NGS 2 Assignment 1.  Write about an athlete.  Any athlete! Broader than broad.

Ok you caught me.  No spicy stars under the avatar so you can't vote for me I am not a finalist.  But before you leave, stay awhile.

I have to say the first assignment stuck in my head for a couple hours.   Then I moved on, but days later after reading some of the finalists blogs and wondering who I would choose to write on.... it hit me. 

There is only one great athlete worthy of writing this on. He can't dunk a basketball, park one over the fence, and has never had a hole in one.  He didn't play in pro, semi-pro, or even college anything.  His best sport (horse racing) he gave up at a young age because he had a kid and I never even got to see him do that.  He did win some money at bars for arm wrestling, but gave that up early too.  As a matter of fact I can and do beat him in just about every sport, but he keeps coming back for more.  And I make this guy look silly.  Were talking dribbling a basketball between his legs, juggling a soccer ball over his head, or driving my golf ball a mile past his.          

                                                                       

By now maybe you know who this guy is.  Maybe you stopped reading because my athlete isn't athlete at all just my dad.  I can here you know screaming or just thinking "Not a cheesy dad blog can't you wait a few weeks tell fathers day." Well maybe it is cheesy but I don't care.  This my imaginary NGS2 assignment and this is who I choose. 

Besides this athlete has player coached for years.  Little league baseball, All-Star soccer champions, and last place soccer teams. 

We have all seen or heard about the abusive pee-wee coach who screams at his kids and then yells at the parents "you don't like it you take over."  Well how many of you are lucky enough to have the dad who never played soccer and still decided "ok I'll take over."  18 years later his son is married and his daughters could give a rip about soccer but he is still coaching.  Volunteering for one of the worst high school soccer teams in the state.  You know the one that has no JV or freshman team its just whoever trys out not only makes it but starts.

Maybe he is immune from losing to me in just about everything since I was 12.  Or maybe its that he knows it really isn't about winning.

The other day I broke 80 golfing for the first time.  I shot a 76.  The first person I called was my dad.  We haven't golfed together in over a year.  He was as excited about my 76 as he would have been about his 76.  The first thing he thought of saying was "well I better get by clubs out so you can whoop me at golf too."

Maybe he draws his strength from his one incredible winning streak.  Its a little like Josh Gibsons homeruns.  No one has an official count but we know it is way way up there. 

See as long as I have been alive my dad has never lost a wrestling match.  The arena is the living room carpet and the wrestlers are usually me against my dad - ocassionally one of my friends may become a victim.  The result is always the same.  Mom and sisters and now wife giggling on the couches or somewhere near by while my dad pins me or makes me say "uncle." My dad was a state wrestler in high school and I wrestled for a few months in third grade.  Between his perfect blend of experience and old man strength I always end up with rug burns, tweaked body parts, and in a little bit of embarassment.

But for the first time the streak is in jeopardy.  Last time we wrestled we went three rounds before calling it a draw.  And now between his age and all the time I spend in the gym I know I can beat him.  And also for the first time I don't want to beat him.  I have no problem creaming him in every other sport, but for some reason I don't wan't the day to come where I can pin my dad.  At first I didn't know why.  But now I suppose it is the same reason Giants fans don't want to admit Bonds did steroids, or Bulls enthusiast turn there heads at Michael Jordan's run with the Wizards.

See I don't want to admit that my sports hero is mortal after all.