Black and Blue
In the hopes of expanding my social network here in the Big D, I joined a softball team. The result? Blue shins. Or perhaps I should say Shin, singular.
It's no secret I'm not a particularly gifted athlete. Though I managed to hold my own as a swimmer in high school and a functional ultimate frisbee player in college and my early adulthood, it's always been a challenge to amp up my level of aggression to go all out in the pool, on the field etc. The fear factor increases exponentially for me as you introduce flying objects (ball, disc, etc.). Although I "played" softball as a kid, I stunk and never made it past the JV squad before deciding that maybe just being the manager of the team was sufficient for me.
When I lived in DC, I got involved in the Capital Alumni Network sports clubs, including softball. I loved it. My team was full of fun, energetic people (most of them from OU as an added bonus) and we were halfway decent. Fortunately, our coach recognized my mortal fear of the ball and tended to play me in positions where I could do the least amount of damage. This was typically catcher--and on occasion, second base. So I should have been comfortable there on this new team.
Except my first game out, the opposing team hit consistently between first and second. And after the third or fourth ball went through my legs, I decided to get tough. The next one bounced off the ground and hit me smack dab on the front of my shin. Not only did it hit me, it hit me with the stitches, leaving an inch-long, stitch-shaped gash. The skin didn't bruise visibly, but it hurt a hell of a lot and felt like a bruise.
The best part of all this? I have been hit in the SAME DAMN SPOT every game since.
It's nearly summer, shorts and skirts are all the rage, and I'm sporting a blue shin. It's not bad enough that I have cankles already; now one of them looks like a trauma victim.
I'm considering shin guards. Anyone have some to spare?
It's no secret I'm not a particularly gifted athlete. Though I managed to hold my own as a swimmer in high school and a functional ultimate frisbee player in college and my early adulthood, it's always been a challenge to amp up my level of aggression to go all out in the pool, on the field etc. The fear factor increases exponentially for me as you introduce flying objects (ball, disc, etc.). Although I "played" softball as a kid, I stunk and never made it past the JV squad before deciding that maybe just being the manager of the team was sufficient for me.
When I lived in DC, I got involved in the Capital Alumni Network sports clubs, including softball. I loved it. My team was full of fun, energetic people (most of them from OU as an added bonus) and we were halfway decent. Fortunately, our coach recognized my mortal fear of the ball and tended to play me in positions where I could do the least amount of damage. This was typically catcher--and on occasion, second base. So I should have been comfortable there on this new team.
Except my first game out, the opposing team hit consistently between first and second. And after the third or fourth ball went through my legs, I decided to get tough. The next one bounced off the ground and hit me smack dab on the front of my shin. Not only did it hit me, it hit me with the stitches, leaving an inch-long, stitch-shaped gash. The skin didn't bruise visibly, but it hurt a hell of a lot and felt like a bruise.
The best part of all this? I have been hit in the SAME DAMN SPOT every game since.
It's nearly summer, shorts and skirts are all the rage, and I'm sporting a blue shin. It's not bad enough that I have cankles already; now one of them looks like a trauma victim.
I'm considering shin guards. Anyone have some to spare?
1 Comments:
You write very well.
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