Sports What sports did you used to play?

Since this has been lost from the previous site, what sports have people played or participated in?

The main one I played was hockey from intermediate school through to senior club level with a couple of age group representative teams thrown in on the way.

I was one of the stupid ones who decided goalkeeper would be my thing. Got picked for the tournament time for the old Hatch Cup. Played at the Secondary Schools Nationals for a combined team of 2nd XI players from Otumoetai College and Tauranga Boys when another team pulled out. Our side made it through to the semi's (further than our first XI's) and two of us got named in the tournament team..... one of the other keepers I beat was later selected as the reserve goalkeeper for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

The other sport I participated in was sailing.... nothing serious just mostly sailing in Tauranga harbour during my high school years firstly in a P-Class, then a Javelin and finally in a Laser. Spent summers of Kumil and Ferguson Parks with the old man, my brother and friends. We did a bit up off Maraetai and Eastern Beach when we shifted to Auckland but not as much as in Tauranga. Then Dad got arthritis in his hands and offered to sell the Laser to me. In hindsight, I should have brought it... but wanted some new cymbals for the drum kit instead.... but that belongs in another thread.
 
A few games of league very badly as a teenager. Soccer through the grades as a kid, had two future All Whites in our team, so a good side.
Softball to provincial level, but quit at 20. Tennis for 25 years until the elbow and shoulder complained.
 
Cricket was my main sport, and played weight grade union a bit at high school (too small for league, was only about 60 kg dripping wet and we only had a single 1st XIII league team). Also did a bit of squash, underwater hockey and mountain biking, but just casually.
 
Somehow started soccer when I was pre-teen but gave it away around 12. Then got into cricket and hockey and played both for school to varying levels. Dont like those at all now. Never got interested in union and our school didn't play league but we would get boys together to play that at lunchtime. Fun times. The days of the coat-hanger and no rules lol
 
Lots of sports this one included.

If I had a magic wand, the one sport I would love to be world class at, it is basketball. There is something about flying and something about the movements in that sport that feel natural and right for the mind and body connection.

Who wouldn't want to be able to fly?
 
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Played league from the age of 7/8.
Played rugby and cricket at the same time during school years until grammar school then spent a few years away at sea.
Took up league again with Point Chevalier then in Wellington after being transferred for work.
I have also played golf tennis snooker at different times.
When I relocated back to NZ 2002 I was playing lots of golf and then I took up bowls and got to play rep grade.
 
Like most kiwis I turned my hand to everything but league was my passion.
Played from 7-24... took up (was dragged into) playing touch in my mid 20s and found I was actually better at that- made a couple of rep teams including playing a tournament for australia (my dirty little secret- it was a bit of a steven bradbury moment tbh where they had a lot of players pull out so I got a late call up out of nowhere).
Also enjoyed my martial arts- mostly bjj but also trained in judo, krav maga and boxing over the years.
 
Played soccer in primary and intermediate, tried out tennis at intermediate, played basketball for a year in fourth form (as a shortass I was a big fan of Mugsy Bogues).

Never wanted to play rugby (bit rough for this gentle soul) or cricket (too f'n long) but would do lunchtime or backyard for the fun.

I did judo for about 6 months in my 6th form, but when I went to uni decided to try another martial art and picked Taekwon-Do from the rec centre pinup board.
Ended up getting to green belt (WTF) while living in Palmy, then when I moved to Welly in 06 picked up different form of it (ITF) as there was a club relatively close to my flat, started again at white belt and ended up getting my black belt end of 2009.

Stopped in 2010, and haven't been able to get my foot over my head since 😅
 
Played Soccer for a year or two in early Primary School

Played Cricket for my other primary school team when we moved to Alexandra for three years.

Then my mental stuff appeared in my head saying I wouldn't be any good in playing Cricket when I got to High School.

I did play a season or two of Club Cricket when I lived in Christchurch but again my mental stuff got in my head saying I wasn't any good.

