An Important Announcement
Posted by Trey Reeme on August 13th, 2007
Trabian League Football is about to begin.
It’s a Yahoo! league, it’s free, and the winner gets assorted schwag from WTF Credit Union (yes, they sent us their old schwag) and other prizes TBD. To join, the league ID# is 278485 and the password is trabian. Update: due to the response we got, we had to create two leagues. That means double the WTFCU schwag I’m having to give out of my personal stash. The second league ID is 522367, the password is “trabian” and the live draft will be held Sunday, September 2nd.
Since I’m in a remarkable mood (must be the recent three days in Vegas), if you leave a comment this week with your most embarrassing athletic story, you will get a slick new Open Source CU bumper sticker. It’s white on black and a fine addition to any bumper or laptop cover. And you don’t have to sign up to play football by leaving a comment, BTW.
To get things started, here’s my story:
Playing JV baseball, I got into a game late (they let the scrubs in because we were getting trounced) and somehow hit a triple. There were no outs.
I was so jazzed that when the next batter walked (there were no runners behind me) I jogged home thinking they had just walked in a run. I got tagged out by the catcher, who never even threw the ball back to the mound. They were all laughing – except for my coach.
I’ve never seen a coach get that mad before or since. He was kicking dirt like Lou Pinella if he’d stepped in a bed of fire ants.
I didn’t get another at-bat all season.
I was playing flag football for gym class in about fourth grade. At first I was so pleased. I caught the pass! I started running, and soon realized something was wrong. All my teammates were chasing me. Hey, wait a minute, aren’t the other guys supposed to chase me? Yup. If you’re not running the wrong way down the field. Sigh!
I guess I shouldn’t mention how I used to get called “basketballerina” as well.
Thanks for the great chuckles this morning, Trey!
Trey,
It’s good to see that the folks at the CU formerly known as WTF are such good sports after all the ribbing they took in the blogsphere. Can you share the story around how they came to actually send you their schwag?
Just one embarrassing athletic story?! I’m the original gawky nerd picked last for everything!
[thinks over a variety of excruciating experiences with physical activity, discards several….]
I was in special education PE through junior high school, which was more embarrassing than I care to think about. (No, I don’t know why, although I do remember being very uncoordinated.) On the other hand, that’s how I met my best friend in junior high, who is still a good friend now.
I didn’t learn how to ride a bicycle until I was 29 years old, which is a long story, but at least it ends with my finally learning…and now bike commuting 11 miles a day!
So I guess there’s hope for everybody.
(But organized sports? I couldn’t care less.)
I remember playing Dodge Ball in grade school (all girls Catholic school and what a sick twisted game that is) anyway, I would always walk up to the line at the beginning of each game to get hit so I could sit down and read a book.
Needless to say I was ALWAYS the last one picked for any type of team sports.
OK, here goes…
Third-grade basketball game. I’m the geeky redhead playing garbage time. I get my hands on a loose ball for the first time…well, ever in a competitive sport.
With visions of elementary school supremacy dancing in my head, I race to the basket. The crowd is screaming at me. My dad – who happens to be my coach – is screaming at me. Propelled by their full-throated support (shouldn’t they be smiling, not scowling, when yelling my name?), I soar to the hoop and make a picture-perfect layup. For the other team.
Dad’s coaching career came to a close a few games later. My basketball career ended much sooner.
I was about 15 years old playing on our church basketball(we had a great team, undefeated for 6 straight years, all the guys who were not quite good enough to make the state champ high school team) We were in the finals of the state championship game and the score was back and forth. I was on a fast break down the right side with another player on the other side with one defender, easy score right? But our overzealous weightlifting point guard threw a rocket pass to me before I turned to look at him and as I turned my head the ball hit me squarely in the face bouncing into the defenders hands. Our coach, who had been super intense the whole game, even cracked up about it during the ensuing injury time out. We lost the game.
@Lisa: I hope that experience didn’t ruin your love for the fine sport of football (Go Colts!)
@Mary: I got an email from one of their staffers who had read the post – she sent me an assortment of magnets, pens, and keychains. I think they all got a kick out of the discussion and were great sports (pun intended in this thread) ;)
@Elaine: I’m right there with you as the last picked – I was always the smallest (and most uncoordinated) kid on the playground.
