Health What sport did you play as a kid?

[Herne Hill Hammer]

This is all in the 70s/80s

I started footy at 7 in the U/10s played to 13 had a season off played the winter and summer pennant seasons of tennis then returned to footy to start U/16s. Was finished with footy at 24 when I joined the Navy. Played one game with the Navy against the Army and cracked my right thumb knuckle in half.

Started Little Aths at U/7 level and went through to U/12s, gave it up to play cricket which I always regretted. I played cricket for 20 years and was very good at it but used to dominate athletics in long jump / triple jump / 60 and 100m hurdles and was always top 3 in 100 and 200m metres. Set the Victorian state record for the 100m hurdles at U/12 level at the State Championships in a semi-final only to run 4th by a whisker in the final and have the winner break my record, so there was never time to officially recognise it.

I played basketball for a number of years, it was always at night and was good for extra fitness for footy. Played indoor mixed netball for 3 seasons, very good game to play.

Indoor cricket for years, a couple of season of indoor footy when it first started. 3 seasons of softball, again at night during the footy season.

Others in a non official type environment were golf which I was quite handy at but gave away at 16 or 17, I also played a lot of squash and racquet ball while I was in the Navy. Touch footy a lot in the Navy and one game that I loved that we played in the Navy and I also played a fair bit at Primary School was European Handball (the one they play at the Olympics). It's a very underrated sport and is fantastic to play, it has a lot of elements from other sports in it.

I also played volleyball for the school for a year when I was having a break from footy. From '03 to '06 I played pennant indoor and outdoor bowls.

Footy and cricket I loved and sort of joined because of mates, we all joined because of each other and that's what you did in the winter in the 70s. All the rest I played because for whatever reason I wanted to.

I used to regret sometimes having parents that either weren't a bit more pushy or interested in what I was doing, particularly when it came to athletics and to a lesser extent footy and cricket. Tennis was the only sport I got professional tuition in and that was because mum played tennis.

 

[dales.girl38]

Age 4-7 - Ballet, tap, jazz etc.
Age 3ish-9 - Swimming.
Age 11 - T-ball
Age 9-16 - Scottish dancing
Age 15-18 - Girls football

Apart from Scottish dancing, I was pretty rubbish at everything.

 

[nicky]

Well I was playing footy last year in the winter. And every year, there's a sports carnival for Western Australian schools. I wanted to play soccer, just to have another sport to think about (rather than a possibly footy overkill). I got in the year before, and I got in this year.

About two weeks out from the competition, we had a scratchy against another team. My team comprised of guys in year 12, year 11, and the odd year 10. The other team was mostly year 11 students. We belted them about 11-0... well.. "we" is probably wrongfully inclusive. The other side needed a player. And I knew I was going to have to change shirts. It's that feeling, like at school, and you know the teachers going to ask you the answer. So I ended up swapping teams, and was made to play right back (almost the equivalent of the back pocket). I felt deflated all afternoon. A mate dropped me home and I shrugged it off, not caring. But I needed to complain to someone, my dad, and I just had a moment. Sport was a huge part of my life. But all the coaches not giving me games, blokes forgetting my name all the time, and never being congratulated wasn't a conspiracy – I was just very average.

It hit me pretty hard. But I don't care about it. Though it's kind of dented any serious sporting confidence. I'm semi-entertaining the idea of trying to get a game for the Uni team. But footy goes two ways for me: Spending a quarter and a half on the ground, or playing in a good position and having some respect from everyone. I don't know if I want to take that chance again.

I had a friend who's someone I no longer speak to, and frankly, never want to talk to again. He'd overcompensate (for things I won't mention) by running his guts out in footy... he'd get more game time than me... and he'd played soccer all his life. He couldn't mark and, like most kids who have never played footy, had a huge hook in his kick. Pretty disheartening.

Don't give up

 

[Alesana]

Was forced into Little Aths from under 6's to under 13's, won age group champion once and finished top 5 every other year.

Played footy or cricket nearly every day in primary school, started playing footy for the local team at age 10 and have played for 12 years but didn't play last year.

Played tennis for a couple of years at 13-14 then changed to cricket where I played the second half of one season and the first half the next at age 16. Only played cos a mate kept nagging me to and I was better than half the team.

Played 3 seasons of squash when I was about 14-15. And I'd have to say squash is an underrated sport, this would be my next favourite after footy I reckon.

