Is anyone else here similar to me in that almost everyone else in the family is naturally talented at sporting activities and has played them to a pretty high level, while you slob around in low level obscurity?

Dad: Football for London Schools and Arsenal youth as a striker (very nearly got signed on a pro contract, was told that he could be given recommendations at a lower level, but he told them to fuck off.

Uncle: Football and cricket at a decent club level, had trials with Man United as a left winger in the early 60s.

Brother: played for Fulham in midfield for a while at under 15 level, could play semi-pro if he could be arsed.

Cousin: Played for county (Surrey), could easily have played a very high standard if he hadn't got into booze and partying in a big way.

Grandad: decent club level snooker player

Nan: Once came second in the All England Ballroom dancing championshipd in Blackpool (yes I know I'm stretching the point, but still..).

Me: Never played any higher level of football than Epsom and Ewell Sunday League, not even represenring the league at any point, let alone district or county.

So can anyone else compete with such mediocrity in the face of overwhelming genetic and powers to the opposite?

The_Liquidator wrote:

QUOTE:
Me: Never played any higher level of football than Epsom and Ewell Sunday League, not even represenring the league at any point, let alone district or county.

Fuck off over to the High Achievers thread, you preening charlatan!

My gran was a Scottish international at Lacrosse. My great-uncle apparently might have represented England at Rugby-Union but for the Second World War. But my family sporting gene seemed to run out about 50 years ago.

I am the ultimate mediocrity in a long, long line of family mediocrities. The very nadir, or at least, so it must be hoped. I have absolutely no standards to live up to.

We must be related...

My maternal grandfather was a pretty good athlete in his day. He played baseball for Ohio University (the small one in Athens, OH, not to be confused with those fuckers in Columbus) and, according to my uncle, played one year of minor league ball in the South Atlantic League (which is different than the current league of that name). I haven't been able to confirm that. He was also good at tennis and golf and won some local amateur events.

My mom's brother was once a pretty good golfer and sound ping-pong player.

My cousins on my dad's side were both into sports in high school, golf and baseball. The oldest of those two played on a shitty Division II baseball team at a small very conservative college and hardly ever got to play anyway. I think his ambition and his love of the game far outpaced his actual ability. Not that I've expressed this openly to the family, but in my view, I wish he'd played DIII and just gone to a proper college or just given it up. He's very bright and has already had success coaching some a local youth team in his home town in Ohio.

Sports weren't really especialy encouraged or discouraged in our family.

I was never much of an athlete. This used to bother me, but it doesn't anymore. Most of the people I've known who have achieved much success in sports had to devote a huge amount of their time and energy into it and, as a result, didn't focus their mental energies on anything else and, as a result, are sort of boring people. This isn't universally true, but true more often than not, I'm afraid.

The people in my family don't even play golf.

Watching TV is considered sport in my family.

Finally, a sport in which I can excel: THREAD KILLING!

FF, not quite. You forget the more itenrant posters.


There is Tennis ability on both sides of my family, little of which has passed on to me.
My cousin on my Mum's side was a very good junior player (in Switzerland), having a national ranking in the top ten. He also had a world junior ranking in doubles. However, this was partly based on developing early, he was 1.90m tall aged 13, so when others caught up with him physically his level dropped of. Still, he was a good enough player to be able to earn money as a tennis coach.
On my Dad's side, his brother had a (British) national ranking in the top 100 and occasionally played on some of the British satelite tours.
I can barely keep a tennis ball on the court. More a technique thing rather than sheer lack of ability, I can't impart the spin I need to bring the ball down into court as (from squash) I can connect cleanly enough/too forcefully.