Posted: Jun 13, 08 11:10am
I was very active in sports when I was younger and inclined to prance around. I don't have as much energy anymore, but I still like to follow my favorite sports.
I've always been an odd duck, and always had a hard time fitting into groups. In high school, I was a letterman in both basketball, and track and field. However, I always hated jocks. I really disliked their small mindedness. A lot of them just couldn't understand why I was so aggressive while participating in the sport, but not so much outside it. I always preferred going hiking, reading a book, or tinkering on the computers.
Part of having asperger's is the ability to concentrate for long stretches of time. My guess is that the combination of my physical therapy and my exposure to sports got me interested. I had to wear leg braces until around fifth grade. Part of my therapy involved jumping and kicking balls. I remember jumping in the house trying to touch the ceiling. The first floor ceiling was around 8 feet, and the second floor ceiling was close to 10 feet. I got so good at jumping that I was easily touching the second floor ceiling around 7th grade.
The thing that got me hooked on basketball was when I first saw Julius Erving playing. I could not get enough basketball after that. Used to drive my mom nuts. Used to spend hours just shooting hoops, almost in an compulsive/obsessive way. I actually did well, I got into an all-star team when I was a sophomore in high school. I won a regional first place in long jump when I was a senior in high school. Still hated jocks. *chuckle*
It was an interesting experience. :)
