I have spent the better part of my life being a basketball player. For those of you living under a rock, basketball is a team sport. Very much a team sport. Five on five. May God have mercy on the weakest link on each team.
I have recently been watching some grass court tennis and Olympic swimming trials. The head-to-head nature of tennis and swimming makes these two sports very different for me to watch compared to my own sport of choice.
But I think I may be converting to a head-to-head sport fan. While the team nature of basketball (along with the essence of the game itself) will always hold some amount of interest for me, I can freely admit that I do not enjoy watching it as much as I used to.
More and more I find myself attracted to the person-to-person combat of individual sports. There is something that I find intriguing about what is lurking beyond the surface of the immediately obvious in these races and matches. The mentality of the participants is a huge part of their success or loss.
It's not that that's not also true to some extent in team sports, but it is possible for a team to do well while one member is struggling. The same is virtually impossible in an individual sport.
In college, I kept playing basketball long after I stopped really loving the game because I loved my team. It's not that I didn't want to let them down. It's that I didn't want to miss being a part of what they were, what we were. It was worth it. Every second of it.
(Well, except maybe those several thousand horrendous seconds when coach kept sending us out of the gym during an early morning practice to come back in more cheerful and full of pep. And then there was the time when he expected us to run 10 double-downs in 2 minutes because we could all run 5 in 1. Except for those seconds, I have no regrets.)
Tennis players and swimmers have the ability (or not) to single-handedly best their opponent. They deal with fatigue, injuries, bad calls, crowds, and intimidation all on their own.
To me, this is impressive. And I would have to think long and hard about it. But I might even say that they are the superior athletes because of the mental strength they must possess in addition to their physical assets in order to win.
But my team, my girls... I would not trade my experiences with them for any amount of athletic superiority.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Friday, July 6, 2012
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Beagle and Friends: Part II
The theme of this second installment of the review of Maximilian's friends will be just how closely linked animal friends can be to one another...
This is Grace again, the amazing Velcro dog, demonstrating her inability to ever be too close to the being upon which she has chosen to lavish her particular (and fierce) affections for the moment. And again, Maximilian has stolen her favorite chair. I did check periodically while they were sitting like this to be sure that Maximilian was still able to breathe comfortably.
This is Maximilian's best good friend, Benny, who can also have moments of never being able to be close enough to the Beagle. I wonder what Grace and Benny would do if introduced... Maximilian probably should not be present for that occasion, lest they both desire to pile on top of him and he ends up at the bottom of a three-dog pile.
No folks, these are not conjoined beagle twins. This is Maximilian (left) and Buster enjoying a rare moment of stillness together before taking off to chase one another around the house and yard once again (in these episodes, the older Beagle (Maximilian) learned to simply wait for the younger Beagle (Buster) to circle back around whatever object they were using as the center for their game of chase (i.e. house, shed, human, etc.) and would then take a lunge at him rather than following him (or being chased by him) around and around said object).
One time, when Maximilian and Buster had had a longer-than-usual gap between their romper dates, they were reunited as my car (containing Maximilian) pulled into a parking space next to Buster's owners' car (containing Buster). Both Beagles had a slightly rolled-down window, and both used this to their full advantage to vent their best Beagle howls upon recognizing one another, and both struggled attempting to squeeze out of their respective 3.5-inch window gaps. A good Beagle time ensued. Maximilian misses Buster and wishes him the best in Hawaii!
And last, but not least, this is Addy, another good friend of Maximilian's. For these two, lounging in the sun is just as much a priority as greeting one another with kisses on the lips. On this particular day, I think Maximilian probably became jealous of Addy's well-chosen spot in the sun and somehow sneakily manipulated her out of it (perhaps by moving his lips out of her reach), leaving her the second-best spot in the house just outside of the range of the window's spill of sunlight.
This is Grace again, the amazing Velcro dog, demonstrating her inability to ever be too close to the being upon which she has chosen to lavish her particular (and fierce) affections for the moment. And again, Maximilian has stolen her favorite chair. I did check periodically while they were sitting like this to be sure that Maximilian was still able to breathe comfortably.
