It sucks to suck

There’s no better way to realize how many muscles you don’t (or do) use than to play a sport you’ve never played before.

Sports, serious team sports, freak me out. Or used to. I’m not sure right now. Okay, so I’m slowly trying to get over it. This may seem odd to athletic people but that’s because they were trained to handle the pressure. If you’re not used to it, sports can be pretty overwhelming. It’s the competition and the stress of people depending on you, the fact that when you literally drop the ball, everyone knows it was you, you who lost it.

Luckily the team I got roped into had a perfect season of all losses, so no pressure there. I still think they tricked me, though. I joined only because they desperately needed girls and because I was allowed to play only the early games (which totaled to 2 last season). Better than nothing, yes? I initially asked if I’d have to buy anything and they said no. Then I asked again once I was committed, and they said, “Yeah, it’s probably best if you do…” Ohhh, how sneaky!

Having no clue how to play softball, I thought it was wise to come in for a couple of practices to learn the basics. The first practice consisted of a small group of “five”. (To put it another way, I was the only one who didn’t bring a boyfriend.) Our coach gave me some tips on catching and later re-taught me how to bat. Catching is fun when someone throws it to you. Now, if someone hits it your way, that’s… challenging, possibly even painful. Batting? Extremely frustrating all around.

Mainly, it sucks to suck.

The day after practice, I was sore, sore, sore! It was mostly my back and arms that were complaining so much that it affected the way I walked. I’m told I sort of waddled if I wasn’t paying attention. It goes to show that warming up properly can make a big difference in how you feel afterwards. Will do that next time.

Excuse me, I need to go stretch like a cat now.