If you could pick 2 sports, which do you think you have the most natural ability to play? Which do you feel like you could have been at least on a varsity college team if only you had devoted a lot more time to developing your skills in them?

I think for me it would be tennis and maybe basketball

2/17/2009 9:27:08 AM

Tennis and Disc Golf

2/17/2009 9:32:33 AM

I would say going to Duke

2/17/2009 9:51:09 AM

Bass fishing and rifle.

2/17/2009 9:52:31 AM

Quote :

"I would say going to Duke "

2/17/2009 9:53:11 AM

definitely wrestling. really wish I didn't slack off as much as I did in HS. I kind of took for granted the fact that I had wrestled so long and didnt train as hard as I should.

maybe soccer. I was a goalkeeper for years and did well at the club level, but I was a little short, and theres not much that can be done about that unfortunately:/ When it comes down to someone who is on equal levels of ability as you but 6 inches taller, its tough. ie look at state's GK on the current roster, 6'1, 6'2, 6'4 and I'm 5'8ish.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 10:12 AM. Reason : ]

2/17/2009 9:54:00 AM

I would probably start for NC State in both football and basketball, but I don't feel like running all the time.

2/17/2009 9:54:19 AM

if i wouldn't have quit club (soccer and swimming) in high school...got an offer from a small school but chose against it...oh life's regrets

2/17/2009 10:10:23 AM

probably rifle, maybe basketball or a racquet sport

2/17/2009 10:13:43 AM

Soccer.

I grew up in a small town where the high school didn't even have a soccer team until I was in 8th grade. Had to travel an hour to play on club teams throughout middle school and high school, so I was only able to make it to a couple practices a week and just didn't get the experience I needed. But always made all-star teams when I went to camps. Just never really thought about it until my senior year when I owned a couple D-1 players on big teams we had on our schedule...but it was still a little too late then. Was invited to walk-on at USC (did well at camps there), but wanted to try to do that at NC State but eventually pussied out.

Kind of regret it...only because I've always wanted to play a varsity sport at NC State. But know I probably would have been a bench player at the most.

2/17/2009 10:17:18 AM

I sometimes think if I had gotten my act together and gotten in shape before college instead of after, I definitely could have been at least a walk-on at football somewhere.

Oh and I'm a lefty so there's always a chance I could have played baseball. I was always a consistent hitter and fielded relatively well. There's always a place for true lefty on first.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 10:35 AM. Reason : .]

2/17/2009 10:34:36 AM

I, too, have faded dreams that were never to be.

2/17/2009 10:39:59 AM

Baseball - I would have played at the college level (not ACC or anything) if my arm didn't break down.

Basketball - If I had a bigger frame/was taller I have NO doubt I could have played at least DII basketball. I play pretty well as it is at my gym with a guy who plays for UN-R. I haven't played in a few months now though so I'm probably REAL rusty!

Nothing else even close...

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 11:45 AM. Reason : x]

2/17/2009 11:44:23 AM

i could not have made any varsity college team seeing as i am 5'6-120, haha

i do enjoy playing safety during pickup football, though. ultimate is also fun.

2/17/2009 11:56:05 AM

I feel like a badass when I got to Rush Hour Carting. So I'm going to say racing. What highschool has a varsity racing team? Screw that jv crap.

2/17/2009 12:00:43 PM

Hockey and basketball

Biggest mistake in my life was quitting hockey when I was in 7th grade. I would have probably got an athletic scholarship to division II (maybe division I) school for hockey. I picked up hockey again for the first time in 8 years last January and now I'm a solid contributer on an A-league. Most of the guys I play with played college or minor league hockey. One guy actually played in the NHL for awhile (Steven Rice).

2/17/2009 12:03:51 PM

probably basketball or golf.

when I was playing/practicing golf I actually got a lot better. To play consistently well though I'd have had to train like fucking vijay though.

2/17/2009 12:06:00 PM

^^

Quote :

"Biggest mistake in my life was quitting hockey when I was in 7th grade. I would have probably got an athletic scholarship to division II (maybe division I)"

nice, contributor in A-league? I hear that DII hockey is excellent these days

2/17/2009 12:28:38 PM

probably baseball and football. i've only played football recreationally, but i think with training i could've been a slot receiver or something

2/17/2009 12:30:52 PM

i never played football competitively, but i'm sure i'd be in the NFL had i played

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 12:34 PM. Reason : ]

2/17/2009 12:33:38 PM

This thread is hilarious.

