I think basketball was my best. I was the best player in my club league and made our HS team by lighting up the varsity starters in tryouts. I then was made an example of by being the only player cut from the team on a "special last cut" after I overslept and missed the bus for our 1st road scrimmage game. I didn't work hard enough after that at it because I was bitter and knew the coach didn't think I was dependable enough to put on the team after that, even though I remained better than all but 1 or 2 varsity players the following year.
I have always been naturally good at all sports. I played flag football in a semi-pro league in VA (QB & TE), competitive volleyball at my college (VCU) and RVC, and various adult softball leagues, but never focused on any one sport. I was always just kinda lazy and didnt give 100% at any of them. Now, I passed my own cautionary tale on to my 2 boys while I coached them in soccer in their adolescence. Both were recruited to play college soccer. The older was more athletic but chose the Air Force to see the world and give to his country. The younger is a gifted seer of the angles of the game and is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. He would get up at 5am every morning before school to run the neighborhood and do ball-handling drills. He is playing for a semi-pro soccer club with D1, D2 and USL soccer players at the age of 19. He also plays college soccer and is transferring to a new school this coming year after redshirting at NAIA Point University in Georgia. It has made me very proud that they both learned from my mistakes and are chasing their own dreams with tenacity.
I was a scrawny kid, 5'10" and weighed 145, I didn't hit 6'1" until I was 20. Played Pop Warner football, RB and WR. Fast, but not particularly fond of getting hit. Relied too much on being fast, until i started playing kids faster than me, and decided I'd rather just run and not get pummeled. So track and field it was. Went to State for the mile relay.
It was Australian football for me. Was doing quite well until I blew out my ACL while filling in for a mate’s mixed indoor netball side (stupid game). That ended my football ambitions.
I’ve just watched all of Australian survivor and some of the players are supposed to be famous or at least professional Australian athletes. I wonder if you’d know of any of them.
Ultimate Frisbee. That alone should tell you all you need to know about my prospects as a professional athlete. It was super fun, though, and led to me playing for my college team and on club teams throughout my 20s.
Chasing women, followed by football, baseball, wrestling and bike riding. Missed out on basketball fundamentals (military brat) and felt stupid trying to avoid my urge to tackle the ball carrier.
I played everything in high school which probably pissed off coaches because I refused to commit to just one sport so I played Soccer, Baseball, basketball, track and football. I loved basketball and football the most. Played soccer in college and coached tons of youth sports and high school football for a decade.
Zabel looks great at times. I really hope our line does well and he's a big reason why, but I'm tempering expectations. It's a tough ask to make that jump seamlessly. I for one will cut him a lot of slack while he develops as long as I see the potential and some growth. Lord knows we need us a hit on the o line...no more misses please. Go Hawks!
It was football, but track was close behind. I was a decent RB and absolutely loved playing. Track was an activity to do in the spring, but I did well as a sprinter and at triple jump.
As in...was on a team, got coaching? I ran cross-country in ninth grade, but lost my varsity slot in the district meet. I was invited to practice with (but not play for) the basketball team that year, a team which went winless for the season. But I went to a jock high school that won state titles in baseball and wrestling, sent a QB to the Raiders. Mostly I played typewriter, a lot of pickup hoops, and tennis when the Seattle weather permitted.
Basketball, but that was just geography. Because if you were a "just ok" USA basketball player but lived in North Brazil in the 70's, you were an all-star.
Football, but I was not great. I was “recruited” by a couple of non-scholarship liberal arts colleges and played almost 2 years of college ball, before a bad concussion “knocked” some sense into me.
Probably Tae Kwon Do. I preferred football and boxing, but I excelled simply due to the fact that my competition in TKD were usually far less athletic kids than me. I am so thankful that MMA wasn't around then; because I would have certainly pursued it.
i was talking with Grey about this article. Turns out he is a SSJ Fan. Thanks for sharing that! Those high school days feel like a lifetime ago. I’ve been fortunate to grow and develop both on and off the field since then. Always appreciate the love from Seaside Joe and Kenneth Arthur.
I was always one of the smallest kids in my class, and wasn't much of an athlete. Played hockey until high school, and was a fair cross country runner, but that's about it. On the plus side I have no injury history, have had no surgery on any joint, and am able to do all of the basic barbell movements without pain or limitation. So sucking at sports has had one major plus later in life.
