What sport(s) do you or did you play? And what was your one shining moment?

[john4psu]

It’s very easy to be critical of players at the collegiate and professional level yet how many of us wouldn’t trade places with them and wish we were competing at such a high level of athletics.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt

We should never lose sight of that but all too often we do. So with that in mind, what sport(s) do you or did you play and how far did you get? What was the apex of your athletic career, your finest hour, and what was your one shining moment in sports that stands out above the rest?

 

[UncleRoyBiggins]

I played high school football. I once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game.....oh wait, that was another tv show.

 

[fairgambit]

It’s very easy to be critical of players at the collegiate and professional level yet how many of us wouldn’t trade places with them and wish we were competing at such a high level of athletics.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt

We should never lose sight of that but all too often we do. So with that in mind, what sport(s) do you or did you play and how far did you get? What was the apex of your athletic career, your finest hour, and what was your one shining moment in sports that stands out above the rest?

I am still playing softball in my 60's in a quality league where the average age is mid 30's. About 10 years ago my team was playing a team new to our league, with bunch of young guys I did not know. It was a double header (7 innings each) and I was going to DH both games so I was keeping score. I went over to the other team to get their lineup and discovered that their score keeper was my 23 year old female neighbor. Her boyfriend was one of the starters for the other team. I took the lineup and walked away feeling a lot of pressure to hit well. To make a long story short, we won both games and I went 8 for 9. The only time they got me out was the last time when I hit a line shot that the shortstop made a great play on. My previous at bat I got a triple, sliding into 3rd, and as I dusted myself off, I heard one of their guys in the dugout say "Geeze, we can't get this old guy out" and the scorekeeper said, "That's my neighbor". Damn, that was sweet.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

I played high school football. I once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game.....oh wait, that was another tv show.

Polk High...I was at that game and you were AWESOME!!!

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I went over to the other team to get their lineup and discovered that their score keeper was my 23 year old female neighbor. Her boyfriend was one of the starters for the other team. I took the lineup and walked away feeling a lot of pressure to hit well. To make a long story short, we won both games and I went 8 for 9.

Designated Hitter, Designated Tapper, whatever you call him ... fair always seems to be upping his game whenever the younger ladies are watching.

 

[fairgambit]

Designated Hitter, Designated Tapper, whatever you call him ... fair always seems to be upping his game whenever the younger ladies are watching.

I hadn't though about it that way, but you are right! I am going to consider changing my name to "Stud Muffin".

 

[PA_JOE]

Okay if we're opening this question up to old man softball I'll share my 15 seconds of fame. Summer IM league on campus at PSU (open to students faculty and staff) about 15 years ago. Semifinal game, my faculty/staff team is up 2 on a mostly student laden team with one out in the bottom of the 7th. I'm nestled in my right field slot with their left handed clean up slugger strolling to the plate. He jacks a monster shot to deep right center and I pull it in back handed, at full gallop, inches off the ground way beyond where my normal range suggested I should be able to get to it. I wheel around 360 style showing the ball to the ump and realize that both runners are now all the way home and scampering backwards to where they belong. Peg the guy going all the way back to first, double play, game over. We go on to romp in the championship game that same night giving us old geezers the improbable title and mystical Intramural block of wood trophy which turned out to be our first of back to back summer titles. LEGEN.....DARY good times ensued.

I am still playing softball in my 60's in a quality league where the average age is mid 30's. About 10 years ago my team was playing a team new to our league, with bunch of young guys I did not know. It was a double header (7 innings each) and I was going to DH both games so I was keeping score. I went over to the other team to get their lineup and discovered that their score keeper was my 23 year old female neighbor. Her boyfriend was one of the starters for the other team. I took the lineup and walked away feeling a lot of pressure to hit well. To make a long story short, we won both games and I went 8 for 9. The only time the got me out was the last time when I hit a line shot that the shortstop made a great play on. My previous at bat I got a triple, sliding into 3rd, and as I dusted myself off, I heard one of their guys in the dugout say "Geeze, we can't get this old guy out" and the scorekeeper said, "That's my neighbor". Damn, that was sweet.

