I've had a bloke this week 'shadowing' me as work experience. He's 20 and trying to give up smoking - has smoked since 16. He confessed that he couldn't even run for the bus. I couldn't believe it, but he really couldn't run. Is this really true of most 20 year olds? Tobacco companies have a lot to answer for.
SY3
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There are two PE teachers I would LOVE to catch up with.
It would be mightily difficult to embarrass me now, but teenage humiliations are not easily forgiven. I wonder if they've all sprouted the facial hair and extra limbs I wished upon them as I watched my form's hockey team go for yet another year without scoring a single goal and thought that they would have had nothing to lose by giving me a game or two.
Gits.
Now a Headteacher!!!!!
I sympathise/empathis with the wheezy, specky, academics.
I don't hate all PE teachers cos there some damn good ones, but I just didn't meet any when I needed to.
I believed that I couldn't run. I've proved myself wrong, and I was my harshest critic.
Anyway, I used to smoke (out here in Dubai everyone does and I was silly enough to join the bandwagon), and whilst you can exercise proficiently if you try, the performance is nowhere near as good as if you don't smoke. In fact, as a smoker you actually need a fag to help you breathe when you're out of breath! Mad. Thank goodness I gave up.
Nintendo and Playstation have a lot to answer for when it comes to the laziness of the next generation as well.
Beth
Anyway, about the unfit thing - I think that unless you make sport a way of life in childhood (i.e. playing street games, on the local footie team, are lucky enough to have an outdoorsy-type family), it is no wonder that you'd be unfit at age 20. When I was younger, this was exactly the cast amongst my own friends - those of us who were on the school sports teams were fit, and those of us who weren't, weren't. Sad.
Well, PE was the only class in which I could not get A's all the time, but I deduced that if I did not miss a lesson, I would get B's, which was pretty much the case. But every class was humiliation, I was an introvert, and un-coordinated, so screwed up regularly in sports with balls, sticks and racquets. Having to walk a mile and back to school - at altitude - I was a terrific runner, but it didn't count, except to get me away from the bullies who tried to beat me up from time to time.
I left town for good the day after my graduation, with a fist full of scholarships and an axe to grind. The rest, as they say, is history. The bullies are now overweight couch spuds who could not run me down in a month of Sundays.
Happy days!
DC
They would be a bit surprised to seee me now
The lad lives round the corner from me, I've challenged him to a 3 miler when he's back from Leeds Uni at Christmas, to do within 30 mins (which I think is reasonable - isn't it?) without coughing his guts up and without covering the pavement in dayglo. One or two stops allowed!! Cool? Should I name and shame?
SY3
The messages we take on board as kids and teenagers about our bodies and abilities have a profound effect and
It is within our power to change that, away from the peer pressure and low teacher/parent expectations that might have put us off then.
I was a (soon to give up) smoker at 20 and I wouldn't lay all the blame at the door of the tobacco companies. It's what's culturally normal within your family and friends that has the biggest influence. That's why it's incredibly hard to alter people's attitudes to diet, exercise etc. I've overheard my kids and their friends talking about smoking and am so pleased to hear them talk about it as something they can't imagine doing. When I ask whether any of their friends are smoking, it's seems smoking is now definitely associated with underachievement/disadvantaged kids rather than very widespread. Any views on this?
Laura - I think you're right about culturally acceptable things - it's hard to become something you're not. Was it Betjeman who said that 'your mum and dad really f*6k you up' - I think it's true.
SY3
I was always known as the non sporty one cos I had my head in a book
My dad has been very scathing about my running, he even had the audacity to tell me to try and jog at mile 21 of the marathon!!
However, think hes grudgingly decided to accept that im serious about running, he has sponsored me for the KRUF 10k AND the GNR
way to go!!
they may not mean to but they do...'
- This Be The Verse, by Philip Larkin
I was hopeless at football and rugby at school, and as a result was unfit because nobody wanted me to play. But nobody took the trouble to show me how to play. It's a viscious circle.
When I started running (I can't remember why I started. To exercise the dog I think.) I discovered it was good to be fit and was actually quite sporty at University (rowing mostly and a bit of social cricket) which would probably have stunned my PE teacher back then. I did well at rowing because it wasn't just assumed that everyone would know how to do it and we were actually coached.
To all those politicians who mutter about sports in our schools - stop trying to make champions. Don't concentrate all your effort on trying to find the next David Beckham/Paula Radcliffe etc. There are thousands of kids who would actually enjoy their sport, and who'd get up from their playstations/books and run around a bit, if only the teachers would stop concentrating on the kids with natural talent and spend a bit of time on the "spastics" to give them enough skill at sport to have fun and keep fit.
Okay I'm off the hobby horse now.
Since being written off as a softie who can't play anything I have become a successful cricket coach after a successful 15 yrs playing at a good level, acheived a black belt in martial arts, run a marathon and completed qualifications in sports psychology. If my PE teacher was on fire, would I cross the street to put the fire out?
What do you think?
I was never coached, never encourgaed, never made to believe I was anything other than crap.
What was on my mind the moment I completed FLM.?
This will show the B*****d.
Scum.
Rant over
I'm nice really!
I'm fine
Thanks
PS if they're on fire you could always do what you did in that blokes drive!