Sports - the non-formitive years

My Humble Sporting History - Part One

I found Morgue's history of sporting prowess (or 'being unco but in a good way') interesting. Got me thinking about my own past.... [picture my eyes glazing over, as I look happily into the distance and cock my head slightly - camera dissolves into a shot of little-fouryearold-Kate in her matching tracksuit, whistle in mouth, forcing her family to run around her home-made obstacle course made of polystyrene blocks and planks in the back-yard. Lighting has a sepia hue.].
Primary School

I never played sports at primary school. I always was vaguely surprised when my friends announced they were playing netball. When were trials??? It seemed to be some conspiracy I was being left out of. Suited me though. I hate getting up on Saturday mornings, especially when it's cold or wet outside. And I hated the idea of wearing a short little skirt that flicked up most of the time you were playing. It was my idea of hell. My thighs and buttocks were my least favourite body parts. I even heard rumours that your undies had to match your skirt. Ridiculous! I had tom-boy tendencies and could go for a year without wearing a skirt, easily.

I did, however, get co-erced into filling in for my older brother's cricket team twice. I had gone along to watch and they were SO desperate that they chucked me on the field. Now, they were playing against boys who were in the rep team. I could not yet throw over-arm. They stuck me waaaaay out near the boundary. I ended up having to bat, but luckily the ball whizzed past me and the wicket keeper, and me and the bumbling Stephan Tyler (who was best known for his love of handkerchiefs and bananas and had the honour of being #10 in the batting lineup to my #11) ran through for a single. Innings over. I don't think they made me bowl.

The second time I played, they made me bowl. Now, as I said, I couldn't even throw over-arm, let alone bowl. So I did underarms (how very Australian of me). The umpire and other team were so frustrated at my dribbley efforts that they encouraged me to just 'give it a go' with the overarms. I did. I think they bounced about four times before reaching the batter and were fairly wide. They didn't make me bowl more than the regulation six bowls. Then I had to bat. My dad was umpiring at this stage. I got bowled out, first ball. He said, 'Let her stay in the over', and I was subjected to two further bowl-outs and then the entire field coming in close and getting their hands ready for the lolly-pop. I did in fact manage to hit the ball on my final effort..... straight to a fielder. It was a traumatic experience I thought would never end.

Other than that, my sporting highlights from primary school were back-to-back wins in the wheelbarrow race, with me pushing Alice Moore along. We made an excellent duo. In one of the races, us and our nearest rivals got so carried away that we totally missed the finish line and kept going for about 50 metres before we started to make out the distant yells of everyone else telling us to come back.

Oh, and being in the house shuttle-relay. My dad was along to watch and was sitting with my friend. She pointed out that it was my turn, and my dad did a double-take, saying, 'That's Kate???? I didn't think she could move that fast!' I suck it up for the team, Dad.

To many people's surprise, it is true that I took ballet and gymnastic classes for a few years. Mainly because my friends were doing it and I had fantasies of being a ballerina-princess. Eventually I realised that my dreams of pink tutus were unrealistic (all we seemed to do was practise pointing our toes and skipping in circles, seriously) and being a heavy-set gangly tall girl made me not the best at such pursuits. My mother graciously let me quit. Before I quit, I remember dreading the ballet so much that I got home from school one day and dramatically lay on the couch for an hour, touching my forehead and moaning softly so that Mum would think I was sick and not make me go.... She played along. Looking back, I'm sure she was onto me.

I think my brother was not much more successful, although it was generally acknowledged that he was 'athletic'. He did cricket, soccer, gymnastics and jazz-ballet (wtf??). My parents' best memory was of him playing soccer as a wee lad. The ball was finally coming his way, and they no doubt starting yelling out, 'GO, DAVID! KICK THE BALL!'. He duly choose this moment to notice that his socks were falling down, and bent down to pull them up. Ball went past. He always was a day-dreamer, hence he had the nickname 'Neil' most of high-school (think 'The Young Ones').

My parents were reasonably sporty. Mum played goalie for the hockey team, Dad played soccer and softball and won a wee trophy at the University Games for karate. They must have been despairing at their children's lack of sporting ability.
TO BE CONTINUED

Friday Night - Nothing to do

I was wandering aimlessing around the top of Courtenay Place last night (as I often do) when, quite by chance, I ran into Morgan. I followed him to the Welsh Dragon. As chance may have it, there were more people he knew. One of those fortuitous random events! As it turns out it was recently Morgan's birthday, so everyone was glad to have run into him.

