As a little boy I played a variety of sports, I loved them all, but never really focused on one. Soccer, or footy as it will sometimes be referred to in this blog, is a sport that I played for one season as a 12 year old. I really liked it, but growing up in western Canada in the late 70's early 80's it really wasn't a very popular sport. So I started the search for something else...
Like many boys, I was interested in what my dad was interested in, and at that time it was baseball and the Montreal Expos. So I traded my footy jersey and cleats for a baseball jersey and glove. I ended up playing competitive baseball until I was 21, then I packed it in (I must be stubborn, because it took me eight years to realize that I was a horrible hitter).
So there I was, for the first time in my athletic life without a sport to call mine. I stumbled around for a few years playing slow pitch (barf), fast pitch (meh), cycling and ball hockey. I loved the ball hockey, can't remember why I stopped, but it was super fun.
I think I was 27 and was well into my career when I had a desire to play footy. When I found out that my best friend at work played on a team, I constantly bugged him to let come out and play. "Have you ever played before?" he asked. "Well, for one summer when I was 12, but I was really good and scored 5 goals. Can I come to practice?" For whatever reason, he finally gave in and invited me. The first few practices were tough, way more running then I was doing on my couch...
The big day came and it was time for me to play in my first competitive footy game. Here I was, a 27 year old rookie that really had no soccer skills at all. I was pretty fast, but was a disaster with the ball, so they put me where I would inflict the least damage to our side - they made me a striker. Well this is meant to be an inspirational blog, so I am pleased to announce that I scored for my new team the Wolves in my first competitive footy game. That game changed me forever....
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