Preach! I'm walking with a crutch this week from tweaking my bad knee. Which is way worse than when it's my pile of trash ankle giving me trouble. And my neck doesn't turn to the right very far. While I wouldn't take back playing football K-12; I do regret not taking better care of my body and sitting out when something that holds two parts together would hurt. But as I used to tell my nephew, "kids are stupid! I know, I used to be one." Now that he's 30, he finally agrees. You feel absolutely invincible and have zero regard for your future middle aged self.
Half of the SSJ comments section disappeared from my computer, so:
To Danno : "Brown University and Washington University" ~ We were rooting Y'all on, Brownian Motion, at the 2024 USA Ultimate D-I College Championships.
To Grant : "I played for Whitman College (a.k.a. the Walla Walla Sweets)."~That's Cool, both Men's & Women's teams are often in the mix to challenge for a Championship at Nationals.
Thanks Charley, it’s been quite a few decades for me. My 50th reunion is coming up in a couple of years. I had as much fun playing ultimate as i did playing football. I met my wife on an a coed ultimate intramural team I put together. We needed 3 women for the team. (4 men) I had 2, so I took the frisbee to the main green and decided to just throw it to some girls hanging out there. If they caught it and threw it back accurately, I was going to ask them to be on the team. I threw it at a group of three girls, one of them ran in front of the other two to catch it and threw it right back at me. I didn’t even have to move. It was perfect. I asked her if she could do that again and she said, “better than you.” It was love at first sight. I hope you and your family have a great time with the sport!
"However, Zabel did punt in Riggs’ 103-0 win." Mr. Zabel, we're set at Punter, 'n we need a player from Oceania anyway. Just focus on your O-Line play !
I played high school freshman football at 98lbs. I was fast and quick and returned punts and kick offs. The coach was sweating bullets every time I touched the ball worried I'd get killed. I didn't make the weight to play JV. Due to insurance the minimum was 135 lbs. I got up to 108.
"How did Jesse Plemons lose all the weight?" [He lost 50 pounds over 18 months using intermittent fasting and mindful eating—no drugs, no gimmicks, no personal chef required. In interviews, Plemons shared: “Several people talked to me about intermittent fasting… I tried it.]
Something KenJoe brought up time to time in his earlier SSJ's. Don't do intermittent fasting but do stop eating later at night a lot earlier than i used to so am healthier. Thanks, KenJoe !
DO need to do more Mindful Eating, ... actually more Mindful Living.
I'm appreciative for that school of thought. My whole life I have been told that it's the most important meal of the day but some black coffee and I'm good to go until noon or 1 PM. In my adult life I can't remember ever having interest in eating when I wake up or the next few hours.
Zabel seems like a outstanding young man, kind of reminds me of Steve Neihaus our very first draft choice, not overly sexy but such an outstanding individual . I only hope he has as distinguished career as Steve. As far as playing sports, I was a ski racer made into the Jr. Nationals, still skiing to this day the best thing about growing up in the PNW is being able to enjoy winters on the slopes.
Lived on a farm and allowed to play in only one sport because of responsibilities and chose football. I was probably better at basketball but was drawn to football.
In Zabel I trust! At left guard. But I feel Sundell is also going to be a starter at either center or right guard. I just re-watched the Green Bay game last year and he played well against a D-line that got 9 sacks? He really held up well after Olu was knocked out of the game. I actually went back to watch him specifically. He played so well i can’t figure out why he didn’t play more at RG last year after that game.
Yeah, after the draft i watched film highlights and read about Cabledue. His athletic profile is elite. I went out on a limb and said by season’s end he would be right guard and Sundell would be center. If you’re looking for the 5 best athletes for the O-line it would be Cross, Zabel, Sundell, Cabledue and Lucas. I’m not sure about Cabeldue’s strength and ability to anchor in pass pro, but hopefully he’s hitting the weight room and working with a strength guy. But last year none of the 3 right guards we used could pass block. That’s why i found it so strange Sundell didn’t get starts there after he played so well against Green Bay. Maybe he was their only backup at center and didn’t want to risk injury playing guard. Greg Bell watched every OTA and minicamp open to reporters, and has access to the players and coaches, so at the very least, I’m sure they’re open to giving him the chance to win the job. My eyes will also be on Cabledue in the preseason games. Unless there’s significant improvement in pass protection from Haynes, Bradford or Laumea, Cabledue can work his way up into the mix. The other possibility is a JS trade for a RG if no one improves enough to win it. Fant for a RG?