I bet Sam at pool. That very rarely happens, so I will be reliving it for a while now. He will be reminded many times. I do believe there were three of his balls left on the table when I finished. SAM IS USELESS - KATE IS THE BEST! (I never said I was gracious in victory.) He made the old excuse of small tables favouring the weaker player, but I refuse to accept that reasoning. You're only as good as your last game.

Some cranky old fella scolded Sam for having started a game of singles (on a long-empty-at-that-stage pool-table). He seemed a little strange. I briefly thought he was one of Morgan's friends..... and was questioning his judgement.... But it turns out he was just a publican, unconnected to us.

I reacquainted myself with the lovely Svend as we formed a formidable guard at either side of the door. We talked about his mammoth encyclopaedia collection and quilting. I caught up with a few Ultimate players who remembered me from my four game stint last year. I was reassured by Sam The Second that Ultimate is the only sport where you have a 'hammer-throw'...... That harks back to a question at pub-quiz that I was vetoed on. People never listen to me! And there was wee Fraser too.

For some reason I like to write Ultimate with a capital letter. It seems fitting.

Evidently their Ultimate club has expanded to three teams and has plans of dominating the world. Their tentacles are spreading.....

Richard had on a lovely shirt with a funky stripes and paisley thing going on.


I will make the next bit small type because very few (if any) people will be interested. Michelle pointed that out last night after we'd talked about 1980s basketball players for long enough..... While remembering people like Andrew Toney and Danny Ainge is fun for us basketball fans, it's somewhat dull for others.

I was unimpressed by Ben and Jono's ignorance about things basketbally :) For those of you unfamiliar with Michael Cooper, one of the all-time great defenders, here is a picture of him. As I said last night, he used to wear long socks so that his almost-blind grandmother could pick him out on the TV screen. Awwww! Nowadays it's trendy, but back then it was original.
In his 12-year NBA career, he was named to eight NBA All Defensive Teams, including five First Teams. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987. In the 1983-84 season Laker Michael Cooper ranked second in the league in three pointers made with just 38. (wikipedia). That is the best 3-point statistics I could verify, but I'm sure he was right up there in terms of 3-point shots made in playoff games (in the late 80s anyhow - before they moved it in and small children and grandmothers could start shooting them).

In my research to find those things I realised that Scottie Pippen actually is one of the greatest players ever (statistically - not just in my honest and biased opinion). He's in the top ten all-time stats for heaps of things. Good on him! I totally missed the end of his career due to not having Sky and not caring about a league where boxing-out was a thing of the past and refs seemed to have forgotten the intricacies of the travelling rule (as long as the three or four steps ending in a dunk).

What else.....

* * *

Norfolk and Chance is becoming a pub-quiz team to be reckoned with. Anchored by Sam the Trivia Man, we have developed a good wee crew. The quiz-master gives us our props as a weekly contender. This week we came second, though only by a few points.

We were only beaten by a team that's anchored by a fellow from my school. He was dux the year before I was. Smart people from Levin seem to be the common link.... LEVIN IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!

* * *

My impulse-buy-blue-dress is getting excellent use. I estimate that I've won it over half a dozen times. I wore it last night to a function at school and tonight Ange is borrowing it for a cocktail party. My goal of wearing it until I get it down to $10-per-wear is within sight.

* * *

I went to Borders today, the new bookshop on Lambton Quay. Ange said it's the Starbucks of bookstores. Sam pointed out that Maori language books are filed with 'Foreign Language' books. A series of the Gilmore Girls goes for $59.99 (you can usually get the early serieses for $39.99 from the CD Store).

I do, however, like the range of notebooks and stationery. Funky colourful little numbers. I bought a notebook that has black and red and green pages in it.

And after that I got a banana-java-chip-frappachino from Starbucks.

I AM A CONSUMER! And it was a damned good frappa.

