TB12TheGoat
In the Starting Line-Up
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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt with Brown on the horizon
Cycling up Passo Stelvio in northern Italy (a 16 mile climb) in just over 2 hours. Not necessarily impressive, but spectacular.
The Stelvio pass? Sheesh. Not the steapest but that's a long very tough climb. Fortunately I'm only a passive spectator of Pro cycling - I'd probably have a heart attack trying to do that. Whatever the Italian is for 'Hat's off'.
Where did you play in Canada? East Coast guys generally play in the Q.
Great story. That's Larry.Way back in the summer of '79 our YMCA in Cranston somehow got Larry Bird to give a mini clinic (I have to assume during a break in training camp). At the end of the clinic he challenged every kid (one at a time) to a sudden-death one-on-one game, kid getting the ball first. These are 9-11 year-olds.
Anyhow, Bird being Bird he had no mercy for anyone in any sort of basketball competition and would reject everything, collect the ball, clear it, and nail jumpers for the win. No one even came close to winning. So when it was my turn I instead took two big steps backwards and flung up a 20-footer over him. Ball hit the rim, bounced a couple of times....and fell out. Larry wasn't risking any 2nd chances so he grabbed the rebound, immediately cleared it, and took it to the hoop and dunked it.
So that's my amazing athletic feat -- scaring Larry Bird into expending the effort to dunk the ball on an 11 year old .
When i was 14 my dad got a job in Toronto, I went there then played tier ii A hockey and then went to the O. I played tier II because you're still eligible for NCAA, but they have an education package in Canada that says every year you play major junior they will pay fo a year of school. I was never the best student and i think playing hockey and then going to school when that was done was a better fit for me. I was still on the Q draft list because Boston kids get drafted to the QMJHL not the OHL, but i wasn't drafted there so it wasn't an issue.
Played major junior for a couple of years, went to school, almost flunked out (was an academic probation), played overseas for a couple of years (which was an amazing experience, got paid peanuts), then went back to school a bit more focused. I don't know how these NCAA kids do sports and school.
The whole family ended up back in Boston, but as a coincidence i go back to Toronto for work often. I have to say that we have a huge hockey fan base here, but in Toronto it's just a part of their lifestyle.