 

[fairgambit]

Okay if we're opening this question up to old man softball I'll share my 15 seconds of fame. Summer IM league on campus at PSU (open to students faculty and staff) about 15 years ago. Semifinal game, my faculty/staff team is up 2 on a mostly student laden team with one out in the bottom of the 7th. I'm nestled in my right field slot with their left handed clean up slugger strolling to the plate. He jacks a monster shot to deep right center and I pull it in back handed, at full gallop, inches off the ground way beyond where my normal range suggested I should be able to get to it. I wheel around 360 style showing the ball to the ump and realize that both runners are now all the way home and scampering backwards to where they belong. Peg the guy going all the way back to first, double play, game over. We go on to romp in the championship game that same night giving us old geezers the improbable title and mystical Intramural block of wood trophy which turned out to be our first of back to back summer titles. LEGEN.....DARY good times ensued.

Good story. I love it when the "seasoned veterans" deliver.

 

[chiro31]

I played LB and had a particular hatred for the team we were playing my Jr yr. I had 9 tackles, a sack, fumble recovery and a near Int in a 7-6 loss. Next game I got hit on a kickoff return cheap shot.. Right knee ACL, LCL and chipped my patella. That was the end of the glory days.

 

[Fac]

Minor league baseball. When I say minor league I mean 8 year old league before going to the majors (Little league) Hickory Township which is now called Hermitage. We played ball in an old style ball park with metal advertising signs on all of the outfield walls. Dugouts were cinderblock. The feel was that of a major league park. Stadium was just existing as it was now just used for the minor league. Our uniforms were cotton hand me downs from old Little league teams. The felt letters and numbers showing years of ball playing and machine washing, half torn or missing. Most uniforms were too big for all of the kids. Anyway here is my story, I was jumping the wall to get into the field of play and my shoestring got caught on the wall and I did a headfirst into the turf with my foot hanging up in the air caught in the fence.

 

[john4psu]

Fair,
No PEDs needed to go 8-for-9 in front of your young female neighbor?

 

[marshall23]

First a little back round. I was born in 1950. My Dad was like most fathers of that era. He was a WW2 combat vet (28th Division 112th Regiment Co.K) Battle of the Bulge Bronze star winner. If you grew up in that era, you were too young to understand what most of the fathers had endured in their lifetimes. I don't remember my Dad ever saying he loved me or giving me a hug or shaking my hand except the day I graduated from high school. I'm not complaining, I think that it was that way for most of the kids I grew up with. I had a good childhood and I never wanted for anything.
Anyway, I was a decent high school football player, better than average. I made the squad in college and generally was too small to impress anyone at that level. One season we played Bloomsburg for our homecoming and we had a 17-0 lead if I recall at half time. The coaches put me in at CB and I played the entire second half. It was a great feeling, especially since Bloom was sort of my hometown area college and I knew and had competed in HS against many of their players. But more importantly, my Mom and Dad had made the trip for the game. After the game, my Dad posed with me on the field and I still have the faded Polaroid picture. Once in awhile, I pull out that photo and think to myself that I'm pretty sure that on that one day for a few hours, my Dad was proud of me.

 

[dmallory7]

Football captain class "B" school. - all state (HM) QB 1962. 5 TD passes one game, 3 running TDs against a Class "A" school - beat them 39-18 on their home field.

 

[kgilbert78]

I played soccer most of my life, until I hit 50 (and 50 hit back). Most of it was in amateur leagues around Columbus. Best? hard to say--one was a left footed waist high volley that caused a teammate to turn around and say "Where the f*** did that come from. The biggest was in a Corporate Challenge final, where we were down 1-0 shortly before half and just couldn't get anything going and I took a pass about 30-35 yards out and hit a screamer over the keepers head. We scored the next three goals as well to take the championship. The most fun part was one of my club teammate who was playing in CC for our opponent who was yelling at his team to mark me--and then yelling that he told them to mark me....