Some rugby player guy from the Bulls tried to push in front of me in the line at Starbucks. The line was obviously going back out the door, and he tried to sidle in through the side..... I stepped very pointedly in front of him when it was my turn. I'll not be bullied by tall Seth Efrican rugby players! Starbucks is the great equaliser - his fame means nothing there. We all pay $5.80 for our coffee and that's all that matters to them.

* * *

I might have a nana-nap now. We stayed out til 2.30am last night. That's way past my bedtime! It reminded me of my youth............ Back when I walked 10 miles in the snow every day just to buy a 1cent lolly at the dairy. Those were the days.

Bowling for East-um-bine

Work have a quarter-annual interdepartmental challenge at work. This year it's been volleyball, quiz, pool and now bowling.

English took out the quiz and pool. We are dominating. All very capable and a good unit. That's what reading books and stuff does for you.

So we bowled up at The Lanes and got our special shoes (which were actually not too bad by bowling shoes standards - you could get away with wearing them in a public street). And to cut a long story short..... I WON! My department came second, but I had the best score out of the 27 staff taking part (men included). 130. I am a bowling prodigy. Dead-eye Kate, they call me now (or they will, once I make them) 'cause I just bowled it straight down the middle. Nothing fancy. No speed to speak of. Just accuracy and consistency. And my spare followed by two strikes didn't hurt.... I leapt ahead at that point.

***

Met Matt's Mum today. Odd seeing people's parents and picking out the similarities in thought patterns and mannerisms. I found it odd that I saw aspects in her facial planes that I really like in Matt.

On the way to meet him I almost ran right into Sam and Fish, as they were coming out of Iko Iko and I was going in. It was fortuitous and they'd used 'meeting Kate for lunch' as an alibi with one of their mums.... and as it happens, they DID have lunch with me.

But first I had the joy of witnessing Fishy get her tattoo on. She gritted and bared it very admiarbly, keeping up a conversation between the grimaces. No tears though! Very brave!

I'm sure you'll all see the pictures on their respective blogs. Very cool! Leon's design looks great on Sam and Fishy's new little fishy is all cute and perky looking above her butt, jumping out from her butt-crack in a splash of waves.

We had a beer outside JJ's in the sun. It was nice. Sam commented on the niceness of it several times. We people watched and drank Belgian beer and talked to a weird kid who showed us his new dracula teeth. As Sammy said, it had an 80's feel to it. Though nobody was wearing stubbies.

***

Remember the double-header for netball - 6.45 Sunday and 6.20 Monday.

***

RETURN OF THE NETBALLERS

More netball! Yay!

Very glad to finally have a reason to cut my fingernails. They had gotten ridiculously long and seem to attract dirt. It was game #1 for 'Sparkle Motion' (I get a kick out of choosing such a dainty and feminine name for a mixed-sex team - we will be Nanoo Nanoo next season, Sammy - your name is on the waiting list). We should all eat packs of Sparkles before the game......

Not too bad. I'd say we should've won - they were athletic but very raw. Had a bit of a machine as their male shooter. He had a very quick release once he got the ball and rarely missed, though Morg did a nice job on him and managed to steal some ball away. Seemed like they were having a competition to see who could be most apologetic and nice to each other between plays after they'd 'accidentally' banged into each other. It amused me to watch this guy manhandle Sam Robinson when she tried to block him out..... Poor little Sam!

We had the usual problem in the mid-court of throwing away too much ball. Our shooters were all fairly solid once we got the ball in the circle and we got some 2-pointers (I was one-for-one!). Might just be a matter of refiguring our combinations there. Dare I say it.... but I think we missed Ken in there..... He always makes himself available and isn't afraid of the long pass (a bit of a mixed blessing sometimes). And without James we can't put Morgan in there as much as we'd like. Hmmmmm. Any volunteers to be our coach? You'd have to wear a suit and pace the sidelines with a mini-whiteboard.

I was most impressed by Aaron's tactical decision to draw the male-defender out of the circle. Worked a charm in the third quarter. Morg tells me he's even better with his Dodgeball tactics (I felt the need to capitalise that for some reason....). Having team tactics.... could be the theme of the season. I say we start having deeply secretive huddles between quarters and come up with plays that have code-names like 'Green Angel'.

This was perhaps the most pointless blog ever, since I discussed most of these things v-e-r-b-a-l-l-y at the game with the people who would be interested. Damnit. I should stop having conversations IRL and save the good stuff for my blog. Priorities!

