Sports

Christopher loved to play.  One of his favorite subjects in school was recess… if that’s a subject?  It was for him.  In high school he took extra gym classes if he had a free period.  I came to find this out after her passed when some of his friends were telling me funny stories.

Chris would play with anyone of any ability.  He just loved to be out and about.  If his friends were busy he spent time with the younger ones and had just as much fun.  The variety of things Chris liked to do was extensive and I’m glad I have photos of him engaged in many of his favorites.

One of the earliest sports Chris was enrolled in was tee-ball.  I remember the tiny baseball fields over on Woodin Road where the little kids were placed way back in the soggy corner that never seemed to drain.   That little field was no match for Chris even at five years old.  He could hammer the baseball off the tee and into the parking lot.  He was quite the bruiser, he hit more than one car over the years!  Oops.  I recall the opposing coaches would move all the players back by the edge of the field when Chris stepped up to bat.  He never failed to make contact along with a sprint to first base, if not all the way around the diamond. :-)

Chris adored swimming and fishing too.  Most anything around water seemed to peak his interest.  As a little kid he could barely sit still for any length of time but put a fishing rod in his hand and all of a sudden he could stay on task, patiently waiting for nibble at his pole.  Funny how I was convinced he had an attention problem until all of a sudden fishing spurred his calmness.  There’s something soothing about the water, being in it or by it…

There were many organized sports Chris played over the years.  Besides football he was on the soccer team, lacrosse team, ran track, bowled and was in ski club.  He was very active and seemed to have a knack for being able to hold his own regardless of the sport.  Some he excelled at more than others but if there was a game going on he was happy to give it a try and jump in.   

Seems the one sport he never quite took to so far as joining the team was basketball.  He liked to play in pick-up games and he did that fairly often at the YMCA but he never did join at SHEN.  Oh, he also wasn’t much of a hockey player either – matter of fact we never made it to try-outs because he had so much trouble skating.  What a disaster those lessons were.  OMG he had the biggest sores on his ankles and feet from the hockey skates.  His wide feet just weren’t comfy.  He hobbled around for days once we gave up on the ice.  Flip flops came in handy as he mended.  How can a kid ski but not skate?  Aren’t the boots just as tight as the skates?  Well, whatever, it just wasn’t the sport for Chris but he loved cheering for the SHEN hockey team and has several friends that play.

                                                     (No wrestling pictures)

One sport I never cared for was wrestling.  It grossed me out completely and I can say whole heartedly I didn’t mind when Chris opted not to continue (sorry Coach Weeks!).  The year Chris got ringworm was more than enough for me.  I much preferred to stick with the sweatiness of football any day.

I did like to watch Chris lift weights.  He had beefy, powerful legs (which is why he wore shorts most of the year).  He enjoyed competing with his friends during the linemen challenges or even just in the weight room at school.  He cracked me up when he returned home in the evening after a long workout with his old lady groans as he took each step up the stairwell! :-)

Chris has a nice set of golf clubs hanging in the garage.  He liked to play with his dad as well as his cousin Bob.  They would go spend a day on the links every now and then and come home red as lobsters.  They liked dragging their clubs from hole to hole and then finishing out the day with a hearty dinner in the clubhouse.  It was usually an all-day event when they ventured out.

Is paintball a sport?  Well Chris and Jeremy both loved it.  That and laser tag.  We had all the paintball gear and I recall spending oodles of money on a variety of colored balls as well as helmets and guns and entry fees to the arenas.  Seemed like a good place for boys birthday parties too, we held and attended them fairly often at these sorts of places.  We also held target practice in the yard from time to time.  Oh yes, we had a few colored trees back there!  Seems we never had enough black clothing on hand either.  It’s very important not to be seen you know.  I wish I had my Tide with Febreeze back then, those stained pants and sweatshirts were a soggy mess.

Chris had a few favorite professional teams that he followed.  He loved the Philadelphia Eagle’s as well as the Boston Red Sox and the NY Rangers.  I’m glad he got to see each of them play a few times.  He liked going to the big stadiums and having a day full of friends, food and excitement.  Yes, Chris had fun playing or watching.  I’m glad he was fully involved in surrounding himself with sports.

Thank you for reading.