I was never the athlete. As a kid, I was short, stubby, and had lungs that could barely hold in a couple of puffs of air. I liked sports but sports never liked me.
But if there was a sport in which I displayed any semblance of schoolyard competence, it would be football. I spent a bit of time playing it throughout my school years.
Fortunately, most of my peers gravitated towards basketball. At least when it came to intramurals, there was always space for me to be part of the class team even if I had to be relegated to the backline or just be “pang-puno.” That gave me the opportunity to know how to dribble, do a couple of tricks, and kick a good weighted pass.
Our father never had any sport, so I never really experienced that whole dad-and-son sports thing. He was never athletic, and not a spectator either. But he played chess and even that he never had the patience to teach me.
Since I’m always about giving the kid childhood experiences I never had, I’m letting her try whatever piques her interests. Not that we impose our own frustrations on the kid now but we do encourage her to try out extra-curricular activities. She’s really into ballet and dance but we figured exposing her to team sports like football can also do her some good.
Unfortunately, her first foray into it wasn’t productive. For starters, football isn’t exactly accessible. There aren’t spaces near our home that allow for decent play. We tried some classes offered by the nearby sporting goods superstore but instruction was inutile and the kid didn’t even get to learn the basics.
This time though, it’s her big school that’s offering enrichment modules during her school break. So even if she’s still continuing her ballet and even recently got into hip-hop and P-pop, we asked her if she wanted to give football another try.
She said yes. Given the schedule, I was the one accompanying her most of the time. She’s almost done with the scheduled sessions and she’s gotten to enjoy the sport. She’s still quite clumsy with the ball and a bit too nice (letting the kids from the other team get the ball since she wants everyone to have a fun time). At least the well-structured drills allowed her to a bit more functional. She even scored a few goals in their occasional five-a-sides.
Watching the kid had me itching to get back on the field somehow. Since we typically arrive early for her sessions, I packed my boots yesterday to kick the ball around with the kid.
I’m still short, stubby, and I’ve aged like moldy cheese instead of fine wine but being with the kid on the grass with a football had me all feeling young and giddy.
And for someone who always felt he’s working on borrowed time, even just a few minutes are golden. You’d never know when she’ll lose interest or move on to the next thing, so sharing a common interest is best dealt with in the here and now.