Cows Go Moo

And 'Tigers Go Grrr' and 'Guns Go Bang'

I have the dubious distinction of having named our indoor netball team the past few times (I always ask for input and all I ever get is names for Sam that involve weapons).

It is a lovely group of people and it's nice to play on a team where you know nobody will give you the evils when you stuff up, rather they will laugh with you (honestly). I always look forward to our games together. Often, when we're warming up, I'll look over to the other team. They look more athletic than us, and younger too. They look like they go to the gym and run marathons. They look like they will beat us. But often, our team-work and knowledge of each other's games and our smartness on court mean that looks can be deceiving.

I feel like chronicling the key players from the Dynasty of Cows Go Moo. So I will. This will likely be of little interest to anyone but me (and probably Fish, Sam, Savage, Damon and Morgue since I mention them by name).

The Originals

Merv - Merv is a small man in stature, but big in heart and he has huge hands. He is of course known for his bullet passes, one of which was responsible for nigh breaking Sam's finger. He claims he holds back when he plays with us. I fear his REAL bullets.

Sarah - She would make the Allstar team of the dynasty. Versitile and athletic, she can play anywhere on the court. Perhaps most useful in the shooting position where her movement and cutting were masterful and her two-handed shot was deadly accurate. Also known for often falling over and doing the splits on court.

James - Mr Defence. He and I are the only ones left from the original line-up. Though not the tallest man on the court he often outplays his counterpart, leaping about for tips and steals and having great timing on his rebounds. He is best known for his yellow t-shirts and knee-high socks and floppy hair. He once got two two-pointers in one quarter. That will go down in the annals of history. I personally enjoy watching him play the shooting position (for comedic value). How can someone so intelligent and athletic shoot one-pointers so poorly? It defies logic!

Heidi - She very nearly gets classed as a 'little person' or 'dwarf' but is just a shade too tall. She is, however, probably the best centre we have ever had. She has a surprisingly powerful over-the-head-long-distance-pass and a great bounce pass into the shooter. She is a patient passer and waits for the cutter to do their work. She also runs her little butt off on defence.

Me - I try. My favourite position tends to vary - I like defence because I think it's the hardest position to play well and can be very satisfying if you 'figure the other player out'. Sometimes I'm too lazy to do that. I like centre because you have to run and run and run and I like feeding the ball to people off the net - it's fun. I don't think I'm too great at getting free for passes though. Sometimes I like shooting because it's easier to be good at (for me). Our team generally feeds well and Sam is easy to work with. I don't like it when I get prissy and start complaining to the ref about how rough the other team is being (sometimes I do it anyhow).

The Early Joiners

Sam - A specialist shooter, he has had some successful combinations with me and Sarah over the years. He shares my philosophy of never settling for the long-shot and always gains good position for the net-pass. An accurate one-point-shooter, he has recently developed his two-point-shooting as well so that he is a legitimate weapon there too. I personally enjoy it when he sees me about to pass the ball to him and yells out 'NOOO!', and I pass it anyway. It almost always works.

Fish - She is one of our specialist defensive players and works well with James. He roams, while she works on blocking and getting good position under the hoop. She often frustrates her opponents into contacting her away from the ball. She is also a handy one-point-shooter, having developed a good shot where she steps in and shoots in one motion (she is one of the few players who gets 'coaching' in the netball - it shows).

Players Who Have Come and Gone

Meredith - She was one of our most solid players. She could play centre and shoot with equal competance and always settled our mid-court down well. I remember her getting some very clutch two-point shots to aid comebacks and win games. She was also one of the only players who tried to tacticise and think of strategies to win games (I have taken to throwing bibs out randomly these days).

Harley and Andrea - Our lovely husband and wife combo. Both great athletes and calming influences on court. Harley had one of the surest sets of hands on the court and could make an awful pass look decent. He got tonnes of steals and was always open in the right place. Our silent asassin. Andrea looked like a choir-girl but was fiercely intense on court - sly even! A dirty defender, she could weasel her way to where the ball was going and frustrate the heck out of attackers.

Liz - She was our only defensive specialist female. That is all she would play. She had good height and size and could rebound with the best of em. Strangely enough, she played better when drunk. A good combination with James was forged.

