•4/26/2009 11:25:00 PM
OK. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it true that practice makes perfect? Shouldn't you get better at things over time? That's the way it works for normal people right? Right. So it's just me then.
Tonight did not go super well at the restaurant, and lately I've felt like I've lost my touch a bit serving. It's probably in my head, and I don't feel it every shift, but I still feel it sometimes. Mostly I just blame it on working in La Vista. Everything was much better when I worked in Omaha itself!
But it did get me to thinking about my athletic history. Now I am not the most graceful of people. In any way. I get along OK, but I don't dance through life. I stumble, trip and run into lots of walls and sharp corners. Let's just say I am not a natural born athlete. I can catch decently well if I am focused, but that's about all I have going for me.
Anyway, the reason I was thinking about sports tonight is because with many such activities I tend to get worse the more I practice. Once summer when I was in high school my mom enrolled me in a tennis camp that lasted a couple of weeks.
The first day the adults in charge (coaches I guess) told me I was a natural. I was doing well and feeling good. But as the camp progressed, I just got worse and worse the more we played. By the end of the camp I was just awful at tennis. And I didn't understand it.
Also bowling. It's not technically a sport, but it's another fine example of my ability to unimprove (I'm getting a red line for that word, but I say it is a word). Now I took a bowling class in college and I didn't have the same problem as I did with tennis. I actually improved over the course of the semester.
However, outside of that, I have found that the more often I bowl the worse I am. If I haven't bowled in a long time, I tend to do pretty well. But if I bowl several games, or if my bowling excursions occur closer together, I get a lot worse.
Why is that? Does that make sense to anyone? I have accepted that I am quirky and a little weird; that doesn't bother me. But I just don't get that. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Tonight did not go super well at the restaurant, and lately I've felt like I've lost my touch a bit serving. It's probably in my head, and I don't feel it every shift, but I still feel it sometimes. Mostly I just blame it on working in La Vista. Everything was much better when I worked in Omaha itself!
But it did get me to thinking about my athletic history. Now I am not the most graceful of people. In any way. I get along OK, but I don't dance through life. I stumble, trip and run into lots of walls and sharp corners. Let's just say I am not a natural born athlete. I can catch decently well if I am focused, but that's about all I have going for me.
Anyway, the reason I was thinking about sports tonight is because with many such activities I tend to get worse the more I practice. Once summer when I was in high school my mom enrolled me in a tennis camp that lasted a couple of weeks.The first day the adults in charge (coaches I guess) told me I was a natural. I was doing well and feeling good. But as the camp progressed, I just got worse and worse the more we played. By the end of the camp I was just awful at tennis. And I didn't understand it.
Also bowling. It's not technically a sport, but it's another fine example of my ability to unimprove (I'm getting a red line for that word, but I say it is a word). Now I took a bowling class in college and I didn't have the same problem as I did with tennis. I actually improved over the course of the semester.
However, outside of that, I have found that the more often I bowl the worse I am. If I haven't bowled in a long time, I tend to do pretty well. But if I bowl several games, or if my bowling excursions occur closer together, I get a lot worse.
Why is that? Does that make sense to anyone? I have accepted that I am quirky and a little weird; that doesn't bother me. But I just don't get that. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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2 comments:
It's a brain thing ... getting worse the more you bowl is actually fairly common. Those who do so suffer from focusing on a negative thought. It's like the field goal kicker who lines up and keeps thinking "I can't miss this ... I can't miss this ...", so of course he does. Also, when you bowl, you get into short term habits ... the way you throw, how you approach. It's a set up for doom.
... and it's "inability to improve"
:)
I'm the same way!! I've come to the conclusion that I have the most incredible beginners luck when it comes to sports (or other activities that involve coordination)—I usually fill everyone with awe over my talent and abilities. Then the next time around I'm absolutely pathetic, and generally never improve. It's a true mystery. It sounds like you may suffer from the same problem. Maybe we should search out others and form a support group.