What if Fant doesn’t show any more than he has the past two years? What if Barner shows more as a blocker and receiver? What if Arroyo shows promise enough of a ceiling higher than Fant? What if it comes down to Russell or Fant on the roster and the valedictorian of Tight End University looks like not only a better Tight End than last year, but he’s by far the best FB after Ouzts and they don’t want to carry only one FB on the roster? What if not only that, Russell continues to offer top 8 special teams play? What if Fant continues to show only passable play as a receiving tight end, no real red zone or goal line threat and barely acceptable blocking skills?
Can we afford to use a roster space on a very athletic TE who averages one TD reception a year? There are some people who say we should just release him for the extra $8.5 million in cap space. Maybe someone would give us a RG for his “athletic promise?”
A lot of what-ifs here. As of today, Fant is the best receiver among the TEs. Since the WR room has its own share of question marks, it’s unlikely that the Hawks will move on from Fant unless the offensive coaches feel good about starting Arroyo (or Barner makes a huge leap). Not over $8M.
Even Colinsworth was commenting about Sundell and his play...he looked really good in space. He pulls fast and locates and neutralizes his targets well...he just looked a little over matched size and strength wise imo. But he did well.
He’s bigger and stronger after the offseason, and likely more savvy at picking his targets to block. I think if Olu looks better than Haynes or Bradford, Sundell will move to RG so the 5 best linemen start week one.
Question: what was your best sport growing up? (As in you played)
I think basketball was my best. I was the best player in my club league and made our HS team by lighting up the varsity starters in tryouts. I then was made an example of by being the only player cut from the team on a "special last cut" after I overslept and missed the bus for our 1st road scrimmage game. I didn't work hard enough after that at it because I was bitter and knew the coach didn't think I was dependable enough to put on the team after that, even though I remained better than all but 1 or 2 varsity players the following year.
I have always been naturally good at all sports. I played flag football in a semi-pro league in VA (QB & TE), competitive volleyball at my college (VCU) and RVC, and various adult softball leagues, but never focused on any one sport. I was always just kinda lazy and didnt give 100% at any of them. Now, I passed my own cautionary tale on to my 2 boys while I coached them in soccer in their adolescence. Both were recruited to play college soccer. The older was more athletic but chose the Air Force to see the world and give to his country. The younger is a gifted seer of the angles of the game and is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. He would get up at 5am every morning before school to run the neighborhood and do ball-handling drills. He is playing for a semi-pro soccer club with D1, D2 and USL soccer players at the age of 19. He also plays college soccer and is transferring to a new school this coming year after redshirting at NAIA Point University in Georgia. It has made me very proud that they both learned from my mistakes and are chasing their own dreams with tenacity.
Ice Hockey. I was a defenseman and played in the Seattle area and in the Bay area.
None of the above.
Track. PBs were 1:55 in the 800, and something like a 53s split in the 1600m relay (3rd leg), My PB mile was 4:35, but I never competed in it.
Baseball. I pitched and played first base. Lefty. Hit .400 throughout my career. The Viet Nam war and politics ended my playing days.
Lacrosse
I was a scrawny kid, 5'10" and weighed 145, I didn't hit 6'1" until I was 20. Played Pop Warner football, RB and WR. Fast, but not particularly fond of getting hit. Relied too much on being fast, until i started playing kids faster than me, and decided I'd rather just run and not get pummeled. So track and field it was. Went to State for the mile relay.
It was Australian football for me. Was doing quite well until I blew out my ACL while filling in for a mate’s mixed indoor netball side (stupid game). That ended my football ambitions.
I’ve just watched all of Australian survivor and some of the players are supposed to be famous or at least professional Australian athletes. I wonder if you’d know of any of them.
Maybe. But I don’t watch survivor.
Ultimate Frisbee. That alone should tell you all you need to know about my prospects as a professional athlete. It was super fun, though, and led to me playing for my college team and on club teams throughout my 20s.
Which college team did you play for? Two of our kids are Really into Ultimate Frisbee.
I played for Whitman College (a.k.a., the Walla Walla Sweets).
Brown university and Washington University
I played Ultimate after my concussion caused my to stop playing football. Great sport! I played it in the 70s and 80s.
Chasing women, followed by football, baseball, wrestling and bike riding. Missed out on basketball fundamentals (military brat) and felt stupid trying to avoid my urge to tackle the ball carrier.
I played everything in high school which probably pissed off coaches because I refused to commit to just one sport so I played Soccer, Baseball, basketball, track and football. I loved basketball and football the most. Played soccer in college and coached tons of youth sports and high school football for a decade.