Booner - A great utility player, his height was useful anywhere on the court and he would often move around to where he was needed. Helluva nice guy too.

Tony - A huge wing-span enabled him to get many a steal. Bad balance made him lose many a steal once he'd gained it. While his one-shooting was awkward looking, it gained in accuracy and he moved well without the ball. Incredibly fit and never gave up. A shoulder injury ended his career with the team, as Morgan callously stepped in and orchestrated a coup against him. Little did he know....

New Comers

Michelle - She is our new utility-girl and has come back from a possible career-ending injury to dominate. Another feisty one who likes to win, she comes up with cunning techniques to irk opposing players while still appearing 'nice' on the surface. Her shooting is accurate and she is smart on defence. Probably our best option at centre at the moment. Solid.

Morgan - Very tall. A thinking-man's player, he analyses the game well and beats himself up over anything that's going wrong. Luckily, that's not too much, due to his long reach on defence, patient passing and solid two-shooting. He came as a filler and we never let him leave (that's what happens to them all... muahaha).

Ken - Goodness. What can I say..... He calls for the ball with enthusiasm and volume, even when he's not free. Many is the time I have started whistling the Harlem Globetrotters theme song while he's been on one of his bad-passing-streaks (and not in a good way - our team would be the Washington Generals). But it's comedy gold! He is tenacious on defence and has a strong bullet pass that is impressive when it hits the mark. On offence he has developed a lot of subtlty in his passing game and can do nice little feeds now.

Sam R - Another wee centre, she has a good sense of where to be to get steals and very quick hands. She often out-rebounds taller players on defence and gets the odd two-pointer on offence. Her shoes make her look even faster.

Key Fillers

Richard and Kirsten - Rich can play anywhere and always makes your day brighter (maybe I should start calling him 'the Candy Man'). Kirsten surprises me by being able to shoot from all the way down near the ground ... and actually get the ball in the hoop! I am tall and patronising, muahaha. 95% of the male population are too short for me to date - jokes on me!

Savage - Also hilaaaaarious. I like doing the 'I've got my eyes on you' signal to her. She nearly maimed someone last time we let her play. She has a knack of being open right under the hoop.

Damon - He used to hang from the washing-line as a child in order to stretch his limbs, rumour has it. Enormous wing-span (all the better to steal the ball with, my dear). He can also shoot, when required. I enjoyed shooting with him recently. A deft wee passer in the circle.

My Brother - Jolly athletic and jumpy. He puts his basketball skills to use and does smart passes. He combined well with Fishy in the attacking circle and got some good two-pointers (Larry Bird style) and lots of steals. Always looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion, but never did.

Sports - The High School Glory Days

Warning: This is a very long post. I got carried away in my nostalgia. For a lighter post, check out the one before this and add to our collective 'Easy Top Tens'.

I become a 'senior player'

After third form I started getting all my friends to play. We had a summer league team called 'We're Not' (so called in the hopes that the other team would say, 'Who're we playing this week?' and the answer would be 'We're Not', so they wouldn't turn up and we'd win by default). We won one game (a very sweet two-point victory over the hapless Mavericks, a team made up of short Asian girls).

That was around the time of the basketball hey-days in Levin. My mum was Teacher-in-charge of basketball at our school, being the kinda parent who was very 'hands on' when her kids developed an interest. We went from having just the boys team playing in the Palmerston North league to having six teams. She even single-handedly started a mid-week high-school league in Levin, inviting teams from Foxton and Otaki to play as well. It was fun. Our whole family would spend Thursday night down at the stadium, doing score-bench, reffing and playing. Dad would come pick us up after work and we'd get Chinese take-aways. Something inevitably got stolen and you had to keep a tight grip on any basketball you had with you. Many was the time I had to get mum to go reclaim a ball that very clearly had 'JUDGE' written on it, but had been picked up 'accidentally' by some kid from Waiopehu College (punks!).

Sometimes I was playing or training up to five or six days a week. Basketball was life. Me and my brother had posters up in our bedrooms. Our family ordered Pontel tapes from Europe (this was before the days of Sky and there were no NBA games of regular TV for a while) and half the Senior A boys would come around on a Tuesday night and watch our latest NBA offerings. Our family even planned an America holiday roughly around attending as many NBA games as possible (we went to seven, including Christmas day at the classic Chicago Stadium watching our favourite team, The Bulls, beat their nemesis at the time, The Knicks).

