Were you a good athlete as a kid?

I never played organized sports -- my brothers got to do that, and one of them was even really good at them.

Nevertheless, I was kind of tomboy-ish as a kid, liked sports, and I had my moments in them in the neighborhood, on the playground, and in recreational activities.

The story of how I was the only girl at my seventh birthday party still lives, to this day, and we can never help but smile and laugh about it. It was me, my best friends, Richard and Kenny (the next-door identical twins), Matthew and Adam (the across-the-street brothers), Danny and Steven (the up-the-street brothers), Alan and Eddie (the up-the-block brothers), Bentley and George (my across-the-street cousins), and Ed and Joe (my around-the-block cousins) who did all the celebrating, and who always played together in our close-knit Commack, N.Y. neighborhood of young families, which truly had no girls besides me, and also, Danny and Steven's teenaged sister, Dolores. Even almost 50 years later, I and my family still have kept close contact not only with all my cousins, of course, but also with the twins' family. And, I still have at least casual, passing relations with some of the other former neighborhood kids (one of those boys is now a state senator), with whom I stay in touch mostly through social media and the occasional visit.

I loved basketball the most, was pretty good at it, and was always the first girl chosen for playground teams, and I knew the boys didn't mind me playing with them. I did so, too, until high school, when their growth spurts and greater athletic talents made the differences between us too glaring and the games became rougher. Still, until then, I always had companionable relations with many guys because of basketball, and often spent weekends shooting hoops, and free throws with two of them, in particular, whom I met regularly at a park adjacent to our school. I've posted here before about how I was a sure shot at free throws -- once making 123 in a row, underhanded, Rick Barry-style, during one amazing shoot-around at that park. Once my family moved to California for good, I became a rabid Lakers fan, never missing listening to a game, even if it was only on radio, for years.

I also liked football, and it was known and readily acknowledged that I could throw a damn good spiral. So, again, I was welcome, for a girl, on the playing field. I didn't like baseball as much, and I don't think I ever got near it again, as far as playing, after I once played with my brothers on our front lawn, and bashed my youngest brother alongside the head/face while batting because he'd squatted down, too close, while playing catcher, behind me. He didn't have any gear on, but, thankfully, he was OK after a few fearful, tear-filled minutes on both our parts.

I never even played softball in an organized manner, but still, as my brother found out, I could hit, and that was apparent and acknowledged on several occasions at pick-up and picnic games. Once, I got three solid hits in a game, and, between innings, had a youth coach who had been watching us ask me if I played, because it looked like I must. I said no, and he said was surprised, complimenting me on my form and follow-through.

I was a decent bowler, averaging between 140 and 145 for several years in weekly league play, but I don't know if that's considered a real sport. And the only sport-related claim to fame I had in the family is that I taught my youngest brother and sister (twins) to swim by the time they were 2 years old. People used to marvel at them, swimming well and confidently in the deep end, and jumping in and out of the water, sans any floaties, while our parents read or sun-bathed in lounge chairs, barely paying us any attention whenever we stopped at hotels and used the pools while on frequent cross-country family trips.

I was always good at and enjoyed writing, and I caught the newspaper bug early on in college. I hadn't set out to be in journalism, necessarily; it just was the first specialized thing that caught my interest, and after a couple of internships, I got a job that was half-news and half-sports, which I'd thought would be perfect and that I'd like very much. As it turned out, I found it difficult to do both, unable to do as well as I wanted, or as well as I thought I could, or as well as the paper thought I should, at either one. So, I got a chance to pick, and when a straight sports-writing position opened up, I took it, because I found I enjoyed the sports more, and could do without ambulance-chasing to car-accident deaths, and city-council meeting coverage.

Eventually, I got sports-writing jobs at two other papers -- one medium-sized and one mid-major sized -- and then, after a stint as a regular, in-office freelancer, was hired into a regular, full-time position at my dream destination, the L.A. Times. That job was my life, until suddenly, it wasn't, anymore. Sometimes, I still miss it. But not nearly enough to try to get back into journalism. What I miss, more than the work, is the people in newspapers.

 

I was a decent Little League 2nd baseman and catcher until I was maybe 14, when lots of other guys hit a big growth spurt and I had not yet. Once I was beyond that point, well, I was small but I was slow.

That said, I got a job at the YMCA when I was 15, among other things teaching swimming and lifeguarding. I got my Red Cross Senior Lifesaving when I turned 15. I used to turn quarter miles in between classes. I was pretty fit.

When I started taking karate as a freshman in college I was 5'8", 125 lbs. A lean mean fighting mach... who am I kidding?