So from age:
6-13: little aths
10-now: footy
13-14: tennis
14-15: squash
15-16: cricket

 

[The_Todd07]

Little Aths
Baseball
Cricket*
Softball
Football
Indoor Cricket
Indoor Soccer
Indoor Netball*

*Still Play

Baseball is the only regret in that list. I was a pretty good player but gave it away because I wasn't enjoying pitching anymore. In hindsight I should have just gone back to being a shortstop. Played against a handful of guys that have been drafted by Major league teams but they never made their debut. Played with Josh Spence who debuted for the Padres last season

 

[estibador]

Played 3 seasons of squash when I was about 14-15. And I'd have to say squash is an underrated sport, this would be my next favourite after footy I reckon.

Yeah it's great fun to play. Pretty intense when you're playing a good player too.

 

[MarcusP2]

Played tennis at a very average level throughout my schooling. Completely unco and terrible at most sports so just stuck with the one.

 

[WeetBixKid]

Played Rules from about 10 - 17, playing again this year. I like to think I was pretty good, represented the state etc. Played because of Dad, grew up kicking the footy with him & wanted to play for a team as soon as I could

Played one season of Union when I was 15, just to mix it up, was pretty good at it.

Played cricket for about 3 seasons. Liked watching it on TV, friends played, so I did too. I was average.

Played golf all my life but never regularly, I'm s**t but have been getting a bit better recently.

 

[darcytiger]

First sport I played was baseball. My dad and his dad were baseballers so he encouraged me into that. I played from 5-10 years of age. Stopped playing when we moved house away from a team and got more into cricket.

Started Milo cricket at about 6 or 7 and did that for a couple of years. Ended up playing properly when I was about 10. Started indoor cricket first, don't know why, then moved to a proper club when a few of my mates did. Played that at a good level until I finished school.

Did Auskick when I was like 5 and hated it. Still liked football just didn't like it. Started playing properly in under 10s. A kid at school played in the team and got a whole group of us to go down and play. Played at that club for 8 years, loved it.

My parents are sporty people and got me into sport. All of my baby photos are of me in a tigers jumper. So they facilitated the basic training in the backyard and into the tee-ball, Milo, Auskick. But it was friends that got me down to the clubs.

 

[neng]

Come from a small town where as a kid, if you didn't play sport, you were a loner... but I am a sport nut anyway.

Played footy since about 6 or 7 I think in what we called "freeball' which is basically just Auskick. Then moved up the ranks from there.

Played a bit of Basketball from 10 until about 13, wish I never quit.

Then finally got into Cricket when I was 11-12 and continued to do so all though my schooling days.

 

[Aquamarinejewel]

I played tennis as a kid and quite enjoyed it. Although, I did break a few raquets in the process.

In my teenage years, I took up netball and also enjoyed that.

 

[Dan Moody]

just an observation.
quite a lot of people in this thread have mentioned things along the lines of "yeah really enjoyed it but I was unco and rubbish" ETC ETC.
surely most in here would be downplaying their ability just so they don't appear a flog, if you were half decent at a sport then don't be shy in saying so.
that said, i was a pretty good footballer that won a league b & f, very good athlete that won a few state sprint titles, half decent at tennis and squash but an ordinary baseballer (i really wanted to be good at this game too) and a liability for my team at basketball.

 

[Norway]

I swam and sprinted. Also tried my hand at skiing, didn't like it and to this day I am s**t at skiing.

 

[Silent Alarm]

In the midst of it, I like to think I was good enough to represent Western Australia at soccer. Two of my close friends (I'll likely never speak to them again) were picked and played pretty consistently. One of them was a coaches son. So there was that small-club atmosphere and belief, and it became hyperbolic. Both were natural players, and had admirable traits, but as a winger, I really thought I complimented them.

At one stage (age 14) I thought I could probably play in the A-League. Not for 15 years, but to fill out a list for a season or two. That was without sky high hopes – they were reserved for playing for Arsenal, something which would have never happened, obviously. But, yeah, who knows.

I think I was always hard done by with coaches. But now, I really feel I over thought my own skill. My dad always played footy, but he'd encourage me with everything. He'd always tell me the right things, but at the same time, he'd always tell me when I played soft (in any sport). He was supportive without pushing me. But sometimes he might have concentrated on my own game a little too much. I don't know.

I wasn't unco, I had some tidy skills, but I was never a game maker 'nor amazing – and that's what I sometimes thought I was.

 

[.Shotties.]

Footy from about age 7 or thereabouts
Basketball from the same age till about 18
Cricket from 8 till 16. I don't know how, I hated every minute
League for two seasons from about 9.
Kyokushin from around 12.

 

[stmookeyj]

AGE 6: Touch Football....Played for Under 10's school team which was scary given I knew nobody (having moved from Melbourne to Qld only weeks earlier), I was the youngest in the team and struggled to understand some of the rules.

