Sports

With the Super Bowl coming up, I thought I'd talk about sports. It's not a typical topic for me, but why not?

I enjoy sports, but not in the way most others do. When it comes to watching sports, I call myself a "purist," which is probably the wrong term, but it's the only word I can think of that makes sense. What I mean by "purist" is that I don't care about the team or the players; I am only interested in the plays. One guy will make a really good throw, but a guy on the other team intercepts, and I'm enthralled and on the edge of my seat the entire time...

Since I'm not rooting for one team, I'm not upset when the other team scores.

I never understood the idea of being loyal to a team that constantly changes. They switch out players almost every year, management changes, coaches change...

What exactly is there to be loyal to? A city? Even that changes... just ask the former Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas) or the former Brooklyn Dodgers (now LA)...

I have always rooted for a NY team if they're playing because it's home, but do I really care? No, not really.

I guess if you really like a player, you can follow their career, but team loyalty never made sense to me.

Lately, I have seen videos about how the games are rigged or scripted. I don't know if it's true, but it's a little disheartening.

But this is why I'm glad I'm a "purist" because I'll never get upset by these things. I'm not upset when a team misses a catch, loses, or if it's rigged. I simply enjoy the game for entertainment and nothing more. I don't need my team to make it to the playoffs to feel good about watching the game.

Anyway, that's my rant about nonsense... now onto the more personal stuff...

When it comes to watching sports, football has become a favorite.

I used to prefer baseball, but that was back when I didn't understand how football worked. Now that I understand football better, baseball seems so slow.

I still like putting a game on the TV on some random Sundays to remind me of my dad or my childhood home...

And if I wanna be reminded of my grandparents, I'll put on golf... well, maybe just the Game Show Network instead because golf is such a snooze-fest.

Playing sports is a whole other story...

I enjoy playing for fun, but as soon as it's a team thing and there's competition, I'm out.

I'm actually a pretty competitive person... with myself... but I hate competing with others. I want to see other people succeed; I'm not interested in whether I'm better than you. I already know I'm probably not as athletic, so if I beat you in a game, it feels like you're letting me win or the game is too easy.

I used to love playing sports... in the street with neighbors, in gym class, or at camp... until I became a snotty teenager who would rather sit on the side chatting with friends...

I think my favorite sport to play is basketball. I like shooting hoops, but the most competitive I'll get is Knockout (I like HORSE too). I like soccer, tennis, and maybe street/field hockey. Tennis is the only one where I actually need someone else to play with; otherwise, it's just me and the goal/hoop.

I love competing with myself. I do it in almost everything I do. I play solitaire or sudoku, a game that's supposed to be a relaxing way to pass the time, but for me, it's always about doing it better/faster than before.

I'm like that at work, too. If I can usually get a task done in 2 hours, and today I get it done in 1 hour, I get a rush... and try to get my "usual" time down to 1 hour.

I don't know how to work at a slower pace; I don't know how to give less than 100% (most days).

I don't like to start something I can't finish, either. I will stay late to get a project done instead of stopping in the middle and finishing it the next day. I feel like the stop/start makes me lose my momentum, which is why I hate stopping for breaks. Even though breaks are supposed to be really good for your productivity, once I get in the zone, it's hard to stop.

It probably started when I was a kid. My after-school activities were gymnastics and a variety of dance classes. Sure, dance is a group routine, but I practice my part in the mirror by myself for hours. My performance is not dependent on others. I am responsible for my part, so I become a perfectionist.

Gymnastics was my pride and joy. I probably looked forward to the uneven bars more than other parts.

I always found it strange that we weren't allowed to use the boys' gymnastics equipment... I would pass by the parallel bars and the rings every week and pout. Why couldn't we at least try it? I was told, "Oh, that's a boy sport," and thought that was a stupid answer. It could be a girl sport, too, if you just let me on it! So, now,  I try to use the countertops or chairs as my parallel bars/rings and do an L-sit... it's fun, but it's also my way of sticking it to the people that told me I couldn't do it.

I was always a monkey, climbing, doing flips, and hanging upside down from the bars in the jungle gym... I just wanted to play. I hated walking past the "boy" equipment and being told "no."

I don't enjoy running full court with full teams, but I love running on a treadmill and beating my previous time, speed, or mileage. You would think I'd love the gym, setting personal records, but oh man, I can't stand the gym. I can enjoy it occasionally, but I never fully got used to feeling the muscle burn. With lifting weights, you feel that burn with every rep, but with cardio, once you get past that first 5 minutes, you could keep going for hours and never notice. I used to love jungle gyms, though... monkey bars, obstacle courses, rope climbs. Maybe the gym is just not as fun as it could be. Someone should make an adult jungle gym instead of boring weights and machines.

I love hiking, biking, rollerblading, and rock climbing, and at one point, I even thought it would be cool to try skateboarding.

Hiking and rock-climbing walls are always a fun way to push myself past my limits. I will get to a point and think it's not possible to go further, physically or mentally, and someone tells me that I got it and I can go a little bit more... and so I manage to push past the mental blocks and make it to the next stepping stone and next thing I know I've made it all the way to the top of the wall, or hiking, I end up at the top of the mountain looking at the most breathtaking views. Success is always just right past the edge of where I give up.

I find that to be true in life, too. I want to give in, give up, throw in the towel, and accept defeat, but if I give myself the tiniest push to continue, I realize success is right there in arm's reach. It's so much more satisfying to accomplish something when you were on the verge of failing... especially when those obstacles were just mental and all it took was a little bit of faith.

I always seem to forget how outdoorsy and active I am because I'm so used to being comfortable in my home that I forget there's a world outside...

I think I'll make a goal this spring/summer to get outside and play like I used to.

Wow, I certainly covered a lot of topics...

This is not a usual subject for my Nook thoughts, but it's been on my mind lately.

Well, here's to hoping you all enjoy the Super Bowl and remember it's just a game for entertainment and not to get too upset about the outcome.

I think as adults, we need to re-learn how to have fun like kids... youth is an attitude not restricted by age.

-Erica