To be upset that I wasn't sporty at school?

[poshsinglemum]

And to hope that dd is going to be more sporty than I am/was?

Ironically I went to a sport school but it put me off.
I was never the fastest runner and I always hated the way that netball and hockey were taken so seriously. They seemed to bring out the worst in girls; bitchy team picking (we don't want the slow one's on our team, pass it to me - not her why didn't you score that goal? etc, etc), obsession with body image and as I was a slow runner I didn't stand a chance.

I regret being put off now as i can see theadvantages with being sporty; popularity, fun, fitness and health and life long hobbies.

I always liked sports such as hill-walking,salsa, swimming, yoga and marshal arts eg Thai Chi where I wasn't in direct competition with people. I want to get back into it as I feel like a blob but dd is so young that I can only push prams etc.

I just feel like I have missed out on such a large part of life by being so bad a sport and I hope that dd is a lot better than me.

People say ''it's the taking part that counts and not the winning'' but try telling taht to a school netball team who desperately want to make it through to the regional finals.

Sometimes I feel like a freak/lazy for not being sporty or into competetiv sports but I just can't take it seriously.

I hated sport at school - can't catch or throw as have sight problems, and can't run.

Was regularly humiliated by PE teachers about it. The only thing that got me through it was my friend with spina bifida who chose me as her tennis partner and other things, so we were together.

When I joined the local rowing club and was competing at national level, they couldn't believe that it was me

My DD was the same, whenever it was school sports day I always thought "thank god for Susan" because Susan was always last and my DD was second last. We thought she was not going to be sporty but she played in the first eleven hockey team and swam in a club. Susan and my daughter were both very blonde. Could there be a theme there do you think?

sporty people have it easier insofar as sport is Good and it's alright to say how good you are at sport and any sporty talent is highly praised.

Whereas academic achievement is Not So Good and no one chooses to go on about how good they are at a brainy subject and no one wants to praise it too openly.

That's what I've noticed.

I do recall being banned from ever attempting to throw a javelin after my first attempt. Instead of going straight, it managed to turn so the wrong end went into the ground.

Ironically I was very sporty at school. Very good at swimming, cross country, school teams for assorted stuff. I don't think my school days were easier as a result though - I just happened to run fast over a long distance. I still had all the usual angst.

And now I still swim when I can summons the energy, but other than that I do fuck all. I am not a sporty healthy person.

Hey Posh, I was just the same. Often still have imaginary score-settling conversations with Miss B and Miss W (if you're out there will you PLEASE listen) about the pointlessness of hockey for life skills.
Is totally contrary to any teaching principles surely to only teach people who are already gifted at something. And leave the crap ones to whack a tennis ball against the sports hall wall instead as there is no point letting them "waste" tennis court time.
BTW Miss B - I know you were having an affair with that married bloke you took on the school skii-ing trip. Your tennis coach, my arse.

Posh - sorry for rant.
How about non competitive stuff for you instead. Is there anything you can take dd along to - with a creche or childminding facility? I used to do aquaaerobics and an exercise class where we could take babies along too.
My dcs are quite sporty - so far. Odd. I fear they may lose out though because I cannot see the point of it all, to this day. Whacking balls about - why?
But I do love walking, swimming, riding and biking. Just don't put me in a team and expect me to do anything other than stand around feeling miserable. Is ingrained.

I remember being kept back at the end of an athletics lessons because I refused to even try doing the high jump. It was only set up very low, but I was the fat uncoordinated kid (still am now!) and always hated jumping of any kind. The idea of running and leaping backwards into mid air was horrifying. The PE teacher wheedled with me for about ten minutes before I half-heartedly jump/stepped over it forwards, and then she gave up trying to get any more out of me and let me leave.

I counted down the days until I left for FE college to do A Levels and there was no more enforced sport!

Do they still do communal showers

Luckily I was good at sports so was always one of the first to be picked though can still remember waiting anxiously so can understand how horrible it was for the less sporty kids. Luckily, competitive sports improves once you leave school and join adult clubs. Footbal, netball etc all have divisions for reasons - so that everyone can play at their own level, so maybe some of you should give it a try even later on in life. As for being finished at 30, I know many still playing into their 40's and 50's. I've never enjoyed excerise just for the sake of excerise (like the gym, jogging etc) but great that hopefully there's something for everyone.

I hated PE and I hated PE teachers. I always remember one writing on my school report that I had 'serious problems'. How is not liking PE a serious problem? To me, PE was full of things that I didn't want to do and wasn't any good at anyway.

When I actually started going to the gym later, I found that I actually enjoyed it, but I'm still having to get over the mental conditioning of not enjoying exercise after loathing PE for so many years. Maybe that sounds a bit melodramatic, but the competitiveness completely turned me off and I'll do my best to ensure dd views exercise as fun, not misery.