AGE 7: Rugby League.......Quit after 3 games

AGE 8-9: The World Game..........Defender as 8YO, Keeper in 9YO. As an 8 Year Old I did get some satisfaction from scoring a winning goal one day, one of only about 3-4 the team scored all year. We didn't really lose by a lot, but for just about everyone we hadn't played the game at some organised level before. My lack of speed saw me between the goals when I turned 9.

AGE 9-12: Cricket........School based aged 9-12, Club aged 10, topping the Under 10's batting averages. Opening Bat in Club, batted 3 or 4 for school. Fielded at either first slip or short cover, took about 8 catches in the season. Bowled right arm ordinary wobblers for club, but generally offies or leggies at school ("coaches" at school were not as great a fan as some of the older kids, and at club we already had a leggie)

AGE 10: Indoor Cricket, generally in the first batting pair.

AGE 11-12: Basketball, usually off bench. Could make odd basket but probably better defender.

AGE 15-: Footy

 

[powerful girl]

Thanks for all the feedback so far, good to see a diverse range of interests, it is no surprise that kids do tend to try lots of different sports and end up with the ones they love the most.

The purpose of this thread really is to try and establish the reasons behind why people take up particular sports in the first place eg; peer influences, internal desire to play, parental influence, forced to be involved at school???

Did you stick to the sports you were encouraged to take up by friends or parents?

Are you a parent steering your kids in a particular direction.

Is there any reason you wouldn't let your kids participate eg; health, location, cost etc

Who should marketing of a particular sport be aimed at? kids or parents?

Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated

 

[Tex_21]

Played footy from about 10, after a few years of VicKick(yeah, that's right) and Auskick. Gave it away 2 years ago at 20, because I am horrible and couldn't find a local club so short in the 2's that I could jsut roll up on Saturday and play (with work I couldn't train). Did play in an U/17 premiership team though.

Played years of indoor cricket, and eventually outdoor cricket. Gave it away at 16 when I got sick of standing in the field all day when I could go fishing or shooting instead.

Tennis was the only sport I was half decent at (by bush standards). Played it for years, should get back into it really, love the game.

Dabbled in racquetball (good game) and clay target shooting (love it, but its expensive). Bout the only other sport around home is indoor soccer, which I find utterly boring - same with basketball which also has a comp I think.

On topic as above - my old man always kicked a footy with me as a kid, so he always helped me out there, and was always helping around the clubs I played at as a runner/waterboy etc. Old girl was 'coach' of our junior tennis teams, and got me into racquetball. Both always supportive of sport, and had I wanted to do some other thing, I'm sure they wouldn't have minded.

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

Footy. Considering i am a massive lard arse, I was a decent full forward. Kicked goals, whinged and quit by 15.

Gave cricket a shot, but was useless.

 

[Righteo]

Tennis was my first sport, took it up at about 8 and played pennants and competitive tennis (tournaments and such) until about 17-18 and then Uni took over and unfortunately haven't had much time to have a serious hit since.

Still play when I can but none of my mates are really into it anymore and the good players are as busy as I am with work and Uni, and if you aren't a member of a club there's essentially zero decent public courts to choose from.

Started playing footy at 9 and have been playing ever since

5 year Judo stint in there somewhere but I quit after like brown belt or something, I regret not continuing with it as I'd be bloody pro by now.

Always loved playing cricket too but I have a rubbish batting technique and can't bowl anything other than chinaman pies.

 

[Righteo]

Yeah it's great fun to play. Pretty intense when you're playing a good player too.

Yeah this, played almost every night in my Murdoch Uni days. Great fun and you get a serious workout from it too.

 

[TheBigT]

Parents started me skiing when i was 3
Cricket from 8
AR from 10
Still ski regularly and play club cricket and footy.
Also played
Basketball for about 3 years
Tennis for about 4 years
Used to do club level swimming for 6 years

 

[Tex_21]

Always loved playing cricket too but I have a rubbish batting technique and can't bowl anything other than chinaman pies.

Ruccish technique a result of coming across from tennis? I know my old cricket coach used to get the shits with me opening my stance up (i.e. first movement is a step to midwicket) and swiping everything, like a forehand in tennis, because that's where I'd come from. Could smash the s**t out of it, but couldn't defend to save myself.

 

[Natho]

Footy started when I was about 6. Ever since I was born I was always going to play footy. Parents decked me out in eagles gear and I just loved footy.

Cricket started in under 11's I didn't like cricket much until about I gave it a shot and I loved juniors. Most of my juniors team went to same team which made it good.

 

[Righteo]

Ruccish technique a result of coming across from tennis? I know my old cricket coach used to get the shits with me opening my stance up (i.e. first movement is a step to midwicket) and swiping everything, like a forehand in tennis, because that's where I'd come from. Could smash the s**t out of it, but couldn't defend to save myself.

Haha, pretty much yeah. I'm more a Steve Smith, specialist fielder type.