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Making the team

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CaptainBako
Jun 25 2003
09:09 am

For this entry, the first response to this article, I’m not going to talk about whether I think interscholastic sports are worthwhile or not. For now I’m just going to focus on a particular argument of the article.

B of C one with B in JC,
I first want to commend you for a considerate and thoroughly argued article. I am sure some people could read it, consider it seriously, and still disagree with you, but I appreciate your considerations of opponents and of your willingness to mention and reflect on the value of different extracurricular activities in which you participate.

What I wanted to say more about is the argument that sports are a safe way to toughen up. I agree that this statement can mean different things: the validation of agression and forcefulness in a world that simply runs that way, or a direction toward a myopic, homophobic vision of masculinity (usually masculinity) as some artless, hardened, predominantly athletic quality, a path devoid of softer stuff that might make men, or women, into reproachable sissies. I think both meanings suggest that “toughening up” isn’t a quality much worth pursuing; it’s something, rather, to be avoided.

Even so I’ve been thinking about “toughening up” in some sense lately, some third way that I don’t entirely understand. Recently, on two seperate occasions I’ve played games of ultimate frisbee with my roommates and various others out in the campus fields. A group of about 12-20 people meet to play every Tuesday and Sunday. The game involves a lot of jogging, sprinting and leaping, and I enjoyed the rigorous activity, but not consistently. It reminded me of how weak and unfit I am. It was at times eshausting. Yet those problems weren’t so bad. What was worse was that it reminded me of the awful experiences I had in p.e. throughout my pre-college schooling. Thankfully, the ultimate frisbee gang doesn’t seem solely obsessed with winning. Excepting one or two guys, the UF gang is more concerned about having fun than winning. They’re not condescending or insensitive to others during the game. All of this is so alien to my experiences with sports (and the type of people I assumed exclusively enjoyed sports), and it’s wonderful. But what reminds me of negative gym experiences is the determination, the great fascination and involvement that all these guys almost by default pour into playing. I don’t understand it! My roommate Sam has told me that he enjoys playing UF because it’s good excercise that doesn’t feel like work required for staying in shape—it’s just fun. I agree it’s fun, but not as thoroughly fun as Sam thinks it is. I still have to push myself at times on the field, push myself against a counteractive unwillingness to try at all.

I often struggle in life with an unwillingness to try, an aversion of obstacles and difficulties. UF with these kind folks brought home to me how deep-seeded and strong this feeling is inside of me. I’m not a vigorous sportsman; I’m Eiore (sp? the donkey) from Whinnie the Pooh stories. I’m slow-moving and prone to sluggish shuffling. Maybe this is just part of who I am.

If it’s integral to me or not, ultimate frisbeeing in recent days has confronted me with an opportunity to “toughen up” in a different sense than you described, BBC. As I see it, this third type of toughening up is a practice of my will to… well, to will, essentially. It’s a chance to have a fun time, feel my blood pumping, and excercise my will to exert myself when it’s very apparent to me that I don’t feel like doing so and immediately recognizable to me when I will myself to move anyway. Perhaps this practicing will strengthen my athletic will, and my will in general, to take care of responibilities I’m charged with, to try, to run the race of life when running is required.

As such I still don’t like the opportunity entirely. The first time I played I got so winded, and so overwhelmed with the p.e. flashbacks and by a slap in the face from my own oft- unwilling spirit that I sat out for the last half hour. The second game day was more enjoyable, but I don’t know if I’ll continue with a third next Sunday. Something in me wants to continue, to counteract my counteractive inclinations.

Maybe official interscholastic sports aren’t the best way, but do you think organized, social sports can work well in toughening us in this manner, by encouraging us to try, to exert our bodies, make literal leaps of faith and excercise our wills on the field?