What Sport are you into?

[Dave]

I just came across this lovely little collection of topical sporting photographs .... click through the links and then check out the previous days sets of images on the right hand side.

BBC Sports Photographs of the Day (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/photo_galleries/photos_of_the_day/3610533.stm)

Gotta love those racing piglets in Sydney :)

[seabie]

aww, cute little piggies :D..wonder how they get them to race? Someone in front of them with a bucket of slop, or someone behind them wielding a frying pan and a carton of eggs..? :)

My personal favorite spectator sports are football, football, and football! I enjoyed basketball a whole lot more before Krause did what he did to the Bulls, after the *sniff* glory years. :( :D

I don't get to play any sport as much as I used to for sure, but I was an avid softball player once upon a time :p..and waterskier too. I still enjoy swimming tho, and horseback riding -- tho those are a little too seasonal for where I live. I guess my winter sport is..PSing, lol.

[Dave]

Back in my youth I was a gymnast, that was HARD WORK but I used to enjoy it. I watched soccer when I could and for a few years was a regular supporter of Birmingham City. When I was working I played cricket and enjoyed that exercise immensely, it's a very sociable game at the low level I played at, though once or twice I did find myself involved in a serious game or two. A good sport to watch on the TV, but I found my few forays to the live events were not so enjoyable.

The one picture in that collection that got to me was of the England cricketers playing on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean (presumably Barbados). Back in '98 we happened to be in the same hotel in Barbados as they came to while touring and we watched them having a gentle knockabout on the beach one morning. I say gentle .... it was almost frightening their amazing hand eye co-ordination and sheer speed!

My son was a competitive swimmer during his teens and that kept me totally occupied for sevral years as his chaffeur to training sessions and competitions. I also got involved in judging and refeereing events as well as representing our club at county level.

Nowadays theres no strenuos sports on my list, we swim when we can (my wife and I) but that's very gentle, but it's good for the ol' ticker!

[Scott]

don't watch any of them..... well maybe the Xgames from time to time. I'll play just about anything though. I missed the "watch the game on tv" gene somewhere when I was growing up.

[seabie]

[QUOTE=Dave]we swim when we can (my wife and I) but that's very gentle, but it's good for the ol' ticker![/QUOTE]
And the joints too..nice and low impact. Lots of joggers will or are paying for all that pounding, ouch.

[Dsquared]

I love sailing. I grew up sailing and have never lost the love of it. I moved to Florida so I could spend [b]every single moment[/] of my spare time windsurfing, and I did for years and years and years. I finally put that aside when I moved to my new house, but I still get the urge now and then.
I like basketball, playing and watching. I used to bowl for a lot of years and was pretty good at it. I workout 3 or 4 days a week, which takes will power after working on cars in 90 degree heat every day. In the summer I will swim after my workouts to cool off and get a little cardio.

[PDG]

[QUOTE=Dsquared]I moved to Florida so I could spend [b]every single moment[/] of my spare time windsurfing, and I did for years and years and years.[/QUOTE]

Now you've got my full and undivided attention. I've been looking at windsurfing more and more lately. It intrigues me. Is it an expensive sport to start and maintain? Is there anything you could tell me/warn me about if I was to start?

I used to play doubles beach volleyball everyday for several years. I also did Tae Kwon Do for about 6 years and I ran/biked consistently for way too many years. Now I'm trying to find a new one (hint, hint D2 ;))

[TinCupid]

Me? Golf and Chess (is chess a sport?)
Tennis also, and like Jolt, I missed the Football,Basketball,baseball etc gene.
I guess Freud would say I choose individual sports because it matches my independant personality. But I think some may say it's because I'm an anti-social SOB....
;)

[Dsquared]

[QUOTE=PDG]Now you've got my full and undivided attention. I've been looking at windsurfing more and more lately. It intrigues me. Is it an expensive sport to start and maintain? Is there anything you could tell me/warn me about if I was to start?

I used to play doubles beach volleyball everyday for several years. I also did Tae Kwon Do for about 6 years and I ran/biked consistently for way too many years. Now I'm trying to find a new one (hint, hint D2 ;))[/QUOTE]

Windsurfing is an absolute blast. If you know the basics of sailing you can learn fairly quickly how to windsurf, if you don't know how to sail it will take you a day longer to learn. It is as physically challenging a sport as you want to make it. If you don't want to put any effort in, or are tired then you can just relax and coast. If you want to go fast then you have to put forth some effort, but it is mainly just balance and flexing on your knees. If you have ever skied then you'd be good at windsurfing.
It is a one time expense, basically. You buy the board and a sail and you are set for a long time, then you will buy another sail. No maintance costs. Buy a used board, get some lessons and next thing you know you'll be sailing to the Bahamas!
The biggest problem I ran into, litterally, was sea turtles. You get clipping along at a very fast speed and hit a sea turtle and the board will stop but you won't. Then not only do you have to swim back to the board after flying 30 feet and landing face first in the water, but you also have to suffer the "you stupid idiot" look the turtles give you, lol.
I eventually had to pretty much quit the sport. After 15 or more years of living to windsurf every day... leaving work early, not coming home until well past dark every night,timing my vacations around regattas, etc., my wife and my financial life were suffering. She devised a plan. "Let's buy a house." she said. She found one, 45 minutes from my favorite sailing spot, instead of 10 minutes where we had been. She found a mortage that needed someone working full time to pay for it, too. lol. Plus all of my windsurfing friends were getting older (not me, nope) and lazy and were trading in their boards for jet skies and water bikes.
I'd love to try kite sailing some day, that looks like a blast.

[claven]

[QUOTE=Jolt]don't watch any of them..... well maybe the Xgames from time to time. I'll play just about anything though. I missed the "watch the game on tv" gene somewhere when I was growing up.[/QUOTE]

I can identify sort of. I can only watch sports that I don't/didn't play. I love to watch football because I never played in a league. Every time i watch hockey or soccer, i just get antsy to go play.

[Silky]

My favorite spectator sports are hockey and football. I LOVE hockey! What's not to love about a bunch of hot guys beating the crap out of each other! Love the action! I don't care to watch baseball on TV except once a year when the College World Series is on. I'll watch that from beginning to end. I used to watch professional basketball on TV, but quit watching after the Bulls lost Jordan. I never got my love for the Bulls back after that. My favorite sport to participate in is tennis. I played in high school and a little in my first year of college, but then got sidetracked with other things.

[Dave]

[QUOTE=Silkenfairy]My favorite spectator sports are hockey and football. I LOVE hockey! What's not to love about a bunch of hot guys beating the crap out of each other! Love the action! I don't care to watch baseball on TV except once a year when the College World Series is on. I'll watch that from beginning to end. I used to watch professional basketball on TV, but quit watching after the Bulls lost Jordan. I never got my love for the Bulls back after that. My favorite sport to participate in is tennis. I played in high school and a little in my first year of college, but then got sidetracked with other things.[/QUOTE]
So what happened to that growing passion for NASCAR? You know .... Drive fast, turn left :)

[PDG]

[QUOTE=Dsquared]Windsurfing is an absolute blast.[/QUOTE]

Awesome, awesome , awesome! Thanks a bunch for the info D2. I think I'll head down to Key Biscayne and take some lessons there. Sounds like a true blast to me.