 

I could bowl a little (170 average). Also won about 20 Putt-Putt trophies and consistently shot 5-6 under (best round was a 12-under 24). Then everything fell apart when I lost $35 one night during the post-tournament best-ball games and developed the yips.

 

No

 

Baseball was my first love and when I moved out of the city and got to play Little League I was in heaven. Even though I was the smallest guy (front row in every class picture holding up the sign) I could field and hit so leadoff 2B. Made all stars 11 and 12, loaded team we were 2 games from Williamsport, when I was 12 our CF was a 9 yr old (who’s? This) who was a stud at UCLA and was a 1st round pick. Unfortunately when we got to Babe Ruth, I hadn’t grown much and could bas rely hit the ball out of the now 90 ft infield. I hadn’t hit puberty and 15 yr olds were driving and smoking weed. Life came fast.

Played PG until 9th then since I wasn’t Mugsy Bouges, got passed up there too.

Loved tennis and played #1 at lousy school. That was fun then could not make my college team (Div 2 contenders). Still was a 4.5-5 in USTA until shoulder dislocation.

Wrestled in HS, first (smallest) guy on the mat. Best shape of my life. Great life lessons in those 6 mins and practice. Loved it.

Now of course golf is my passion. Had a fantastic day at site of 1960 US Open yesterday.

 

Hahahahahahahaha no.

I topped out at 5'0. I cannot run anything resembling "fast". I have zero endurance. My sports in high school were playing the piano and participating in the musical.

And yet, I was a D-1 athlete.

Oh, and if golf only involved putting, I could be an Olympian. At least one of my parents has worked on a golf course since I was 3. In high school, my house was on the 9th hole of the golf course we built.

 

Damn I wished you putted for me yesterday; only made 1 of 4 putts inside of 6’ for birdies….. if only would’ve shot a 76

 

I’ll bite. What was your D-1 sport? Coxswain?

 

Ding ding ding. Also, the best shape I've ever been in in my life. My parents owned a gym when I was in high school and the entire summer before I joined the rowing team, I lifted weights and ran on the treadmill.

 

I'll be perfectly honest here. That's a departure from my game plan with my first college girlfriend, which cost me my first college girlfriend.

I was as good as you could be as a fat kid. The only place where that translated into any success was baseball.

Football: Lasted one week in eighth grade. Decided I didn't want to go to school each day dreading wind sprints at the end of practice. Have always regretted that. I was a pretty decent kicker (45-yard range) off a tee.

Basketball: Never a great floor player, but I developed into an outstanding shooter in college. My last two years, I made sure that I scheduled so I could have noon-2 pm open each day, and played on the main-court floor in the field house with the good guys. Could hold my own as a spot-up shooter. Again, I was never one to drive in traffic. But if nothing else, I know the rare feeling of being in a zone, where it feels like you're softly guiding 25-foot jumpers into the hole with your fingertips.

Wrestling: Always fairly dominant against the other big kids in gym class. Also realized that we had two consecutive district finalists at heavyweight, so I never seriously thought about going out. I did talk one of those guys, a longtime friend, into wrestling me after school one day. That lasted for eight seconds and one lateral drop.

Track: One season, my junior year. Topped out with a 121-3 javelin throw in my final meet. Worked out all summer, got out around 160 feet, and then didn't do it as a senior because I tried out for baseball instead. One of my more stupid moves, but again, I did not like grueling workouts and our coach trained everyone like they were middle-distance runners.

Baseball: Little League all-star, Senior Division starter but no star. Played two years of Legion at first base, only because our town was in a down cycle, talent-wise. Could field my position well. But I was a .200 hitter. Life-and-death to catch up with an 80-mph fastball, and when a few pitchers threw me breaking balls, I knew it was time to turn to writing full-time.

Oh ... and that HS baseball tryout? I did OK; went 2-for-2 in an intrasquad scrimmage, including a line shot off the bleachers in right-center. Then I went to DC for three days as part of a youth legislature group, and when I returned, I saw I had been cut. The coach kept 10 sophomores instead.

 

The older I get, the better I was.

I skipped 8th grade and was a late developer, but through hard work was a pretty good basketball player. If I was at the proper age, I would have likely peaked as a decent D3/walk on D1 player, but I ended up playing JV in college.

Messed around with tennis in HS and volleyball in college and those would have been sports which I wish I took more seriously because I had an aptitude for both, especially volleyball.

 

Played basketball from grade 4-freshman year. I was middling at best. Wasn’t very coachable. Had a helluva first step, though. Good in pickup games.