I also played some intramural ice hockey at tOSU, which was a blast--but I just couldn't stay up to play at midnight to 1 am once I had a real job, which was the only time you could get ice time.

 

[kgilbert78]

Another favorite team event was the time we were playing a local HS team indoors (who were pretty good and often went to State) with my mostly ca. 30+ team. We got a lot of trash talking before the game and they were so confident that they didn't even bother to mark our forward (not me). Five goals later, they began to figure out they had a problem. What they didn't know was that our forward had played at Northwestern....

 

[johnmpsu]

I was on my undergraduate ski team (not PSU) and we competed in a league with other colleges. In the last race of the season we were leading the team competition for the year. Six skiers would race and the top 4 times from each team would count. In that last race, I was racing 6th for my team and 2 of my team mates who were better than me had already crashed. That meant to have 4 times, I had to finish. I had all 5 guys yelling at me that I needed to finish for the team to win the league. If I crashed we would only have 3 times and we would lose. No pressure.... Somehow I rode the ruts and put up a decent time for us to win the league.

 

[fairgambit]

First a little back round..............
Once in awhile, I pull out that photo and think to myself that I'm pretty sure that on that one day for a few hours, my Dad was proud of me.

I think, marshall, that your Dad loved you, and was proud of you, more than you knew. My Dad was in his generation and, like your Dad and so many others, also had difficulty expressing love and other emotions. Maybe they thought it was a sign of weakness, but I know they felt love and pride deep inside. My Dad did. Yours did too.

 

[NitneLiun]

In high school it was tennis, wrestling and cross country for me.

Mediocre wrestler. Pretty good at cross country and tennis.

There was no single bright, shining moment.

 

[Cpeplion]

Played Baseball.....got to play in Bradenton til I got hurt. In College I doubled off of Billy Wagner (shortest pitcher with the biggest legs I've ever saw....and the ball was like a laser beam out of his hand) and in High School I went 3-4 with 2 RBI vs R.A. Dickey (before he was a knuckleballer)....funny story is that after 15 years just two years ago a guy that played in Clearwater moved to our area and now we play on the same church softball team.

 

[uscgPSU]

I grew up swimming, playing basketball and pretending I could play baseball in Florida. I moved up with my dad in Mechanicsburg, Pa and started to play water polo in high school. As a 6'4 220 lb senior who grew up swimming I dominated in a relatively new sport to this area. I had a few college scholarships that is until I got into a little legal trouble. I was given the choice of jail/probation or military and I chose wisely. I now work in Law Engircement and every day I am grateful for that kind judge I went before.

 

[grinagrin]

I played 3 years semi-pro football in the EFL Empire Football League from 2003-2005. Was an all-star wide receiver all 3 years. Best game had 11 catches for 176yds and 3td's.

Good competitive league and as recently as a couple years ago had former PSU tailback Curtis Dukes in it playing for the Watertown Red&Black, which is the recognized as the oldest semi-pro team in the U.S. (1896).

 

[olelion]

golf.... 3 Aces over the years

 

[interrobang]

Not striking out in teener league against a future major league all star.

 

[kijanalives]

It’s very easy to be critical of players at the collegiate and professional level yet how many of us wouldn’t trade places with them and wish we were competing at such a high level of athletics.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt

We should never lose sight of that but all too often we do. So with that in mind, what sport(s) do you or did you play and how far did you get? What was the apex of your athletic career, your finest hour, and what was your one shining moment in sports that stands out above the rest?

Hoops in high school, scrimmaged Rene's teams weekly @ PSU, RecHall rat, IM junkie. Football and baseball and golf since 12. Snowboard, wakeboard, mountain biking (single-track), occasional runner.

I was a late-bloomer who prob peaked at 24; averaged nearly 30 a game in D1 Summer League featuring college players and former pros.
Best game in HS was my last, Western Finals @ Duquesne. Played New Castle, who started 5 guys committed to D1 (David Young, Xavier if I recall, was their #1 option). They were juniors, lol. 6th man was a D1 football player. No one on our squad played serious college hoops; a couple guys went D2/3 for football.