I bet if I kept playing driveway basketball, i'd probably be playing in Europe now. If i was maybe four inches taller, and had 30 more pounds of muscle, and just a little more skill, and didn't smoke and drink as much, and i was black.

2/17/2009 12:45:08 PM

i actually did make it to the driveway basketball big show for a couple seasons

2/17/2009 12:46:44 PM

^^ It's asking about NATURAL ABILITY. Now, sure some people might be exaggerating, but natural ability is different than the physical tools needed to play at a certain level...

To be able to play at the highest couple of levels you need to be graced with both the natural ability AND the physical tools... I don't get why it's that hilarious if you think about it like that.

2/17/2009 12:49:16 PM

basketball/soccer

a lot of my friends i used to play with in high school ended up playing at d-I and d-II schools. west rowan, home of scooter sherrill. too bad i was made of glass. i had way too many injuries. torn meniscus, dislocated knee, broken wrist twice, injured my neck as a pole vaulter, broke both my big toes, cracked ribs, concussion, tore all the ligaments in my ankle twice, i also had some heart problems while i was in college. i had a hank gathers type incident one time, it was pretty scary, i collapsed on the court and had to go to the hospital. who knows, if i could've stayed healthy, maybe i could've been the next steve nash.

2/17/2009 12:51:08 PM

golf or baseball

2/17/2009 12:55:52 PM

^^^oh, i understand. i'm just saying that some of the resopnses are hilarious.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 12:56 PM. Reason : ]

2/17/2009 12:55:59 PM

Swimming and Cross Country Running

I seemed to have a natural ability at both of these. I was never at a college level but then again I never concentrated on either sport enough to really push my limits. I always played soccer in the spring and fall so I never truly trained year round for any sport. I think if I had really focused on swimming I could have maybe swam for a lower level college team. I could always keep up with the year rounders and I was fairly close to qualifying for state in HS. Oh well, I'd be lucky to swim 10 laps without dying these days.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 1:06 PM. Reason : blah]

2/17/2009 1:03:14 PM

i have no natural ability, but of the things i could've excelled in if pushed to the max:

- left wing striker - but never been a great ball handler so other forward positions wouldn't work

- field goal kicker & punter

- 2nd baseman - great fielding skills & rarely strike out

- prop - if rugby was a varsity sport

2/17/2009 1:17:57 PM

Quote :

"This thread is hilarious. I bet if I kept playing driveway basketball, i'd probably be playing in Europe now. If i was maybe four inches taller, and had 30 more pounds of muscle, and just a little more skill, and didn't smoke and drink as much, and i was black"

I just underestimated my athletic ceiling.

I was really small in high school (like 5'7" 130-135)...so my skills always kept me on par with the really good players because I was very overmatched in size (I was really quick and pretty fast too). I never lifted in high school, so I never really knew how much I could improve athletically.

Then I get to college, start lifting with my sister (awesome rugby player), and I put on 20 lbs of muscle and now I'm grabbing the rim (never came close before) and running much faster than I ever had..in the span of one semester. Kind of pissed me off and made me wish I had gotten into weights when I was in high school and maybe I could have gotten a little more exposure.

2/17/2009 1:19:59 PM

hockey..........I see the ice pretty well.

2/17/2009 1:22:03 PM

Ahh....the could have been's! Technically if you didn't play in college you still have 4 years of eligibility left right? I mean look at Chris Weinke. NEVER GIVE UP!

2/17/2009 1:34:00 PM

Golf for sure, I was a +2 in college but I got significantly better after my freshman year than I was in high school...probably a 5 handicap. I didn't have a good lesson until spring of my freshman year so I have to think I could have done it.

I wish I played more basketball growing up but I doubt I could have played in college. I was one of those kids who played every sport I could (basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, etc) but only played during the season they were active...so I was decent at everything but really good at nothing until I started playing golf year round in high school.



[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 1:41 PM. Reason : ]

2/17/2009 1:39:38 PM

^^Not quite. I think Weinke was playing minor league baseball and just never went to college. Once you enter college you have 5 years to play 4.