In fourth form I trialled for, and made the Senior A team. But, I didn't think I deserved to make it (the coach seemed to have some blind loyalty towards me!) and the few players that I was friends with all decided to play for the Senior B team instead, so I joined them. In a cruel stroke of irony, the Senior B team ended up being better than the Senior A team and I got almost no court-time all season. I had a miserable time. If I hadn't been a Judge I might've quit. But Judge's don't quit (not often - our parents wouldn't let us! as a teacher of today's youth I appreciate that parental pressure!).

Remember, at this point in time, that the kinda kids playing basketball weren't really the kinda kids I was hanging out with at school. They were a rougher element. It was a great way to get 'in' with the tough girls who smoked in the 'N-block' toilets. But, as you remember, I was a shy girl.... I could easily go to a practice session and not say a word the whole time (just smile eagerly and do what I was told). It was also cute that the basketball community of Levin always knew me as 'Kate' because that's what my mum would introduce me as, whereas at school and around my friends I was still 'Katie'. It was a distinction.

Fifth form was a different story. I trialled for the Senior A again and made it, along with some of my friends, Sarah and Iona, who'd been playing for 'We're Not' (which had now become 'The Shaquilles' and 'Hakuna Mutata'). So I was happy! I went from being last on the bench for the Senior B to starting five in the Senior A, and got the 'Most Improved Player' award at prize-giving and a penant (our school's top prize for athletes, only four players in our team got them).

To top it off, our team had just been promoted to the Premiere city grade the season before..... and this season we WON it. A little old scruffy old team from Levin winning the Palmerston North league. It was a Cinderella story! We even beat our arch-rivals QEC in the final.

The night of the finals my mum was in hospital in Palmerston North. She had been in and out of hospital for a big part of that year, her cancer having come back for the third time since I was in standard two. She couldn't come to the game. We taped it for her and about a dozen people visited her hospital ward at about 9.30pm after the game finished. I remember Dad going to get her, and her coming down the hall quietly to greet us (her drip-machine on wheels at her side). Everyone else in the ward was asleep and it was dark, so we'd all waited by the elevator. She had tears in her eyes. It was nice. She died about three months later and I'd say one of the things she was most proud of is how well her basketball kids ended up doing (she helped hundreds of kids over the years, and not your 'easiest' kids either).

While I'm on the heart-warming Judge family memories.... My brother had been taping the game on one of those old-school video-cameras that came in a brief-case for Mum to watch later. I had a good free-throw shooting game (and it was a close game, so every point counted) and on about the fifth one in a row that I made you could hear him cheering in an oddly high-pitched way, and then one of the other guys said, 'Whose sister is that, David?' and he said, 'That's MY sister!' really loudly. Awwwwww. Big bro was proud.

I kept playing in sixth and seventh form, being captain in my final year. We won the premiere Palmerston league both of those years as well. The THREE-PEAT. It was fun. Our coach, Mike, had total faith in us and while we didn't have the most complex strategies, we kinda had a good feel for each other and developed a style that suited us perfectly. He always kept me on the court most of the game (being tall I kinda anchored the defence and it dropped off a bit when we had a shorter line-up on) and I loved that!

One of my best friends, Sarah, played along-side me in the starting five and we called ourselves 'The Terminator' and 'The Exterminator'. We even had matching wrist-bands (erm, my idea) and practised our 'tricky play' at trainings (it involved a between-the-legs-pass and was never-ever used in a real game).

It remained our Friday ritual to drive the 45 minutes to Palmy every week and not get home til almost midnigh, after having our post-game wrap-up at McDonald's on the square. My brother would come and watch since he was at Massey in those days.

My brother was, by the way, an amazing player. He is a very coordinated guy (he can dance just like Michael Jackson and has been a ringer at Masonic Debutante balls to escourt girls he doesn't even know because of his twinkle-toes). During high-school he would spend hours every night watching games in freeze-frame, sketching the moves into his notebooks (he was an amazing artist as well) and then going outside and practising them. He would also spend hours jumping off his graphics desk and trying to rebound up and touch the ceiling (which was 12 foot high). As a result, he could score 20-30 points at will and was one of the best technical post-players you'd ever see.

