Were you athletic as a kid?

[Trek420]

Outdoorsy as a kid I climbed trees, built forts, fished for crawdads in the creek, biked o course .... but I sucked at sports.

If there's a ball involved I can be bad at it.

In Jr. High - High School when we choose sides for any team I was always last picked.

So I learned to hate sports.

We took swim lessons each summer, I love to swim. I got as far as Jr. and Sr. lifesaving. If they'd had prescription goggles could have done that in summer .... my eyesight's so bad on the final test I had trouble finding the "body" As I recall the other parts of the test I did ok, swimming laps with a rescue, swimming laps with a weight held over your head...it was fun.

I didn't discover there were other sports till about college and there is a whole 'nother world!!

Who knew?

I could rock climb, hike, bike of course and I discovered I liked martial arts.

I took a Tai Chi class till that teacher moved, found a Karate teacher till she moved, found another Karate dojo in a similar style and then ... I saw Aikido demonstrated by my teacher and I was hooked.

That was about '80.

And of course the whole time I rode.

I feel lucky to have found two "lifetime sports" that I enjoy and that reward knowlege and experience.

Sure, it's different at 50, I don't sprint as well on a bike, I don't do breakfalls at all on the mat. I think I more than make up for that in other ways.

Barring injury or illness I hope to be able to do both for a long time.