Dodging Balls and Small-Town Fame: How I Found My Groove Without a Team Jersey

Growing up in a sports-obsessed small town was like living in a sitcom where the laugh track was just me nervously chuckling as a dodgeball flew past my head. My dad was the high school PE coach, author of The Winning Playbook (yes, really), and the small-town celebrity of sports motivation. Meanwhile, I was out in left field… not playing, just literally out there because someone told me it was “safe.” Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to have all your classmates silently agree you belong on a team only because they have to pick you, imagine the slow, soul-crushing walk to the back of the lineup. My “athletic contribution” was a combination of standing very still and perfecting the art of shielding my face from incoming balls. Coordination? Optional. Confidence? Well, let’s j ...