Zabel looks great at times. I really hope our line does well and he's a big reason why, but I'm tempering expectations. It's a tough ask to make that jump seamlessly. I for one will cut him a lot of slack while he develops as long as I see the potential and some growth. Lord knows we need us a hit on the o line...no more misses please. Go Hawks!
It was football, but track was close behind. I was a decent RB and absolutely loved playing. Track was an activity to do in the spring, but I did well as a sprinter and at triple jump.
As in...was on a team, got coaching? I ran cross-country in ninth grade, but lost my varsity slot in the district meet. I was invited to practice with (but not play for) the basketball team that year, a team which went winless for the season. But I went to a jock high school that won state titles in baseball and wrestling, sent a QB to the Raiders. Mostly I played typewriter, a lot of pickup hoops, and tennis when the Seattle weather permitted.
Basketball, but that was just geography. Because if you were a "just ok" USA basketball player but lived in North Brazil in the 70's, you were an all-star.
Football, but I was not great. I was “recruited” by a couple of non-scholarship liberal arts colleges and played almost 2 years of college ball, before a bad concussion “knocked” some sense into me.
Probably Tae Kwon Do. I preferred football and boxing, but I excelled simply due to the fact that my competition in TKD were usually far less athletic kids than me. I am so thankful that MMA wasn't around then; because I would have certainly pursued it.
i was talking with Grey about this article. Turns out he is a SSJ Fan. Thanks for sharing that! Those high school days feel like a lifetime ago. I’ve been fortunate to grow and develop both on and off the field since then. Always appreciate the love from Seaside Joe and Kenneth Arthur.
Water polo - State Champs! But in WA that's only about 10 teams...
I was always one of the smallest kids in my class, and wasn't much of an athlete. Played hockey until high school, and was a fair cross country runner, but that's about it. On the plus side I have no injury history, have had no surgery on any joint, and am able to do all of the basic barbell movements without pain or limitation. So sucking at sports has had one major plus later in life.
Preach! I'm walking with a crutch this week from tweaking my bad knee. Which is way worse than when it's my pile of trash ankle giving me trouble. And my neck doesn't turn to the right very far. While I wouldn't take back playing football K-12; I do regret not taking better care of my body and sitting out when something that holds two parts together would hurt. But as I used to tell my nephew, "kids are stupid! I know, I used to be one." Now that he's 30, he finally agrees. You feel absolutely invincible and have zero regard for your future middle aged self.
And if I'd have been more capable, that would have been me. Stubborn SOB I am.
Half of the SSJ comments section disappeared from my computer, so:
To Danno : "Brown University and Washington University" ~ We were rooting Y'all on, Brownian Motion, at the 2024 USA Ultimate D-I College Championships.
To Grant : "I played for Whitman College (a.k.a. the Walla Walla Sweets)."~That's Cool, both Men's & Women's teams are often in the mix to challenge for a Championship at Nationals.
Thanks Charley, it’s been quite a few decades for me. My 50th reunion is coming up in a couple of years. I had as much fun playing ultimate as i did playing football. I met my wife on an a coed ultimate intramural team I put together. We needed 3 women for the team. (4 men) I had 2, so I took the frisbee to the main green and decided to just throw it to some girls hanging out there. If they caught it and threw it back accurately, I was going to ask them to be on the team. I threw it at a group of three girls, one of them ran in front of the other two to catch it and threw it right back at me. I didn’t even have to move. It was perfect. I asked her if she could do that again and she said, “better than you.” It was love at first sight. I hope you and your family have a great time with the sport!
Whoa! Blessing come in many ways. Y'all stay Healthy 'n Happy !
My favorite sport in HS was football, wide receiver and defensive end. Then basketball, forward, followed with tract, low hurdles and relay teams.
That's one able Zabel! (groan🙄)
"However, Zabel did punt in Riggs’ 103-0 win." Mr. Zabel, we're set at Punter, 'n we need a player from Oceania anyway. Just focus on your O-Line play !
... unless you feel the need to play D-line Edge.
I played high school freshman football at 98lbs. I was fast and quick and returned punts and kick offs. The coach was sweating bullets every time I touched the ball worried I'd get killed. I didn't make the weight to play JV. Due to insurance the minimum was 135 lbs. I got up to 108.
"How did Jesse Plemons lose all the weight?" [He lost 50 pounds over 18 months using intermittent fasting and mindful eating—no drugs, no gimmicks, no personal chef required. In interviews, Plemons shared: “Several people talked to me about intermittent fasting… I tried it.]