Quote :

"I was one of those kids who played every sport I could (basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, etc) but only played during the season they were active...so I was decent at everything but really good at nothing"

This pretty much sums me up.

Scratch golfer, two year basketball starter, #1/2 tennis player, and #1 golfer.

2/17/2009 1:49:02 PM

golf and basketball

2/17/2009 2:22:51 PM

Disc Golf and maybe Paintball (it's actually becoming a "varsity" sport at some colleges recently)...

2/17/2009 2:59:10 PM

nothing

2/17/2009 3:04:53 PM

hockey and tennis

2/17/2009 3:05:47 PM

^^^whoa seriously, varsity paintball? haha, wow, where at?

2/17/2009 3:12:26 PM

^According to a couple guys I know who play club paintball for NCSU... it's happening here in the next year or two (don't see any reason they'd be lying. mostly they just seem overjoyed about the whole thing)... And I would assume that they'd need some other varsities out there to play against if that's happening.


Actually... scratch that. Looked it up a bit more. They're going to be going from being an unofficial paintball club to being an official Club Sport. Misinformation FTW. Still, that is some degree of official-sport-ness.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 3:19 PM. Reason : .]

2/17/2009 3:15:47 PM

I play in the rugby super league, which is the most "major league" we have for american teams. if i was 7 years younger i could (probably unsuccessfully) compete for a spot on the eagles.....but.......

btw

Quote :

"- left wing striker - but never been a great ball handler so other forward positions wouldn't work - 2nd baseman - great fielding skills & rarely strike out - prop - if rugby was a varsity sport "

um, if you were going to play prop, doubtful you would be fast enough to play left wing or a middle infield position. shouldn't bullshit about rugby.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

2/17/2009 3:31:29 PM

2/17/2009 3:46:05 PM

Is that an amateur league or professional? I'm completely ignorant to Rugby in the US, but really respect those who have the athletic ability/toughness to play it.

As far as needing to be quick to be a middle infielder, you need to have good instincts, good footwork and "burst." You don't necessarily need to be all that fast. Chase Utley is a good example of a guy who is technically perfect, but isn't classically fast.

2/17/2009 3:46:45 PM

the majority of players are amatuers. all of the USA eagles come off of either super league or division one sides. however, there are some players who get jobs and perks to play for certain teams in certain areas. there are a handful (or less) who get recruited to play overseas. for the mostpart, however, it's strictly amatuer. USA rugby should give out money to the super league sides to help with ridiculous travel. example: dallas to washington DC for unpaid players.

amazingly, the USA seven's rugby team is actually very good. but seven a side and traditional rugby are as similar and different as baseball and softball.

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 3:51 PM. Reason : .]

2/17/2009 3:50:09 PM

If I stuck with basketball I probably would have at least been about to play in High School. I could probably have played smaller college safety.

2/17/2009 4:02:50 PM

lacrosse

maybe football

2/17/2009 4:09:58 PM

i can boot a 50 yard field goal

2/17/2009 4:20:31 PM

Swimming and Automobile Racing

I've always been a very good natural swimmer. Swam summer league countless years when young and was on my HS's team junior and senoir years (we won States both those years). I was never a front runner but was always nipping at the heels of the year round swimmers. I didn't care enough for a year round commitment though. Even in college almost every year I'd win my events in the intramural swim meet, despite never practicing

I've also always been a great driver and am pretty damn good at finding the line on a race track or finessing an automobile around an AutoX course. The one year I put a lot of effort into it I won the SCCA title for my class in South Carolina (and with a car 5-10 yrs older than most of my competitors). But racing requires a lot of time and money and in most cases starting at a very young age. I still have a life goal to compete in an amatuer racing series but even that requires at least $20k/year.

2/17/2009 4:21:07 PM

^is being the best driver in SC anything like being the tallest midget?

2/17/2009 4:43:26 PM

i always fancied myself as one of the better orange soda drinkers in the continental united states

2/17/2009 4:47:54 PM

^^I wasn't competing in the top class so its more like being the tallest porn midget's fluffer

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 4:48 PM. Reason : ^]

2/17/2009 4:48:07 PM