Yesterday, I participated in something I never thought I'd see myself do: I participated in a team sport.
Now, this game was ultimate frisbee, specifically, a women's SESO event. It took me a few tries to realize it stood for "Sub Early, Sub Often." At my school, those on the ultimate frisbee team take the game incredibly seriously, and the team is, essentially, a big family. Being a new player, I was intimidated, not to mention, I had never played the game before, or had even been on a sports team. As someone who spent more time writing, drawing and avoiding the gym like the plague, I was wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into.
After that game, I must say one thing to all of the athletes of the world: I finally understand why you enjoy it so much.
I still don't know if this is my territory or if it's something I want to continue with, but I can definitely say I had so much fun at the game. Everyone, regardless of what team they were on, were friendly and inviting, and if you had a question, every woman there was ready to respond.
"Sub Early, Sub Often," isexactly as it sounds. Seven people go out to play at a time, and whenever you become tired and need a break, you can sub out with a player on the sidelines, meaning they go in to take your place. No one had anything rude to say if you subbed after only a few seconds, and everyone was ready with compliments on how you played and advice if they saw anything wrong.
Despite still struggling to breathe hours later and being sore the next day, I would be a liar if I said I didn't have fun. It was a warm feeling in my chest when the end of the game came along, and we all congratulated each other for a wonderful game, and I feel like I left with a group of new friends.
Sports are, without a doubt, not for everyone, and I still don't know if it's entirely for me, either. However, the experience is one I doubt I'll forget any time soon. It gave me something to do on a Saturday night, I laughed harder than I ever have before, and I realized I'm not as athletically inept as gym class would have me believe.
For anyone else out there wondering if you want to try something new, a sport is definitely a great option. You are going to run into some bad apples who might judge your athletic ability, but for the most part, everyone just wants to have fun and is open to all members. Ultimate frisbee is definitely an option for anyone because let's face it, who doesn't like to throw a frisbee around a big field?
