pictures L to R: My mom and I stretch pre-jog. My dad is teaching me how to run. My sisters and I model personalized sweatsuits at Christmas. In this picture I'm about the same age as my oldest son is now in the basketball picture. In second grade I was taller than all the boys. Recently I got to watch my oldest son play basketball. Normally I take most of the soccer practices and my husband Ken takes basketball (though I'd love to hog all of the sports time!)
I loved watching Truitt dribble, pass and shoot. Of course, as his mom, I felt he was one of the
advanced players. As a coach (soccer & triathlon) one of the things I love to do is pick out natural athletes. My dad loves to do this too.
I also love looking for the
underdog athlete, that probably drives me more. It's my job as a coach to help each athlete find a sport-specific skill he or she can excel in and then add on from there. Help an athlete find meaningful success and you'll change a life. Help an underdog athlete and
change his or her world.
So as I sat picking out the future High School boys' basketball team during Truitt's second-grade practice, I wondered, "would someone have
picked me in second grade?" I don't think so. I was an excellent rollerskater (shoot-the-duck champion) and held the grade record in headstands and handstands, but I wasn't outwardly aggressive. I started playing soccer in third grade and have played ever since. But if my middle sister hadn't been playing soccer already, who knows.
Recently I drove along with my middle sister to watch her adult coed
indoor soccer game. While sitting in the stands I got recruited twice to play, business cards included! I was dressed normally. I didn't have any soccer gear with me. But coed leagues are often looking for pickup players, so I could have gotten on the field.
I thought about my experiences with triathlon. How many times do you as a spectator get recruited to be a triathlete? Have you asked someone to give this sport a go? Why or why not?
More questions for you:-
As a kid, were you an underdog or a MVP?
- As an triathlete, have you overlooked recruiting a potential training buddy?
- If triathlon is for "normal athletes" too why don't we recruit more aggressively?
high school soccer photo: me left, Susan right