He also had an amazing vertical leap, being able to do fancy dunks (windmills, 180s, reverse-double-pumps). He went to some Five-Star camps with guys who ended up being in the NBL and would be one of the few who people stood around and watched have dunk-offs. He was in the Manuwatu Under-20 and Under-18 teams with more future NBL players.

Trouble was that he was an early grower, but never got past 6'2. Though he was the tallest player on the team most years, he was never going to be able to be a post-player in higher leagues. Didn't matter though, cause he didn't really have higher aspirations and I think he had burn-out (due to a series of frustrating and painful injuries) and was quite happy to go off to uni and just play socially. He enjoyed coaching a few girls' teams at school (including my 'Hakuna Mutata' one, 'The Petals' (someone from the basketball associate rang up to ask what the team would be called, he thought 'Hmmm... something feminine cause they're girls.... I know - The Petals!', needless to say they were not feared by opponents) and the aptly named 'Banes').

I got some impressive-sounding honours, but I really think it was just a matter of 'right-place-right-time' and being tall :) I have no delusions of grandeur.
- selected for Manuwatu U18 team
- selected for Levin Women's team
- Played for Levin U16 team

Anyhow, that was a huge part of my high-school years. I fit it around study and a part-time job one year and never missed a practice.

Other than that my high-school sports stories are limited to a brief stint in the U16 school volleyball team (we got knocked out in the first round of qualifying games) and two years in the Lawn Bowls team (I think my pairs teaming was the worst each respective year I played). Oh yeah, and I got third in the Intermediate Discus one year. And me and Tammy had a battle to get last in the cross country every year (we had a tense routine of waiting til the last possible minute and then trying to out-sprint each other near the finish line, but walking the rest). I think I gained the dubious honour of being dead-last in the senior girls' cross country in seventh form (Angela was probably hiding in the toilets not doing it at all, bloody piker!).

Side-Note: My Cunningly Cowardly Brother

Another vivid memory of my brother playing sports was the 800m race on athletics day. The whole school was watching and my brother was house captain, so he was entering everything he could [don't get me started on how he pressured his self-conscious-chubby younger sister to swim more than one race during swimming sports - in the days before boardies]. He went in the 800m race, which was perhaps out of his ideal range (being a 'twitch-muscle' kinda guy).

Coming up to the home-straight he pulled up lame and limped off the field, failing to finish. My friends were all terribly concerned and said, 'Katie - your brother is injured!'. He had a long history of horrific sporting injuries (being a keen jumper and all he often pulled/tore/fractured things in his legs and wore a bionic brace).

I shook my head and said, 'Nah, he knew he wasn't gonna come anywhere and thought it would be easier to just not finish, betcha!' And I was right. He faked an injury in front of the whole school to save face and I was the only one who realised what he was really doing.

Sister knows best!

Sports - The Middle Years (a reluctant beginning)

Before I ramble on about the next phase in my sporting history (of no real importance to anyone but me and my future biographer), I will give some updates.

1) Have found new flatmate! Potential Flatmate #1 has agreed to move in next weekend. He was stoked. Lovely phone manner, if that's an indication of anything.

2) There is no #2. It just seemed silly to have a list with only one item in it. And I do love lists...... Heck, I'll make up a #3 and #4 just for fun.

3) Anyone wanna sell us a washing machine on the cheap? Exiting-flatmate took hers with her today.

4) I watched the Tall Blacks game last night - lost by 2 in overtime. We weren't impressed by their offence (me, Matt and his baller flamate). They really do need more options than 'pass it round the perimetre and shoot a three-pointer'. And they seriously need to put a leash on Tony Rampton and remind him he's not in the team for his outside shooting. The defence was ok and they showed good heart at the end of regular time to make their mini comeback. And I still love Phil Jones.

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Then I discovered 'basket-ball'.

Morgue reckons he read somewhere that some genius guy said basketball was the most scientifically perfect game ever invented. I like that theory. Adds some weight to my 'It's Jeff Wilson's favourite sport' argument.