@Denise: Just the mention of dodgeball gets me cringing. I’ll never forget the pattern those red missiles leave after a square hit.
@Andy: I’ll meet you at the hoops behind the office. Bring your A-Game!
@Dan: I feel bad for laughing since it caused an injury timeout.
It didn’t hurt that bad and no blood involved. I think the ref was laughing too and it knocked me down (though not for as long as the bouncer that hit me where it counts when playing little league baseball. Hmm…Maybe that was my most embarrassing sports moment?) Actually I forgot what helped make it more embarrassing. It somehow earned me the nickname “Danny Bunker”. ? Why did you make us dredge up all these awful memories?
I’m sure glad I found sports that I was good at in volleyball and tennis.
The sad news is that my most embarrasing story continues to repeat itself, the good news is that it usually happens in the dark…I am an avid runner (love marathons & halfs). I run every morning. I’m also one of the clumsiest credit union folks you’ll ever meet. I fall at least once a year. I feel I have at least a partial excuse…it’s usually dark when I’m out there at 5 AM. However, just a week ago I had another fall. Tripped, and down I went. Skinned my knees and hands. The good news is that I got up and finished my 6 miler. So, if it’s 5 AM and you hear a shrieking sound and a splat on the sidewalk…it might just be a clumsy runner!!
What a great thread!
I have so many to choose from. I may even post twice :)
A beautiful summer day as I stood in my white and black little league uniform. I was kicking the third base bag trying to get used to it. See, I was a left fielder or shortstop for 2 reasons – I could cover ground quickly and I could fire a baseball like a cannon. However, since the coach’s son was pitcher, I found myself in left field.
Next at the plate was the other team’s only girl player. This was the year that they allowed girls to play in the league. A lot of the guys grumbled over this, but “Our Girl” was named Kelly and she was cute, and our best hitter (the subject of my boyhood crush – I have a thing for tomboys).
But this young lady from the opposing team took the plate. Strike One! Strike Two! As I was about to go into my pocket for a few sunflower seeds, she drills it into center field. There are two errors but finally the player gets the ball and throws it to me as she is rounding third.
Caught up in the excitement and forgetting that I was an infielder today, I fired the ball as hard as I could to the pitcher. But, being in the outfield you tend to aim a little high to arc the ball to cover the distance.
Yeah, it happened…
I hit her in the back of the head so hard that it knocked her helmet off and sent her face first into the ground.
I panicked and ran to her. Coaches and parents everywhere. Her face was scratched up but she was conscious, and pissed. She was taken out of the game and to the hospital.
I went home feeling miserable and found the slightest bit of comfort that I wouldn’t have to face her again – that was the championship game for the division and we won (thanks to a home run by Kelly). Or so I thought.
Two weeks later, at our annual family reunion I saw this girl with long reddish blond hair talking to other kids my age. I just got there and didnt really see anyone I knew yet (I have a pretty big family). The girl turned around. It was her! Two black eyes, a split lip and road rash on her forehead, nose and chin. She was my cousin. And she was still pissed.
Strike that. I re-read my post. To those who didnt catch it. I threw the ball to the CATCHER not the PITCHER.
I guess it pays to proof your posts :)
Andy mine is pretty much the same story, but I’ll leave it up to everyone else to decide which one is more embarrasing. I had the same experience except I missed the layup, got the rebound, missed again, fought my own team for the rebound and missed again. About that time I heard my dad screaming my name! I don’t remember much after that except for the look on his face!
Trey, it’s great to see that you’ve accepted the Hoosier lifestyle so well! Basketball before work; basketball after work; basketball after dinner, etc. :)
I whiffed in kickball. A lot.
KICKBALL, for cryin’ out loud!
@Tansley,
I used to be a marthoner and did many early morning runs in the dark. I managed to step in the middle of a coat hanger (that someone had obviously pulled apart to get a car unlocked) with one foot and then the other (don’t have a very long stride apparently) and BAM, hit the ground so fast and hard I barely had time to put my hands out.
