An Athlete After All?

I really don't have any trouble admitting my lack of athletic abilities. I accepted that I was more of a reader & writer than a sports star A LONG time ago. Understandably then, it always surprises me when people recruit me for some athletic event: i.e. playing on a kickball team or running a 5K. It almost always ends in disaster. (Look at MVP Announces Retirement if you don't believe me!)

After being "selected by the students" to play on the faculty team for the Teacher vs. Students Volleyball Fundraiser Game yesterday, it began to hit me: I am asked to do these things because I am FUNNY doing it. I'm not so convinced that this is a positive thing; however, I'm a good sport, so I signed on. Our team name was the MEAN MACHINE, and, in tribute to the 2005 movie The Longest Yard, we dressed as convicts. After the getting dressed up part, my talent pretty much went out the window. (Again, I ask you: Who does this at their job?)

Note to self: You can still be "picked last" as an adult.

At the beginning of the game, I was quite aware of the "strategic" positioning and substituting going on so that I was no where near the net - or any action for that matter. In fact, for probably the first ten minutes of the game, I wandered around like a random off the street who just happened to show up "in uniform." (It didn't help matters that I was the ONLY one who didn't get the memo about bright orange jump suits and showed up in a striped obesity get-up instead.) My hopes for re-defining myself in the athletic arena were not looking good. And, after the slow start, I was completely prepared for some kind-of royal mishap or glorious fall...

HOWEVER, believe it or not, I am happy to report today that I played well. I even got BOTH of my serves in the box and hit ONE pretty good "dig." Today, my picture was all over the media! Take that you mockers.

The moral of the story: If you are bad at most things, then people praise you when you do one or two things right. It is really the way to go! (The striped suit, by the way, is NOT such a good route for me.)

Check out pictures at SwoCo Blog if you are interested.

Have a good weekend and look for a Halloween update soon!