Recap of last installment:
When we left young Kate, she was entering Intermediate, having never played organised sport of any kind (not counting her doomed forrays into ballet and gymnastics). It looked like she would forever be an unco-ordinated nerd with no 'jock' credibility.......

At intermediate there was an inter-class basketball tournament. You had to have girls on the team. I was tall, so they picked me. I discovered that without even trying, I had a propensity for blocking shots. The Gollums had to be good for something! They ended up just telling me to stay back on defense and do that all game (possibly partly inspired by me being incredibly unfit, but still a compliment to my prowess). I even blocked Chico Graham (a 'cool' guy who eneded up playing in the NBL and has a kick-ass first name, don't you think?). I was like the Forrest Gump of shot-blocking.

I went home and told my mum. Mum was very excited that I was finally taking an interest in playing sport. She seized the opportunity and was like a dog with a bone......
Mum: So, do you want me to ask if you can play in a team at school? I teach a lovely girl who has a team......
Me: NO!
Mum: (A week later) I got you into a team! They play tonight!
Me: NoooooooooooOOOOOOooooOOOO! [Imagine my early-teenage whine]

She MADE me play for a college team, even though I was only 12. I almost had a tantrum (my friend Fifi will remember this vividly). I told her she would have to take me down kicking and screaming. I was a shy child and the thought of playing with strangers, let alone COLLEGE aged strangers playing against ADULTS, petrified me.

Anyhow, she did drag me down (kicking and screaming). And I told the lady taking the team that I'd just 'sit and watch'. She would have none of that. 'Best way to learn is to just get out there!' she said. So I was sent on, in my Adidas trackies (bear in mind, these were the days before I relented and let my mum buy me my first bra - even though I had needed one for months). I kinda had fun even though I had no idea where to stand or what to do and didn't dare take a shot. That team was called 'The Black Rose B' (ironically sponsored by a bricklaying company). That was one good thing about Levin at the time. The basketball league was very 'grass-roots' and you could just chuck a team of kids in there playing against adults, or make up a team of your friends. You just can't do that in Wellington. I think back then we were in the women's D grade. Nowadays I think they struggle to get one grade of teams.

It was a great bonding activity for me and my brother. I credit it with helping us get out of the 'crabby-Katie' phase, where we used to fight a lot since I turned about four and became bossy. Apparently before that I used to adore my brother and if anyone gave me anything I'd say, 'And one for my brother too?'. We had a free-standing basketball hoop in the back-yard and he took me out and taught me how to shoot. He was incredibly patient and I still use some of the tips he gave me with the kids I coach. The key tip is that when you're learning a new shooting style, don't worry about the shot actually going IN. Just worry about the form of the shot.

In third form I was still playing for the Black Rose B. I would go up and watch my brother play in the Palmerson North league every Friday. A few of my Black Rose B teammates were in the school team too. We would watch them and I would think, 'Wooooow - they're good'. Some point late in the season they had a tall player who was about to go back to Germany, her exchange coming to an end. My mum helpfully said, 'Oh! You could get Kate to come and play - you need a bit of height!' So she came home and said, 'Kate - the coach of the Senior A wants you to go to practices and start coming to the games'.

Again, I was nearly kicking and screaming. So I was in the Senior A, without even trialling. And I became the tallest player in the team, even as a 3rd former. I still had my uncanny knack for shot blocking and rebounding. I still was petrified to shoot the ball. But, as an un-coordinated, unfit third former, I was one of the few kids in my year group playing for a top sports team at school. Odd how things work out.

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Side-note: The dumbest gratuitous dunking injury ever

When I was in form two my brother's team won the only Palmerston North boys' championship in school history. He was the 'rookie' of the team, being only 14. On the day of the final him and the other 'ballers' were out on the school-yard playing a pick-up game. Damon McDonald, one of the older kids, starting goading him to do some dunks for them. He was the only one in the whole school who could dunk. He gave in......

But it turns out the outdoor-hoops were jagged and rusty, and he ended up scraping the skin off of all of his fingers. It looked painful. On the day of the final.

The team ended up having several players foul off, and my brother had to take the court for the last minute of the game (hands swabbed in bandages) with my mum yelling out, 'For God's sakes - DON'T pass him the ball!' (she tended to get excited and yell out embarrassing things during games).