Oh and we swept Krimmel, LJ and Co. 3 straight years. Larry could jump out of the gym but was a bull-in-China-shop, always in foul trouble(surprise!), and had no handle. But I think it all worked out for him....

Another note, my IM team beat this squad for the Champ: Spice Adams, PG (no joke, great feet and handle), LJ, Derek Wake (ok but more intimidating re: Adonis body), McCoo, and Bryan Scott (best player on ANY court; had raquetball with him too in the summer).

Ah, the good ole days. Back to the couch.

 

[kijanalives]

I played LB and had a particular hatred for the team we were playing my Jr yr. I had 9 tackles, a sack, fumble recovery and a near Int in a 7-6 loss. Next game I got hit on a kickoff return cheap shot.. Right knee ACL, LCL and chipped my patella. That was the end of the glory days.

Keith v Roosevelt? I was a Ram, btw....sealed the victory with an iNT if that's the game.

 

[LukeIamYourFather]

I'd have to go with my first official football game in 8th grade where I took the opening kickoff back for a TD. Our high school was pretty much overmatched though almost every week. John Ritchie scored 4 times against us one year. Almost caught Robert Tate on a kick return as the gunner on the opposite side. He ended up in the end zone and I was lying on the ground with his shoe in my hand. That angle disappeared pretty quickly. Had a 1 loss wrestling season and played 4 years of varsity baseball but football was always the passion.

Oh and chiro, I've been meaning to apologize for that.

 

[Langmuir]

One of my best moments was a loss. High school wrestling against a state runner-up. My opponent was known for throwing people and I was told not to tie up with this guy. Well I loved upper body throws and was all a buddy and I would work on in practice. So I said screw it, I am going to wrestle my match. I tied up with him and he tried to head lock me which I easily countered. I was beating him until the third period. He beat me with a double leg. I was not supposed to last past the first period but came very close to pulling out a win.

There were of course other moments in my life, but this one is unusual because it was a loss.

 

[ALion4Life]

played baseball, football and basketball at the high school level, never really excelled at any of them. I guess my shining moment in playing football was my junior year in high school. We were down a point with a little over a minute left and Honesdale had the ball trying to run out the clock. I was playing DE and read screen. Picked it off and took it back for a TD and the win. I do have a hole-in-one on a 115 yd. par 3.Came close on a few others but only have the one.

 

[Judge Smails]

I was a big baseball player
Back in high school
I could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy

 

[Nittany.Lion]

Made it to states in tennis, played on PSU courts.

 

[francofan]

I played on my high school tennis team for Hershey High School. We played in the Central Penn League my sophomore year and I was #5 singles. We only lost one match during the regular season, to York 4-3, and I lost my #5 match (the only regular season match I lost that year) so it was doubly disappointing for me. Fortunately, York was upset by Susquehanna Township and we tied for the league champsionship forcing a playoff. In the playoff, the #5 singles was the last match to finish. Hershey was up 3-1. I ended up winning my match to clinch the Central Penn Championship for Hershey. That victory was my shining moment in my tennis career. Hershey ended up winning the District 3 Tennis Championship that year. I was not good enough to play tennis on the college level, but I did play intermurals at Penn State with my best result being making it to intermural semi-finals in singles for Watts Hall.

 

[Big 0]

Swam competitively from age 10 through age 18. Ran track (low hurdles and long jump) and wrestled (119 lb. weight class senior year). My size and weight is why I didn't play football since my high school was in the toughest large school conference in the state at the time. Most opposing lineman outweighed me by more than 2:1.

Also played golf one year in high school. Didn't continue due to rampant cheating by the supposed better golfers. The coach was wondering why their match scores were always around 10 strokes worse than their practice scores (where it was on the honor system to keep your own score).

Was league champion multiple times in backstroke events. That is my only claim to fame.

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

I played high school football. I once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game.....oh wait, that was another tv show.

Great start. Thanks for setting the bar!!!

