Feb 15, 2021
Did you ever get picked last in gym or some other class? Have you used that in your writing?
I was never one of the popular girls in school. Too introverted, too nerdy, too weird, I guess. I had my nose in a book most of the time.
But I had the advantage of being from a large family with older brothers. Along with the neighborhood boys who were the same age as them, I joined in playing backyard sports with them. Baseball, touch football, basketball, or whatever else was the flavor of the day. So, I wasn’t afraid to be aggressive when we played sports in gym class. Even if I didn’t have finesse, I wasn’t scared to get in the way of opposing players, and that earned me a defensive spot on a team every time. Still, I wasn’t the top choice either, leaving me with a sense of insecurity until my name was called. (Why were the popular girls always chosen to be the team leaders by the teachers?)
Have I used this in my writing? Not directly, but the experience may have flavored the backgrounds of a few of my characters. Take Tasha from Wolves’ Knight, for example. She’s always trying to prove herself and drive herself to become better. No one asks her do it, it stems from an internal need.
Her lungs screamed from the lack of oxygen, her eyes burned from the sweat streaming into them, and she could no longer feel her legs. She was past pain and moving from sheer force of will. But she wanted to go farther. Her goal was the meeting of the southern and western borders. And past that if she could hold on that long. From Wolves’ Knight
Was Tasha chosen last in gym class? I doubt it. But the strong males of the pack would have been chosen first, if they were in coed classes. And Tasha wasn’t the type to have been one of the popular kids. She was too serious for that to happen.
Lori from Wolves’ Gambit had it worse. She was the runt of the litter, and was left out of everything. As a result, she operates with a chip on her shoulder, but has learned to use her small size as a tool, rather than it being a disadvantage.
“So, what kind of shifter are you?” Turtle asked.
“Wolf.”
“No, really.”
“Wolf.” Lori shrugged. “Even in wolf form, I’m small, but that’s the way it is.”
“Then why can’t we smell or hear you?’
She moved away the mental blocks that kept her secure. “Try now.” From Wolves’ Gambit
I’ve always had a thing for the underdog, having been one, and that’s reflected in my stories. How about the other authors on this hop? We can find out by following the links below.
Until next time, please stay safe.
Feb 15, 2021
Did you ever get picked last in gym or some other class? Have you used that in your writing?
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For me it always depended on what I was being called for so I understand if it was first or not. It also depended on if it was a friend of mine being the leader too. When the blog hop opens, I will put my name down and the blog down. have fun!
Kendra, I see you’ve joined. If anyone else is interested, the hop opens at 1AM Mountain time. (not that I’ve ever been awake at that time to test it!)
You were lucky to have all those brothers. As a nerdy only child, I was terrified of boys until I got to about 16, and then I had a different viewpoint, lol.
I was technically an only child (have a step sister 27 years older than me and a step brother 18 years older than me so neither were in the house growing up). i never got the chance to live with brothers and sisters. i feel for you Stevie.
I put my mother off having any more children, lol.
That’s a comedy routine
There were also three older neighbor boys, so it wasn’t hard to make teams to play sports.
I had a couple of best friends growing up. so we were tight. we didnt play sports so much as play pranks though…
There’s nothing worse than hearing the teacher say “well one of you HAS to have him.” While trying to look like you don’t care.
I was friendly with the two girls in my class who bore that burden. One was intellectually challenged, the other physically challenged. No one was ever outright mean to them (not to their faces, anyway) but they were always the last to be picked.
When I was about 18 my 9 years younger brother and a handful of other kids were “not picked” by the other baseball coaches who wanted “winners”. I’d been a quarterback since I was 9 so being last picked wasn’t in my history. I said I’d be their coach and everyone was shocked, including my parents. Well, it was the bad news bears all over. With another guy my age with a little brother we wiped tears and wrapped scraped knees and made them filed balls until they dropped. And those little guys smashed the other two teams and took home a trophy. Not down to me but down to giving them a chance. Victory is the sweetest revenge.
When my kids first signed up for a recreational soccer league, there were a couple of coaches that were in it for the glory. Can you imagine the coach of a bunch of 6 years old’s being carded out of the game by the refs because he was yelling so much when the kids made mistakes? Geesh!
We only yelled at them in practice and then gave them attaboys and high fives. “C’mon Steve, it’s not a bomb it’s a baseball! There ya go, now throw it home. You’re a Baaaaad ass Stevie man. Next!
The cool part? I watched ref’s stop the game to show the little ones what they did wrong and how to do it the right way. They worked hard to keep it fun for that age level.
When I was a football referee I’d do the same. Instead of flagging a kid for lining up wrong every play I’d stop the game, tell the coach and show the kid you have stay on your side of the ball till play starts. That was long ago, though. Now high school kids look like skinny pros an$ the little ones are all junior jocks.
wait, what! That’s cool! I don’t think they do it that way anymore. it’s all about who can own and pwn the other team now
The older kids played more seriously. And this was years ago, in a small town. Who knows if it’s the same way now?
Since I went to an all-girl high school, gym wasn’t that big of a deal. Most of us didn’t even want to participate. I was a loner anyways. Big groups were never my style.
We didn’t have a choice. PE was a requirement. Everyone had to take it.