This is Maximilian's best good friend, Benny, who can also have moments of never being able to be close enough to the Beagle. I wonder what Grace and Benny would do if introduced... Maximilian probably should not be present for that occasion, lest they both desire to pile on top of him and he ends up at the bottom of a three-dog pile.
No folks, these are not conjoined beagle twins. This is Maximilian (left) and Buster enjoying a rare moment of stillness together before taking off to chase one another around the house and yard once again (in these episodes, the older Beagle (Maximilian) learned to simply wait for the younger Beagle (Buster) to circle back around whatever object they were using as the center for their game of chase (i.e. house, shed, human, etc.) and would then take a lunge at him rather than following him (or being chased by him) around and around said object).
One time, when Maximilian and Buster had had a longer-than-usual gap between their romper dates, they were reunited as my car (containing Maximilian) pulled into a parking space next to Buster's owners' car (containing Buster). Both Beagles had a slightly rolled-down window, and both used this to their full advantage to vent their best Beagle howls upon recognizing one another, and both struggled attempting to squeeze out of their respective 3.5-inch window gaps. A good Beagle time ensued. Maximilian misses Buster and wishes him the best in Hawaii!
And last, but not least, this is Addy, another good friend of Maximilian's. For these two, lounging in the sun is just as much a priority as greeting one another with kisses on the lips. On this particular day, I think Maximilian probably became jealous of Addy's well-chosen spot in the sun and somehow sneakily manipulated her out of it (perhaps by moving his lips out of her reach), leaving her the second-best spot in the house just outside of the range of the window's spill of sunlight.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Beagle and Friends: Part I
Maximilian the Beagle has some close doggy friends (as any gentleman Beagle should do). Of these friends, perhaps the most velcro-y/needy/possessive/loving of them all is Grace.
Grace is half Australian Shepherd and half Vizsla. And her third half is something bigger and more than either of those two breeds. (Yes, she has three halves - if you met her, you'd understand.)
This is Grace when she was a puppy. Since then, her nose has gotten pointer (all the better for bopping you with), and she's gained about 50 pounds.
Grace developed a near-violent love for Maximilian from the beginning. She wanted to play with him and chew on him and run around with him. But Maximilian, being the regal Beagle that he is, would only willingly partake in one of those activities - allowing Grace to chew on him.
She would nibble on his ears and his neck like she was grooming him. The photo above is, I believe, her being caught in the act and saying: "What? What am I doing wrong?" Maximilian is clearly in a posture of acceptance. It's a good thing Maximilian's Beagle ears are fairly thick.
This is Grace, being a little more kind. Instead of chewing on him, she is trying to spend time with him by partaking of one of Maximilian's three favorite activities, napping (the other two being eating and walking). Grace can never ever be close enough to anyone - ever. Even if it's uncomfortable for both parties. Notice, that Maximilian is again displaying acceptance posture, but is getting his snooze on nonetheless. To be fair, Maximilian has taken over her chair.
This photo is from some years later - Grace has obviously mellowed out a little. But her need to be (very) near the people and things she loves has not been daunted. And on a hot summer's day, this is apparently enough physical contact to keep her happy.
My favorite picture of the Beagle and the Vizsla-Australian Shepherd is this one. I'm pretty sure Grace also prefers this type of activity to napping (I couldn't say for sure about Maximilian). This is during a walk around a pond in the middle of a hay field. Hot and happy dogs.
Grace is half Australian Shepherd and half Vizsla. And her third half is something bigger and more than either of those two breeds. (Yes, she has three halves - if you met her, you'd understand.)
This is Grace when she was a puppy. Since then, her nose has gotten pointer (all the better for bopping you with), and she's gained about 50 pounds.
Grace developed a near-violent love for Maximilian from the beginning. She wanted to play with him and chew on him and run around with him. But Maximilian, being the regal Beagle that he is, would only willingly partake in one of those activities - allowing Grace to chew on him.
She would nibble on his ears and his neck like she was grooming him. The photo above is, I believe, her being caught in the act and saying: "What? What am I doing wrong?" Maximilian is clearly in a posture of acceptance. It's a good thing Maximilian's Beagle ears are fairly thick.