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

I am still playing softball in my 60's in a quality league where the average age is mid 30's. About 10 years ago my team was playing a team new to our league, with bunch of young guys I did not know. It was a double header (7 innings each) and I was going to DH both games so I was keeping score. I went over to the other team to get their lineup and discovered that their score keeper was my 23 year old female neighbor. Her boyfriend was one of the starters for the other team. I took the lineup and walked away feeling a lot of pressure to hit well. To make a long story short, we won both games and I went 8 for 9. The only time the got me out was the last time when I hit a line shot that the shortstop made a great play on. My previous at bat I got a triple, sliding into 3rd, and as I dusted myself off, I heard one of their guys in the dugout say "Geeze, we can't get this old guy out" and the scorekeeper said, "That's my neighbor". Damn, that was sweet.

It won't allow me to "Like" this twice?

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

First a little back round. I was born in 1950. My Dad was like most fathers of that era. He was a WW2 combat vet (28th Division 112th Regiment Co.K) Battle of the Bulge Bronze star winner. If you grew up in that era, you were too young to understand what most of the fathers had endured in their lifetimes. I don't remember my Dad ever saying he loved me or giving me a hug or shaking my hand except the day I graduated from high school. I'm not complaining, I think that it was that way for most of the kids I grew up with. I had a good childhood and I never wanted for anything.
Anyway, I was a decent high school football player, better than average. I made the squad in college and generally was too small to impress anyone at that level. One season we played Bloomsburg for our homecoming and we had a 17-0 lead if I recall at half time. The coaches put me in at CB and I played the entire second half. It was a great feeling, especially since Bloom was sort of my hometown area college and I knew and had competed in HS against many of their players. But more importantly, my Mom and Dad had made the trip for the game. After the game, my Dad posed with me on the field and I still have the faded Polaroid picture. Once in awhile, I pull out that photo and think to myself that I'm pretty sure that on that one day for a few hours, my Dad was proud of me.

Please be sure to scan that picture ASAP and keep the memory from fading any further!! Nice story!!

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

I played soccer most of my life, until I hit 50 (and 50 hit back). Most of it was in amateur leagues around Columbus. Best? hard to say--one was a left footed waist high volley that caused a teammate to turn around and say "Where the f*** did that come from. The biggest was in a Corporate Challenge final, where we were down 1-0 shortly before half and just couldn't get anything going and I took a pass about 30-35 yards out and hit a screamer over the keepers head. We scored the next three goals as well to take the championship. The most fun part was one of my club teammate who was playing in CC for our opponent who was yelling at his team to mark me--and then yelling that he told them to mark me....

I also played some intramural ice hockey at tOSU, which was a blast--but I just couldn't stay up to play at midnight to 1 am once I had a real job, which was the only time you could get ice time.

LOL - Good story. "Old Man 50" is a bitch of a counter-puncher..

 

[massimoManca II]

I played soccer most of my life, until I hit 50 (and 50 hit back). Most of it was in amateur leagues around Columbus. Best? hard to say--one was a left footed waist high volley that caused a teammate to turn around and say "Where the f*** did that come from. The biggest was in a Corporate Challenge final, where we were down 1-0 shortly before half and just couldn't get anything going and I took a pass about 30-35 yards out and hit a screamer over the keepers head. We scored the next three goals as well to take the championship. The most fun part was one of my club teammate who was playing in CC for our opponent who was yelling at his team to mark me--and then yelling that he told them to mark me....

I also played some intramural ice hockey at tOSU, which was a blast--but I just couldn't stay up to play at midnight to 1 am once I had a real job, which was the only time you could get ice time.

Soccer doesn't count**

 

[m.knox]

Now that's a fun question.

I wrestled. I think I may have ended up 27 - 26 over three years in HS (or maybe 26 - 27).

Biggest moment? There was one guy from Nazareth, PA that beat everyone I beat, and lost to everyone I lost.

He and he alone became my competitor.

Beat him 4 - 1. Funny how mentality works. I wanted that one. Worked harder for it.

 

[m.knox]

golf.... 3 Aces over the years

Wow. Still working for one.

 

[BTMurphy]

I was a big baseball player
Back in high school
I could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy

After she put her kids to bed....