I’m not big on New Years resolutions. I think the problem is you typically try to keep your resolutions manageable by aiming low. This seems to make sense because a small goal is attainable and therefore, it is argued, you’re less likely to become discouraged and give up. But a lifetime of slacking has taught me that small, attainable goals are also the easiest to put off because, after all, since their so small and attainable you could really do them anytime; so what’s the rush. Next thing you know its New Years again and you haven’t accomplished your resolution from last year because you kept procrastinating.
Or maybe that’s just me; a procrastinating hopeless romantic who favors big ideas rather than small ones. But whatever the case I figure the beginning of a new year is a good time to discuss the list of things you’d like to do before you die.
There’s actually two lists, one on at SP Sports and one at the Society page. That’s because when I started my personal list a year ago (I know I’m a nerd for keeping such a list) I quickly realized that it broke down into two parts: life goals and sports goals.
So what we’re doing here is your list of Sports things you’d like to do before you die. I’ll give you my list and then you put down yours in the comment section. Together we could come up with the Platonic form of what every sports fan should want to do before they die. (By the way, if you’ve already done something cool that you feel like others should aspire to do put that at the end so that our list is fuller and so that you have a chance to brag)
Run a Marathon – I absolutely hate running. I did a 5 mile race New Years day and hated ever minute of it (which added up to 42 minutes of hating in case you were wondering). Nevertheless, I want to run a marathon just to prove to myself that I can persevere through my own personal hell. A laugh at the devil sort of thing if you will (I wouldn’t care about how fast I ran it, just that I completed it).
Climb a 4,000 Meter Mountain – I’d really like to climb Everest (8,848m), but that shit is crazy expensive and so for the sake of being realistic I’ve shaved this goal down to a 4,000m mountain, of which there are a bunch in the Rockies.
Swim 100 Laps Straight – Weird one, but in grad school I was too cheap to join a gym so I joined a public pool instead and swam to stay in shape. I got up to 50, but that was about my limited and I usually took a break at 30.
Learn to Sail – I love the water and I have no idea why I have never done this. Really shameful on my part.
Ski Out West – I was a ski instructor for a year (in NC) yet the best place I’ve ever skied was West Virginia. But I’ll be rectifying this when I go out to Colorado at the end of the month.
Boxing/Muay Thai Fight – I did Muay Thai in Cape Town and moved up through the classes and got to the point where we sparred and whatnot, but I had to leave the country before I go the chance to do an actual amateur fight.
Do an Adventure Race – The only thing holding me back from this is the fact that I suck at mountain biking.
See the US Soccer Team Play – How cool would it be to be in the stands with Sam’s Army watching the US National Soccer team play, especially if it was against our rival Mexico?
See Liverpool Play in Anfield – Liverpool is my favorite soccer team and Anfield is a historic stadium. Plus I’d get to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with the people in the stands instead of singing it by myself in my living room.
Run with the Bulls – Given my fondness for Hemingway, this is a no brainer.
See the Cubs play at Wrigley – commonplace sports goal.
Attend a Braves Playoff Game – I’m not asking for the World Series or anything, just the excitement of playoff baseball. And they never sell out, sadly, so this is possible!
Attend a Final Four and/or Championship Game that Duke Wins – If I went to that and Duke lost my life would be ruined. I’d end up like Jack from Lost; wild bear, crazy eyes, demanding that we go back in time and do it all over so as to get the desired outcome.
Attend an ACC Tournament that Duke Wins – Really don’t know how I’ve never done this, especially since I have attended the Southern Conference Tournament (and CofC did not win).
Attend a World Cup – 2010 in South Africa is my best chance, but money constraints and lack of people to go with me (their money constraints) make me worry this opportunity will pass by.
Attend a Duke v unc Basketball Game – Obviously Duke would also have to win this or else I’d charge the court and kneecap the high scorer for the Tarholes.
Ok, that’s my list as far as I’ve got it right now. Feel free to add your list since I’m sure I’ve left out cool stuff that I should have included. For the record here’s some stuff I’ve scratched off my list: Attend a Game at Cameron Indoor Stadium (done it many times, greatest sports venue EVER), play rugby, attend a national rugby match (South Africa v Italy in Cape Town in 2008), attend a Super 14 Rugby match (done it several times, all Cape Town Stormers matches), see Duke play in the NCAA tourney (done it twice, both times in Greensboro), go to Spring Training, attend an NHL game (was a playoff game for the Hurricanes actually), attend an NFL game (Panthers).