This is Grace, being a little more kind. Instead of chewing on him, she is trying to spend time with him by partaking of one of Maximilian's three favorite activities, napping (the other two being eating and walking). Grace can never ever be close enough to anyone - ever. Even if it's uncomfortable for both parties. Notice, that Maximilian is again displaying acceptance posture, but is getting his snooze on nonetheless. To be fair, Maximilian has taken over her chair.
This photo is from some years later - Grace has obviously mellowed out a little. But her need to be (very) near the people and things she loves has not been daunted. And on a hot summer's day, this is apparently enough physical contact to keep her happy.
My favorite picture of the Beagle and the Vizsla-Australian Shepherd is this one. I'm pretty sure Grace also prefers this type of activity to napping (I couldn't say for sure about Maximilian). This is during a walk around a pond in the middle of a hay field. Hot and happy dogs.
They will see each other soon - we can only hope that one of them (who shall remain nameless) won't piddle on the floor in excitement.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Worms at the picnic
I went on a picnic with some long, lost friends the other day. There were sandwiches, cookies, cold soda pops and fruit salad. There were sunshine, a light breeze, green-leafed trees and a nearly complete absence of flying bugs that could bite us. It was an idyllic spring day with good food and good company.
We situated ourselves at a picnic table in the shade and commenced our lunch. In the silence that followed the commencement of our lunch (yes, the food was good), I looked closely at the picnic table in front of me. And I noticed some non-flying bugs. Several different types in fact. No less than three types of caterpillars making their slow, purposeful way around our table in search of I-don't-know-what - food probably.
A worm in an apple may be considered bad luck, but these little fellows were not really causing any harm at our feast, so they were allowed to continue their independent paths across the table - probably unaware of us or one another. They presented a brief photographic challenge (which I accepted). And as with many things, I came to appreciate them more after seeing them through a camera's lens.
This guy was the first one I noticed (perhaps because he was the biggest and furriest). He was also the most sedentary.
Then this fellow appeared - to me this is very near the stereotypical version of a caterpillar that is the stock picture in my mind when I think of caterpillars (which is really not that often, I suppose).
And then this miniature cousin appeared, and he walks kind of funny. I actually just googled inchworms and found out that they are indeed caterpillars, not worms as their name suggests. I suppose I may have known this, but confirmation was necessary. This was not as shocking to me as when I found out (not all that long ago) that glow worms are real, non-fictional beings (though again, not truly worms). Perhaps more on them another day...
Oh, and Maximilian was there too, being his regal self (eye goop and all), sitting and watching children play and birds fly and leaves rustle on the trees, enjoying the sunshine as he is so wont to do.
A good time was had by all.
We situated ourselves at a picnic table in the shade and commenced our lunch. In the silence that followed the commencement of our lunch (yes, the food was good), I looked closely at the picnic table in front of me. And I noticed some non-flying bugs. Several different types in fact. No less than three types of caterpillars making their slow, purposeful way around our table in search of I-don't-know-what - food probably.
A worm in an apple may be considered bad luck, but these little fellows were not really causing any harm at our feast, so they were allowed to continue their independent paths across the table - probably unaware of us or one another. They presented a brief photographic challenge (which I accepted). And as with many things, I came to appreciate them more after seeing them through a camera's lens.
This guy was the first one I noticed (perhaps because he was the biggest and furriest). He was also the most sedentary.
Then this fellow appeared - to me this is very near the stereotypical version of a caterpillar that is the stock picture in my mind when I think of caterpillars (which is really not that often, I suppose).
And then this miniature cousin appeared, and he walks kind of funny. I actually just googled inchworms and found out that they are indeed caterpillars, not worms as their name suggests. I suppose I may have known this, but confirmation was necessary. This was not as shocking to me as when I found out (not all that long ago) that glow worms are real, non-fictional beings (though again, not truly worms). Perhaps more on them another day...
Oh, and Maximilian was there too, being his regal self (eye goop and all), sitting and watching children play and birds fly and leaves rustle on the trees, enjoying the sunshine as he is so wont to do.
A good time was had by all.
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