Let's Talk Sports

I'll start first, beginning with sports I participated in and watched as a kid. 

Then, I will speak about sports I got into later on.

1. Sports as a Kid

A. Sports I Participated In

• Water Sports

I grew up on an island, so boating, water skiing, and surfing were big sports.

I had to learn how to swim before I could walk because I lived across the street from the beach. Swimming was a required sport once I started school. I tried surfing, but was better at water-skiing, and my father was big into boats, so I learned to sail, and we also did lots of water-skiing off the back of our motor boats.

My niece took this picture on our beach. It's winter, so there's not much surfing, but because
biking and the beach were a big part of my childhood, decided to include the photo. Plus, I think it's an interesting photo.

• Sports Off the Beach

Biking was a big time sport. We biked all over the island, and we did not hurry to get driver's licenses because we could get to most anywhere by bike. I also played lots of tennis, and my father encouraged me in this sport. I guess other than tennis, biking, swimming, and tennis, I did not do many sports as a kid, and now I realize most of these were not team sports. We had a great ice skating rink near the port side of the island, and when I was in the 8th grade, I went several times  a week to the rink. I started to get good at figure skating, but never kept up with it when I got into high school and got busy with other activities.

B. Sports I Watched

My small island has lots of rough waves and is right off the Atlantic Ocean. It's a barrier island, which is a small island that blocks a larger island. So we face the Atlantic directly on, with no protection.

Every day, surfers are on the beach, riding the waves. One of the most famous surfing competitions worldwide came to my hometown: QuickSilver. You can find information about the event when it came to my hometown here: "Quicksilver: Pro New." It is worth clicking just to see the surfing champ from my town.

Surfing for all of us was a big spectator sport. As kids, we would go to the beach any time and watch the surfers. They were amazing, and they still are.

Basketball and football were the biggest sports in high school. When I was a junior in high school, I dated the captain of the basketball team, so went to all the games.  Football was a seasonal sport, in the fall, and lots of people liked to show up for the games and to enjoy the outdoors. Lacrosse was a big sport in the spring, probably more so than baseball, but baseball was also popular. Several big professional baseball teams were close by, and so we had both Mets and Yankee fans, and going to games was a big deal.

In college, I got more into soccer. My boyfriend in college was captain of the soccer team. It is only now that I realize the guys I dated in both high school and college were captains of their teams. This was not planned. It just worked out that way.

2. Sports I Do Now

A. Sports I Participate In Now

I am big into running and have completed five marathons, including the New York City Marathon.

One of the hardest things about the NYC marathon is the number of runners, which exceeds 30,00
Photo credit: http://bit.ly/1hAOmTB

I also completed one mini triathlon and came in first in my category. Before I started running, I was swimming two miles three times a week, and biking was an easy sport, so doing a triathlon was the next big step. Now, I just enjoy running for relaxation.


Given I now live in New England, it is only natural that I ski. We have lots of ski resorts. I did not get into this sport seriously until I went out West to the Rockies, but came back East as a big fan of the sport. Unfortunately, our ski conditions are packed powder instead of the real powder out West, but still the slopes are advanced, and there are lots of moguls.

Occasionally, I play tennis, but not in a competitive sense. I still like to water ski and sail, but don't get a chance to do these as often as I did as a kid because I no longer live right across the street from the ocean, and my family no longer owns boats. However, when I travel, I like to sail, as well as snorkel. And beaches are really not that far from where I live. The Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine coastlines are great for swimming and water sports, and have great beaches.

B. Sports I Watch Now

Soccer is a big sport in New England, and I watch lots of games. Several of my relatives are on teams so I go to their games,

This is my all-time favorite player. He retired this year--do you know who it is?

I also enjoy going to national baseball games and spend lots of time at Yankee Stadium. We have a season's pass, and our seats are just a few rows behind home plate. I don't enjoy watching baseball on television, but do watch basketball on television. The major university in my state, The University of Connecticut, is known for its men's and women's teams. We are the Connecticut Huskies, and if you follow college basketball, you have probably heard of the teams.

I live near an ice skating rink where some of the Olympic skaters train. Sometimes, I go to the rink to watch the skaters and ice hockey.

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) photo by Razvan Marescu: http:/bit.ly/1hAQx9H

What Sports Do You Do, and What Sports Do You Like to Watch? 

Or If You're Not Into Sports, Why Not?

I know from your blog posts many of you play a sport, but others have not mentioned doing so, but maybe you enjoy watching a sport. What sports do you play, which do you watch, and which sports do you wish you did? If you don't do sports and are not a fan, why not? Do you think sports are a waste of time? Do you consider activities such as dance and gymnastics sports? People talk about sports a lot, but maybe you find the talk boring. Some people memorize sports statistics. Do you think there is a point in knowing sport statistics, facts, and trivia? Do you think Americans are obsessed with sports? Do you think football is dangerous, and should be banned in high schools because of the risk of serious head injuries? What about other sports? Are they too risky, or do you enjoy the thrill?