Hi, I'm Kate. You may remember me. I used to write highly opinionated sports blogs on here.
And then I let it fall by the wayside.
To be honest, if you could see my drafts folder you know that I haven't TRULY abandoned this blog. I just got... scared? It's hard to write things that are important and passionate to you and subject that to other peoples opinions.
In the last 8 months, I've written 12 drafts of the same article. It's one that will come to light when it's perfect, and it's getting there. I step away from it and realize that some of the things I wrote in a moment of passion are decidedly pointed, and I edit. But it's something that's incredibly important to me... so be on the lookout. It's coming VERY SOON.
I thought we could get our fresh start going by me telling you what sports mean to me, the direction I plan on taking this blog, and a promise that I will not let my own insecurities get in the way of doing something that brought me a ton of joy.
I don't think I can remember a single day in my life that sports didn't play some role in. Rather it was having the NFL playoffs on a phone at my cousins wedding reception, and everyone at the table watching, or being a teeny little thing staring wide-eyed at Jeter making those jump throws. (Fun fact: I almost broke my face trying to imitate it in my back yard.)
When we were little my mother, probably desperately searching for an outlet for our energy and our competitiveness, started sticking us in all sorts of sports. (Never soccer though. Taylor tried that for a month and it turns out, it's not our cup of tea.) We took swimming lessons as teeny little things and the promise of a sticker was it took for me to turn into this little, must win, must do things correctly, little competitor. Gymnastics came later with the frustrations of being very inflexible and the realizations that I would be far too tall to ever compete. Basketball, softball, poor attempts at cheerleading, worse tennis with my best friend, street hockey... you named it. One of us had our nose in it.
Our parents were also never shy about letting us watch sports on TV. I watched the Yankees every chance I got, I would check baseball stats in the Chronicle in the mornings, football was on the TV every Sunday, and every time my dad traveled for work my souvenir was some type of sport related t-shirt. My mother grew up in a family with an elite football playing brother, and mostly boys, and with that came the understanding that sports were important.
I mean honestly, for me, sports are a large connection to every extension of my family.
It's been a connection to all of my grandparents from taking Pride in Houston teams with my Papa, discussing the Big XII's performance Sunday mornings with my Papa Sam, or spending my visits with my Grandpa Jim and Grammy talking about baseball, or this morning, the Tour de France. I've traveled all over watching my other cousins play sports and compete and some of those weekends are my favorite memories. In fact, I was in school in Oklahoma when my cousin was competing, and won, the state title in powerlifting, and it kills me that I wasn't around to make those memories.
So for me, sports are more than just a pastime, they're a passion. Sometimes they're an escape from reality, and sometimes they make my reality awfully stressful, but they've always played an integral part in my life.
XOXO
P.S. A family friend's wife told us when her husband was diagnosed with cancer to "send him sports stuff" to keep him occupied. I feel like I've very poorly kept up our end of that deal, so my inspiration to be a better writer is definitely him. So these next few are for you, BT.