So I stuck to being a couch potato, and stats and then when the nephews came along watched them play instead and did their stats on each game whilst on the sideline. I'm doing that now for the last of my nephews playing rugby, and my niece whos playing netball.

I'm thinking of trying football or cricket again in the next year or two once I've gotten my fitness back to normal but we'll see.
 
Came off a farm so horses were a thing, did show jumping, in fact rode against Mark Todd, won a couple of times too. I have always thought he was scared I would make a come back. You have my permission to uppercut anyone who says the horse does the work, they don't do it by choice Then the usual, Rugby, Cricket, Athletics, Squash (great sport) Tennis swim like a brick, I never criticise it but Basketball isn't my thing, I really do not know why
 
Then my mental stuff appeared in my head saying I wouldn't be any good
I would recommend seeing a psychologist bro. Noone is good at everything. You don't need to be good at something to enjoy it. Growth comes from trying - whether good or bad. Ask anyone you consider to be good at something and ask them how they were when they first started out.

You learn more and develop further when out of your comfort zone. That said I have seen others not try because they are scared of trying and failing. Encouraging others to try(whether sport or anything else) could be the biggest gift you can give them for their own personal development.
 
Played Soccer for a year or two in early Primary School

Played Cricket for my other primary school team when we moved to Alexandra for three years.

Then my mental stuff appeared in my head saying I wouldn't be any good in playing Cricket when I got to High School.

I did play a season or two of Club Cricket when I lived in Christchurch but again my mental stuff got in my head saying I wasn't any good.

So I stuck to being a couch potato, and stats and then when the nephews came along watched them play instead and did their stats on each game whilst on the sideline. I'm doing that now for the last of my nephews playing rugby, and my niece whos playing netball.

I'm thinking of trying football or cricket again in the next year or two once I've gotten my fitness back to normal but we'll see.
There's a great book I would recommend called the inner game of tennis - once u can learn to quieten that pesky conscious mind (self 1) and let the subconscious (self 2) do its thing a lot of that pressure and self doubt disappears and you can narrow your focus and allow yourself to put your best foot forward.
Wish I read it when I was younger but its totally changed the way I coach and I've seen the results first hand.
All the best mate.
 
There's a great book I would recommend called the inner game of tennis - once u can learn to quieten that pesky conscious mind (self 1) and let the subconscious (self 2) do its thing a lot of that pressure and self doubt disappears and you can narrow your focus and allow yourself to put your best foot forward.
Wish I read it when I was younger but its totally changed the way I coach and I've seen the results first hand.
All the best mate.
Winning Ugly is a great book by Brad Gilbert, but tennis specific. Once I read it, I employed what I learnt each time I played and it worked. Amazing what you can to do to win without playing a stroke, destabilise your opponents style and thoughts.
 
Played league from 5, at secondary school was forced to play yawnion.
Never saw a game of yawnion until I was about 6. We were at the Auckland Domain and I asked dad why those kids over there were not playing the ball. 🤔
Came back to league after school. Played Fox in Auckland.
Also played golf, squash, athletics, tennis.
 
Old man played for City Newton but I couldn't play club as a kid as I had no way of getting to one. Was a good sprinter and jumper so always made school league teams, only ever played on the wing in the days where wingers stayed out on the wing and got cold. Played every other sport at school and excelled at Judo, boxing and Thai boxing, taking titles and fighting semi-pro. Got back into league through my sons and have coached and reffed at junior level. I feel privileged to have been around some amazing coaches in league, fight sports and athletics. Tried powerlifting for a bit and have a goal of doing masters athletics. Eventually. The one sport I've never played is Rugby Union.
 
Tried everything at school but my main sports were:

Touch - about 15 years, Tennis - about 10 years, Table tennis - about 10 years, Squash - about 5 years.

Had my last game of touch the week after my first kid was born and moved to the couch as couldn’t afford to get injured 🤣
 
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