Im sure there have been times when you all have felt great at playing or performing in some sport, from football to running to badminton. There have probably been times when you made the most important play in a game, scored the most points in a game, won the most rounds in something, ran a fast time in a race and shocked tons of people, or just plain felt confident in your athletic abilities.

Not me. I have been given the gift of being unathletic. I have a history as a poor athlete. I began playing soccer, basketball, and baseball in kindergarten. In soccer, I didnt get the ball very much because I found it difficult to run and kick at the same time. By third grade, I had stopped. Baseball went the same way. I played decently through D league and C minor, but by the time C major rolled around and the kids were beginning to pitch, I suffered severe trauma. I got hit square in the face by a ball my first time up all season and was terrified of the ball from then on. I won the most walks award (yippee). To top that off, I couldnt field a ball to save my life. So by third grade I stopped. Basketball, however, continued for several more years.

My finest moment of glory was when I was the best on my basketball team in the fifth grade in a church league. The best. We never won a game, much less broke the double digit barrier against any team. That was the only time I ever felt great about my athletic ability, but I am not sure as to why. From then on, my basketball career went down into the commode. In the sixth grade, I switched to a much more competitive league and, to my dismay, never made a basket all season. In the seventh grade I switched to an easier league and was an average player on another horrible team. In the eighth grade, I stayed in the same league and became one of the worst players on our team, averaging zero points a game and hating every second of it. It was about that time I decided to quit basketball altogether. Now I had abandoned all three of the sports I had started out playing years ago. Oh, and did I mention? I had no clue how to play football, and still dont.

By the time I came to Marist, I was down on my luck and not good at any sport. So I decided, why not go out for cross-country? Im a decent runner, and its a no-cut sport. I tried it and stuck with it to this day. However, the main reason is because of the people and the social aspect of it, not the actual running. Truth be told, I am not a very good runner. Every guy in my grade runs faster times in races than I do, with the exception of two (Im not dropping names), even though I have been running longer and harder than most of them. Im not naturally fast at all, and have still not come close to lettering after two long years. But the important thing is that I enjoy doing it. Running is one of those things that doesnt take natural skill to do. It just requires placing one foot in front of the other and going for 3 miles. The trick is to do it fast.

Aside from running though, I dont excel in much else. Im a mediocre golfer, but not amazing; I mainly golf for fun. I am okay at ping-pong and racquetball, but those arent commonly played or popular. Even in games like pool, I often miss the shot due to my poor hand-eye coordination. In foosball, I cant seem to get the players I want to move to move properly and I always lose. The reason? My poor hand-eye coordination. And the reason that I - lets face it - just plain suck at football, soccer, baseball, and basketball? Thats right, my poor hand-eye coordination! My horrible reflexes and lack of smooth skills with my hands, I think, is probably the cause of why I am so bad at so many sports. Its tougher than it sounds. Out on the field with some friends, and theyre throwing around the football with ease and grace. They throw it to me and I usually fumble the ball, and then comes one of the toughest parts for me: throwing it back. Theirs all usually spiral perfectly, or at least fly straight ahead. Mine flips over and over and over in the air, finally landing closer to me than to any of them. Then comes the worst part: humiliation. This happens often, and I have dealt with it poorly in the past.

But this year, I finally discovered that theres more to life than being an athlete. Yeah, its true that sometimes your popularity status is judged by how much of a jock you are, but thats more of a stereotype than the truth. Im perfectly middle ground in the social ladder and Im the near opposite of a jock. The reason that Im not an outcast is because of my personality: I try to be nice to anyone and never instigate fights or incidents. I have come to find that people like me for who I am, not for what sports I play. And to top it off, just because Im not a jock doesnt mean Im a weak little runt either. Im stronger than a few football players and can hold my own in the weight room (meaning I dont embarrass myself by putting 2 1/2 pounds on each side of the bar). What Ive come to find out about myself goes to show that the world of sports doesnt mean anything if you have a good personality.

And for once in my life, being unathletic doesnt bother me one bit.