No marathon for me, methinks, but I think I’d like to try a triathlon. Give me three days, and I can finish.
i’d throw in “see a division 1 college football rivalry game”. though i have absolutely no allegiance to any team it’s always fun to go to the clemson-carolina game. and i watched the texas-oklahoma game this year in a bar full of texans…i can only imagine what it’d be like in person
and, just for the record, the cubs at wrigley is so choice
The college football thing did get overlooked. I think bc Jeff is reading Clay Travis’s book (he wrote for CBS Sportsline and Deadspin) about how he goes to every SEC school for a football game and talks about the experience and why the SEC is great.
So I’ve got all this info via Jeff about how great each school is and I’m now confused as to which one I’d like to see the most.
Also the guy goes to each game without a ticket but gets into every single game. So apparently it’s a fairly easy goal to accomplish if you want to see just about any SEC game.
Plus, I don’t really care about the Iron Bowl and Duke stinks at football so I really only left with the option of going to Wofford v Furman, which I’ve already done and it wasn’t anything special.
But feel free to toss out college football goals bc I am at a loss.
In no particular order
Have season tickets to UT – even if I couldn’t go to every game it would be nice to go if I wanted.
Learn how to kick a field goal – not a 50 yarder, but regularly be able to hit from the 25 or 30. It could come in handy in any halftime competitions that I may be selected for.
Go backpacking more – backcountry somewhere. Not just one night hikes, but spending a week at a time where no one else is.
Go to a Colts playoff game – I’d have the same issue as Trey though. It would either be the best or worst experience of my life.
I’ll think of some more later I’m sure.
Oh, season tickets to UT is a good one. Now I have to consider adding season tickets to Duke basketball to my list. Unfortunately, season tickets for Cameron are CRAZY expensive and unlike football the games are on weekdays so you’d pretty much have to live in or around Durham to make use of them.
Learn how to kick a field goal is an interesting one. Maybe I’m taking it for granted, but I feel like I could go outside right now and hit an extra point. So training for 20 to 30 yds seems like just a matter of strength. Maybe we should also include on the list, win the chance to participate in a halftime competition; whether it be throwing a football into a giant Dr Pepper can or kicking a field goal or shooting from half court.
Backpacking is clutch. I was going to say I’d like to hike the App Trail but somehow I don’t feel like 9 months of hiking would interest me. Like once I got past Virginia I’d want to turn around. I put the 4,000m mountain on there mainly for the hiking aspect since I have no climbing experience.
If you bring the right clothes we could knock the 4000m mountain off the list by the end of the month. Apparently people do hike Mt Elbert in January.
The main problem with season tickets for Duke is not cost but availability. It’s like trying to get season tickets for the Packers, they just don’t exist. But having been to senior day in 2005 in the student section (though it was against Miami which was lame) I can say it’s an awesome place to see a game. I’ve been to probably 10 games there but usually against like Navy or NC A&T and not in the student section.
I’ve always wanted to visit every major league stadium. I can’t remember how many I’ve been to, maybe 10? (Shea, RFK, Memorial and Camden Yards, the Vet, Fulton County and Turner, Chavez Ravine, Metrodome, PNC) but some of those don’t exist anymore. Seeing all the stadiums in one season would be ideal but lacking that, getting to at least one stadium occupied by all the teams at one time, if that makes sense.
I’d also love to see a match at Celtic Park, even though I prefer Rangers. Been to two Hearts matches (one at Tynecastle and the other at Dundee United) but those don’t count.
Finally, I’d like to go to the World Cup. I wish I could’ve gone to Nurnberg in 2006, we were two years late in visiting Morgen’s family there. I probably will never get the chance but that would be a crowning sporting achievement of mine.
That’s a good point about the unavailibility of Duke season tickets. You know what drives me nuts is that the asundry of Duke haters like to make fun of Duke students for camping out for tickets. Guess what, now other schools are copying us. And while we’re on the copying front, unc had to rearrange the seating of the dean dome to let teh students get closer to the floor bc people realized that Duke has a great crowd since the students encirlce the court (note that unc only gave their students limited floor space bc they wanted to reserve those high priced seats that they sell to rich people, hence the dean dome still being a ‘wine and cheese crowd’).
But my point is that Duke haters and everyone else talk about how great it is that the Red $ox, Cubs, and Packers are hard to tickets for because the sell out so quickly. But Duke is just like that and people shit on us for it. Drives me crazy.
As for the baseball thing, I think that is pretty good and I’d bet most guys would want to do that. Oddly, I have no desire to try and see every stadium for any other sport, just baseball. Weird I think.
And the World Cup would be insane. Even if you didn’t make it to a game it’d be fun to go to a public square with a huge tv and party with people. South Africa 2010, I swear to God I’ll do everything in my power to find a way to go.