Hanging them up

Dude, I do the same thing. I just leave it open-ended. "I played in high school" doesn't mean "I was on the school team." It just means you played in high school.

 

Oh you definitely get to see it while you're working the minor hockey beat.

 

I still do road races, but I hung up my cross-country and track spikes after my last race in college.

It was at the Armory in New York City and I raced the 3000 meters. I took the lead from the beginning and tried to settle into a groove early. The pack caught back up to me near the middle laps (8 or 9) and I settled into the pace they set. It wasn't too fast and it wasn't too slow. Right where I wanted to be midway through the race.

I can still feel the pounding of the track and the jostling for position during the middle of the race. We came around on the 10th lap and someone kicked my feet. I began to stumble and someone pushed me to the ground. I fell onto the Mondo track and was scraped up a bit and looked up to see my coach yelling at me to get up and to get back into it.

Before being pushed down, I was well on my way to qualify for the postseason races and to run a personal record. I sprinted back to where I was and I was unable to take the win, but I came in 4th place overall.

It was a shame to end that way, but I have nothing to regret about my amateur running career.

 

flash, are you a goalie now?

 

Nope ... I'm nowhere near that crazy ...

 

I remember that one fateful day when Coach took me aside. I knew what was coming. "You don't have to tell me," I said. "I'm off the team, aren't I?" "Well," said Coach, "you never were really ON the team. You made that uniform you're wearing out of rags and towels, and your helmet is a toy space helmet. You show up at practice and then either steal the ball and make us chase you to get it back, or you try to tackle people at inappropriate times." It was all true what he was saying. And yet, I thought something is brewing inside the head of this Coach. He sees something in me, some kind of raw talent that he can mold. But that's when I felt the handcuffs go on.

 

you sure?

 

Hey, I'm smart enough to know I may never play again. I'm also smart enough to know how much it hurts to block one or two shots a game. I sure as fuck am not going to stand in there and take that many every few minutes or so.

 

Hey! [/former goalie]

 

I was a goalkeeper in my last season of competitive soccer. And yeah ... most of the league probably figured out I have a loose screw or two.

 

I stay on my toes by long-snapping the fresh laundry to my girlfriend the next room over.

 

Hey! That's crazy in a good way! I've even dated a goalie ...