Something KenJoe brought up time to time in his earlier SSJ's. Don't do intermittent fasting but do stop eating later at night a lot earlier than i used to so am healthier. Thanks, KenJoe !
DO need to do more Mindful Eating, ... actually more Mindful Living.
Yup! It's not complicated, but it can be difficult. Habits are hard to break. I haven't eaten breakfast in 7 years.
I'm appreciative for that school of thought. My whole life I have been told that it's the most important meal of the day but some black coffee and I'm good to go until noon or 1 PM. In my adult life I can't remember ever having interest in eating when I wake up or the next few hours.
.
Zabel seems like a outstanding young man, kind of reminds me of Steve Neihaus our very first draft choice, not overly sexy but such an outstanding individual . I only hope he has as distinguished career as Steve. As far as playing sports, I was a ski racer made into the Jr. Nationals, still skiing to this day the best thing about growing up in the PNW is being able to enjoy winters on the slopes.
Love that you included a pic of Al Bundy in this story.
I was thinking how many of us SSJers he could have added to that! For almost everybody, once you graduate HS, football is over.
I had to look up who Al Bundy was. I was not very familiar with that TV series. I was not crazy about that type of humor.
Lived on a farm and allowed to play in only one sport because of responsibilities and chose football. I was probably better at basketball but was drawn to football.
I played qb, rb, safety and lb
In Zabel I trust! At left guard. But I feel Sundell is also going to be a starter at either center or right guard. I just re-watched the Green Bay game last year and he played well against a D-line that got 9 sacks? He really held up well after Olu was knocked out of the game. I actually went back to watch him specifically. He played so well i can’t figure out why he didn’t play more at RG last year after that game.
FWIW, Greg Bell projects Sundell as the starting center. Whatever happens, Haynes didn’t get reps at center because the coaching staff sold on Olu.
Yeah, after the draft i watched film highlights and read about Cabledue. His athletic profile is elite. I went out on a limb and said by season’s end he would be right guard and Sundell would be center. If you’re looking for the 5 best athletes for the O-line it would be Cross, Zabel, Sundell, Cabledue and Lucas. I’m not sure about Cabeldue’s strength and ability to anchor in pass pro, but hopefully he’s hitting the weight room and working with a strength guy. But last year none of the 3 right guards we used could pass block. That’s why i found it so strange Sundell didn’t get starts there after he played so well against Green Bay. Maybe he was their only backup at center and didn’t want to risk injury playing guard. Greg Bell watched every OTA and minicamp open to reporters, and has access to the players and coaches, so at the very least, I’m sure they’re open to giving him the chance to win the job. My eyes will also be on Cabledue in the preseason games. Unless there’s significant improvement in pass protection from Haynes, Bradford or Laumea, Cabledue can work his way up into the mix. The other possibility is a JS trade for a RG if no one improves enough to win it. Fant for a RG?
Arroyo would have to show an awful lot for Fant to be moved.
What if Fant doesn’t show any more than he has the past two years? What if Barner shows more as a blocker and receiver? What if Arroyo shows promise enough of a ceiling higher than Fant? What if it comes down to Russell or Fant on the roster and the valedictorian of Tight End University looks like not only a better Tight End than last year, but he’s by far the best FB after Ouzts and they don’t want to carry only one FB on the roster? What if not only that, Russell continues to offer top 8 special teams play? What if Fant continues to show only passable play as a receiving tight end, no real red zone or goal line threat and barely acceptable blocking skills?
Can we afford to use a roster space on a very athletic TE who averages one TD reception a year? There are some people who say we should just release him for the extra $8.5 million in cap space. Maybe someone would give us a RG for his “athletic promise?”
A lot of what-ifs here. As of today, Fant is the best receiver among the TEs. Since the WR room has its own share of question marks, it’s unlikely that the Hawks will move on from Fant unless the offensive coaches feel good about starting Arroyo (or Barner makes a huge leap). Not over $8M.
I suspect Zabel and Sundell are going to love showing us what Dakota boys are made of.
That’s nice,but I’d rather they show the 49ers and Rams what they’re made of. ;)
Even Colinsworth was commenting about Sundell and his play...he looked really good in space. He pulls fast and locates and neutralizes his targets well...he just looked a little over matched size and strength wise imo. But he did well.
He’s bigger and stronger after the offseason, and likely more savvy at picking his targets to block. I think if Olu looks better than Haynes or Bradford, Sundell will move to RG so the 5 best linemen start week one.