I jumped up (not knowing the hanger was still around my ankles like a noose) and fell again! It was beautiful.
Well, I was never a sports person, so other than the PE stories that I’ve blocked from my mind, all I have is a musical story. But it’s still embarrassing, so maybe I’ll still score a bumper sticker??? It’s worth a shot. So . . .
Ok, ever night at musical practice, we used the phone in the band room to call our parents for a ride after practice. Well, then came dress rehearsal, and they decided to make the band room the boys dressing room. Of course, used to our routine, and not even paying attention, the first night of dress rehearsal, a friend and I walked right into the band room and got on the phone with my dad before we realized what we had done! Ooops! And believe me, back then, I was shy, so walking in on about 30 half dressed men was VERY embarrassing!
@Tansley – A treadmill might be safer ;)
@Tony – Why am I thinking about Arrested Development and George Michael’s crush on Maeby? ;)
@Travis – I never claimed to be any good at it, though!
@Jeff – Now I know why you’re driving the support vehicle for Team Little Guy.
@Jessica – I did something similar at a restroom in Las Vegas last week at the National CU Directors convention. Was on phone, walked right into the ladies room.
Some great stories so far. Here is mine:
At my previous company we had a large annual golf scramble. I always played with a group who often joked golf was just an excuse to miss work and drink beer all day. At about the 9th or 10th hole we were all feeling good, joking around and having fun. We parked the carts and stepped up on to the tee box to hit our drives. Our two big hitters took their swings and got us a good position in the fairway. I stepped up to hit my ball. I figured since we had good position I could take a big swing at the ball. WRONG! I connected hard with the ball off the tip of my club and shot it at a 90 degree angle straight into the tee box marker. The ball hit the marker with enough force to peel the marker, which is held in place by a 4 inch spike, up out of the ground. It rolled down the side of the tee box and came to rest next to one of the carts. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense, including myself…
I’m picking up on a recurring theme here….none of us are good at sports. Could it be that we are, gulp, geeks?
Andrea,
I prefer to think that we all have a bad day from time to time. Now I have to get back to watching Dr. Who.
;)
@Tansley: I wasn’t even thinking of various general klutziness! I’ve had at least 4 worker’s comp claims, and I’m only 32. (Best. story. ever…stubbed my toe on a metal stair, ended up with a stress fracture in my foot. Ow.) And my most glorious accident ever, which kept me off of stairs for 6 months.
No true horrific sports stories, but I’ve hit my share of golf balls into more than several back yards and at least one rooftop.
Looking forward to joining the league.
Am I too late?
In 2000 (yes, seven years ago, NOT when I was a kid), a guy on my staff asked if he could start a credit union soccer team.
I thought it was a great idea so I said I would pay for it out of my marketing budget.
I also thought I would try my hand at playing soccer.
Now, as a kid, I HATED sports. I often joke that the two things I loved about graduating from high school is that I never had to attend another prom nor play organized sports again. But I decided to stretch myself and do something that scares me.
So I played soccer that first season. I was bad. But I tried hard and I thought I was starting to improve.
As the season wrapped up, an email went out, asking folks who wanted to play the next season. I said, ‘what the heck’ and sent the coach an email saying, “I’m in!”
A few minutes later, I get an email back from her stating that they want to make the team more competitive that year and they ‘had enough female players’.
As I sat reading the email, I felt like I was in seventh grade again. I had just been cut from the soccer team!
I called my husband and said, “I was just cut from our soccer team.” His reply? “Isn’t that the team you pay for? Wow, you must really be bad!”
I happened to have a meeting with my boss right then so I went into his office and confessed to him what had just happened.
His reply?
“Isn’t that the team you pay for? Wow, you must really be bad”.
It all ended OK. I took up snow boarding instead. You can’t get cut from snowboarding.
I tried to sign up for the league, and it said it was full. Did I miss it?!?
Due to the response, we’ve started a second league. The ID is 522367 (still a Yahoo league) and the password is “trabian” -
The live draft will be held Sunday, September 2 at 8:30 AM Central (sorry about the timeslot – was all that was available that day – you can autodraft, though.)
Boo ya!