) and missed everything. I simply gave the puck a push and it sailed through one of the holes and into the goal.

The announcer said i had won $100. The crowd is chanting something on the order of "Pineclone buys the keg, Pineclone buys the keg!".

The next day i go in to collect my winnings and they tell me that since i had hit the side hole rather than the center hole, i didn't win $100. Instead, they gave me a Coors Light t-shirt and ball cap. I thought it was BS, but I wore that hat every day for the next couple years.

heh - my program number got picked for that too, but I was well past college age at the time (late 30s). My boys talked me into doing it anyway. I did a "slap shot" that bounced off the corner of the center hole, but I didn't see it. My feet went out from under me and I landed on my ass, center ice, in front of all those people.

 

[jcyclonee]

I was pre-title IX in a 3 year high school with 1600 students and two women's sports - gymnastics & tennis. I wasn't anywhere near good enough to participate with that kind of competition for about 30 spots.

Um. Are you forgetting that you were a finalist in the world record setting Twister game?

 

[carvers4math]

Um. Are you forgetting that you were a finalist in the world record setting Twister game?

I’m so old that kids still played hopscotch and jump rope and marbles when I was young. I am guessing KC was jump rope queen with orangutan arms.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Um. Are you forgetting that you were a finalist in the world record setting Twister game?

Actually, yeah! I guess I didn't think of that as a sport - but I DO have that claim to fame. Woot - yay ME!!!

The humongous Twister competition on the campanile lawn during VEISHEA. Hell, what year was that, JC?

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I’m so old that kids still played hopscotch and jump rope and marbles when I was young. I am guessing KC was jump rope queen with orangutan arms.

I did the "boy" stuff at recess. I was killer with marbles, but the teachers made me give back my winnings.

 

[jcyclonee]

Actually, yeah! I guess I didn't think of that as a sport - but I DO have that claim to fame. Woot - yay ME!!!

The humongous Twister competition on the campanile lawn during VEISHEA. Hell, what year was that, JC?

88ish? Remember, I was most likely inebriated.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

88ish? Remember, I was most likely inebriated.

Fair point! I think that may have been what helped me get so far. I was flexible and uninhibited about body contact...and a significant portion of the competition was already three sheets to the wind in the afternoon!

 

[harimad]

I'm 6'3" but never had much in the way of jumping ability... until I went through Army Basic Training.

Basic is just physical training and basic soldier stuff (like running, situps, using a compass, pushups, running, first aid, running, situps, pushups, firing a rifle, and more running.) By the time I got to Advanced Training, where you learn your actual job, I was in the best shape of my life. One weekend I was out playing basketball with some of the others in my platoon, when I threw down a two-handed dunk with a bit of authority. My drill sergeant just happened to be walking by when that happened. He stopped dead in his tracks, and (maybe just to confirm he wasn't hallucinating?) deadpanned "Harimad, you can dunk?" I'm certain this is the only time in the entire four months I was on that base that I managed to impress my drill sergeant.

 

[carvers4math]

I did the "boy" stuff at recess. I was killer with marbles, but the teachers made me give back my winnings.

I was good at hopscotch, marbles, kickball, and four square. But jump rope, was hopeless at even a basic crossover. My boys jump rope in their workouts and are better than I ever was.

Also they made girls wear skirts to school, even in winter, until I was in seventh grade, so I would always put pants or shorts on under the skirt for recess. Damn tyrants!

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I was good at hopscotch, marbles, kickball, and four square. But jump rope, was hopeless at even a basic crossover. My boys jump rope in their workouts and are better than I ever was.

Also they made girls wear skirts to school, even in winter, until I was in seventh grade, so I would always put pants or shorts on under the skirt for recess. Damn tyrants!

Yup. Couldn't wear pants until I was in the 9th grade, and they had to be side or back zip. No "jeans-style" pants allowed.
I'm not any good at jump rope either.

 

[CYCLNST8]

I tackled this dude a couple times in 1996:



Well, tried to tackle him. I met Roger Meyer at the line of scrimmage a couple times and he swatted all 5'6" 120lbs of me like a fly. I'd hold on to his ankles though, as he drug me about ten yards before the rest of my teammates could help bring the big fella down. Central Lyon met Webster City in the playoffs. Wasn't really a fair fight. That jerk took every handoff and made every tackle for their team.

 

[oldman]

I have a couple. When I was in the Navy, our division had a softball team. I played right field. We were on a field without fences, and this monster on the opposing team crushed one in my direction. I turned and started sprinting back as hard as I could go. Reached up and snow-coned the ball in the end of my glove. Miraculously, I kept my footing, turned and one hopped the throw to 1st base (the 1st base runner was almost to 3rd) and got the double play.

In college, I ran with some friends that were fellow rock climbers. We ran up to Devil's Lake state park, near Baraboo, WI. We were attempting a climb called "American Dream," about a 40 ft climb with a five foot roof near the top. I did the climb in two tries, and none of my buddies, all very good climbers, could get past the overhang. The reefer may have helped...

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Mine was in middle school as well. In 7th grade basketball we were divided into 3 teams A Team B Team and C Team. I was a member of C Team. I hadn't scored all season but confidently told my coach I would do as we left for our last game.

I get into the game and end up a fast break situation and get a layup. It was a road game so most of the A and B team guys were still there and they went crazy. My mom had missed this game, so next year in 8th grade she wasn't going to miss a game.

In 8th grade our last game was a home game. Again I hadn't scored a point all year. In the C team game they employ a running clock which wasn't setting well with my mom so she went to complain and while she did that I got in and scored a basket. She remarked as she went to her seat with the others moms that they gave her a look like "You missed it again" I still joke that maybe had she missed more games maybe my basketball career would have taken off.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I won an intramural shirt for co-ed 6v6 sand volleyball my freshman year. Worship me !!!

Otherwise, I was just 'good to above average' in about any sport I played. I would never get picked first, but I was usually one of the first picked.

If I were to register myself as a decathlete, my sports card would have stats like:

- dunked a volleyball once
- missed a hole-in-one by 4 inches
- spiked a volleyball around a double block and inside the 10 foot line at the rec center
- in 8th grade, got an opposing player to curse at me by running him through roughly 13 screens on one play
- good at ping pong, but constantly terrible at beer pong
- ran the table twice in a row playing 9-ball
- deceptively fast
- set the class record for sit-ups during the presidential fitness test during junior year
- bowled a 267 once, despite never breaking 180 ever before (this happened a few months ago)
- dodgeball monster in high school, once rallied to win while being outnumbered 8 to 1

 

[mywayorcyway]

Reading some threads reminded me of a couple other noteworthy moments.

A few months ago, after 29 years of trying, I finally made a hole in one. It didn't hit a wall first and I didn't shoot 50 on the 9, so that was a good day.

The other one was in junior high. Our basketball team was TERRIBLE. We were facing a good team and the slaughter was about to commence. In pre-game, coach said to each player "I want YOU to score X points, and I want YOU to score X points....", on and on, around to each player he went. He told me to score 10.

I scored 14. We got beat 63-20.