I Could Have Been a Contender

This past weekend, I was wearing some old clothes around the house that I used to wear from high school.  They were still in fairly good shape, but the pants were way too loose on me.  Back then, I was a 36 waist going towards a 37 or 38.  Now, I am about a 34 waist, a loose 34 at times at that.  Even many of my current pants are a little too big on me, and some of my dress shirts are now too tight along the shoulders to properly button the top button.  I owe it all to the exercise program, mostly weightlifting, that I started back in the late 1990's when I was anxious about my health.  While I would have liked to become big and buff, with my picky eating habits, erratic schedule, and fluctuating metabolism, I am happy to settle with being functionally strong, relatively fit, and having a chest slightly bigger than my stomach (the occasional vein popping out when I flex a muscle in the right way is fun too).  But, it got me to thinking awhile back.  I had the skills to become a jock in high school.  In fact, if they had instituted a track and field team just a few years sooner, I would have tried out for it and I think I could have made it.  I would have been a long distance runner, possibly a few throwing disciplines as well.  Even today, I will run at inopportune times just so I can feel the soothing wind rush across my face.  If it had started in my freshman/sophomore years in fact, I would like to think that my teammates would have asked me to try out for other sports as well, if I proved capable enough.  Almost definitely baseball, as the skill sets and players would have had the most overlap.  Baseball was always my most favorite team sport.  I would have even gotten over my dislike of contact lens to have played better.  Possibly football in my senior year, although I hate physical contact.  My lack of strength and size would've limited my positions, so I would have been stuck on the sidelines a lot.  Definitely not basketball though.  At barely 5' 9", with about a quarter inch of that occurring after graduation, I lacked the height for it.  Still, someone might have tried to drill me endlessly, just so my skills would be good enough to try out for B team.  Anyway, I don't really regret not joining in.  I never had the opportunity as a kid to learn about sports that much.  I didn't live near enough to any friends to practice skills outside of school.  I always felt a little outside from the rest of the guys in physical activities due to my lack of skills back then.  To be honest, I don't really have a competitive side; I am more cooperative in nature.  I can also be a sore loser, and winner.  The kicker though, I keep seeing all of these pictures of former athletes, not just from my high school, but everywhere, and so many of them are now sporting, what do you call it, "dad bods."  Then there's me, the once slightly overweight nerd form high school, who is now the one who is somewhat fit and athletic, and I can't help but to silently gloat.  I guess that is one benefit to being single.  Now, after revealing this, someone will dare me to prove it.  I am still way too self-conscious to post a shirtless photo of myself, at this time.  Maybe sooner than later, or not.  We will just have to wait and see.