I was not an athletic person. I wish I had played on a team so that I could have, at least once in a while, had the satisfaction of scoring the winning goal or preventing my opponent from scoring. I wish I was on a team because there are times, usually during finals week, when I develop a ton of stress that can only be burned away by a good dose of exercise. Alas, I have the hand-eye coordination of a mole and the courage of a mouse. The cowardly lion would feel embarrassed for me.

I participated in a lot of sign-up leagues as a kid including swimming, basketball, softball, and volleyball. I enjoyed playing even though I and the majority of my teammates were not that good at it. Some of us continued to play and a few even made it onto varsity and college teams. For all the sports I mentioned, though, being on a real team was out of the question. I tried out once for the volleyball team in middle school and got rejected. Ever the curious one, I snuck a peak at the coach’s scoring sheet; I was the second to last one on her list.

Even though playing sports was obviously not my forte, I still wanted to be on a real team. The solution I came up with was bowling. Being on the junior team gave me the opportunity to travel, participate in conferences, and improve at the same pace as my teammates. I made the varsity team in my last year of high school and to this day I still have my varsity jacket.

I kept bowling once I got to college but I only played for a single year. I realized that my skill level had peaked and that it would be difficult for me to surpass the skill level I was at. I would have to practice more than twice a week like I was doing at the time to improve. With everything else that I was involved in, I was unable to dedicate more time to the sport. I made the decision to quit.

Playing intramural sports, however, is a completely different experience for me. The best comparison I have would be the floor hockey games our elementary school teachers used to play with us after hours. There was no formality to it and, from the onset, everyone was considered to be on an even skill level. The teams would change and the score would be forgotten after the game was over. I could walk in, learn the rules of the game, pick up a Styrofoam hockey stick and go at it.

Playing Ultimate Frisbee with my college friends has about the same feel to it. We play fast and free and we improve where we can. Anyone can play and the team will do their best to accommodate you at your skill level. We laugh the entire time and we get great exercise.

I can say with sincerity that when I am on that field, there is nowhere else I would rather be.

They know that I am not the best and yet they put pressure on me to improve, anyway. They believe that I can be a better player. Being on the team has made me less afraid to try new things and take the first open shot. I swear it has even improved my reaction time.

To the Alma College Ultimate Frisbee team: not only can you guys play, you also inspire me to play and work hard to improve. Keep laying down the hammer! (Frisbee joke)