"I just feel like I have missed out on such a large part of life by being so bad a sport"
no you really really haven't
I PROMISE you.
sport is not the same as exercise
sport is not the same as healthy
there are a million things to do with your life and competitive sport is just ONE fairly insignificant one
IMO

harpsichordcarrier - where the fark have you been?? Haven't seen you around for ages!

by the way I was no good at sport at school - bad co-ordination, not competitive in that way - and frankly it has affected me precisely not at all in the actual world.
about the same impact on my life as, say, not being much cop at woodwork either.
I lead a very happy fulfilled life, with a rewarding career (two, actually) a happy home life and plenty of confidence.
sport doesn't really matter. seriously.
fuhgeddaboudit as they say in Brooklyn

have been playing hockey hahahaha that's a joke by the way

Being good at the right sport definitely helps on the popularity front. I have similar memories to many here, although the painful ones are from primary school, so not about competitive sports, just team picking. My children have never complained about that, so I rather hope that teams get picked in different ways now. dd is always complaining about being injured though.

Here in Canada they have PE every day, but they seem to do a great variety of different games (and rarely "proper" sport). Both my children play sports out of school (currently basketball) and I'm keen on finding something they really enjoy and are good at, because I think it is good for them physically, the team aspect helps them socially, and also doing something you are good at/being part of a successful team is a good esteem booster. I thought I was terrible at all sports (I have very poor hand/eye coordination, and duck when people throw things at me) until I started rowing, which I am just the right build for. So I hope to find the equivalent for my two. Luckily neither appear as rubbish as me!

What's that saying? 'If you can't do, teach - if you can't teach, teach PE.'
(Apologies to all non-PE teachers)

harpsichord, why hello

I?d like to think things have changed since our schooldays (longer ago for some of us than others ) and that our DCs get a wider range of options for PE than we did. Certainly at DS?s school they are ?set? for sport before they are set for academic subjects, which seems sensible.

Can I put in a plug here for an organisation called SportsCoach ? it?s the sporting offshoot of StageCoach and it?s brilliant for DCs who want to try out loads of different sports. OK they do some team stuff such as softball and hockey (indoors, though, using noodles as sticks!), but they also do fencing, archery, orienteering, martial arts and a variety of team challenges ? think a cross between It?s A Knockout and Total Wipeout.

I have no connection to it, honest , except that DD has been going for 5 years, but one of the great things about it is that if you don?t like a particular sport or activity you know you?re only going to be doing it for a maximum of 4 weeks and then you?ll be doing something else.

I was only really sporty at university- Swimming was my thing at uni and Ju-Jitsu at school but all competed outside of school so my hate of running meant I was crap at PE- added to that the mortification at having to wear those Gymnastic knickers and being a C cup since I was in the first year at secondry school turned me right off school sports.

I had loads of friends at Ju-Jitsu and at school. Then at Uni it was more for the hot guys wearing speedo's social life of Swimming and waterpolo than being a popularity contest.

However- I would say that I am really glad I carried on at sport- I now keep fit and love running. I see fittness/ sport as an essential part of my life and couldn't imageon not keeping fit.

I aggree with others who say its about finding something that you enjoy. I used to hate running but I love it now as I CHOOSE to do it for head space not being made to do it by PE teachers in muddy cold fields.

I also hope my DD finds a sport which she enjoys and am willing to put her in a private school if it helps her develop it.

I wasn't sporty at school but have been since my mid 20s. I hated team games and the wearing inadequate kit in the cold. The kids good at sport at school were always the bullies.
Once I left school I discovered that I could run, albeit not really fast and that there were a variety of sports that suited me and where you didn't have to make a regular committment.
I think school PE should stress the huge range of sports available more, even if practically the PE department can't do those sports so people, especially girls realise there's more to sport than freezing playing hockey and netball or doing sprint races.

I DEMAND the prize on here for being the crappest at sport at school. I was so useless that my class actually sent me to Coventry for a term because I had "let down the form". That was six weeks of everyone blanking me because I was so useless. No mention of bullying in those days, of course. I don't think I even told my mum.

Fast forward to end of term and a new addition to the exam timetable: Games. A written games exam. And guess who came top? Yup, me. Unfortunately it just incensed the sporty girls even more. I received some sort of prize and I remember going up in assembly and all the mean girls jeering.

From looking at ds's experience of games and PE, though, Ii think things are kinder now. Ds is just as rubbish as I was, yet no-one ever picks on him or sneers.

It's nice to be fit and enjoy playing a sport, but in response to the OP, I don't think it makes life easier or ensures one's popularity.

I hated PE and it hated me. I was short, bandy-legged, weak, unco-ordinated and had mild joint problems - if I'm honest, I am still like that. I tried to take an interest in some indoor sports, but was successfully bullied out of the volleyball team by the captain and gave up. ("Why do you even try?" still haunts me.)

PE lessons are overrated as a source of exercise anyway. Most of the hour is spent changing, listening to the teacher droning/bellowing, fighting and picking teams. Not exercising at all, apart from fighting.

DD proudly informs me that she hates hockey and netball is boring. However, she is ace at gymnastics and represents her club.