I still play squash, getting close to 60. I picked up the game late in life in Singapore when I was 40. I fell in love with the game. There were courts available lying unused most of the time and I was curious. So I nabbed a young theoretical Indian economist colleague who had some interest and we played. I have not stopped. Much later in life I came to know my college in India had squash courts but I was busy reading about ujaama villages, so I missed the squash opportunity, which could have made me a better player;)
Squash is a highly competitive game. Losing gets to be common when you get older. The body does not sync well with the mind. Though the latter is still sharp. I don't like losing, but that's sort of routine these days, but in the end I play for the aerobics. I get to meet people almost a third of my age, and some I do beat. And it makes me feel good, physically. I think competitive sports has a place in life. Winning is not the thing. It's to do your best. It's also having a thick skin. Losing is routine despite being a competitive sport. I also get to play a squash pretty much anywhere in the world. I always carry my racquet when traveling and I have played with people in a number of countries whom I had never met before. And in India you have low income squash court maintenance folks who would give you thrashing for a standard honorarium. So playing to win with the right skin and sentiments is good for the mind and the soul. And so is losing. Incidentally I played football (sorry soccer), cricket, volleyball, and field hockey. I am an avid follower of English premier league and the World Cup. For the latter I plan my trips very carefully. Cheers, Anthony xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Anthony P. D'Costa, Chair & Professor of Contemporary Indian Studies Australia India Institute and School of Social & Political Sciences University of Melbourne 147-149 Barry Street, Carlton VIC 3053, AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 3 9035 6161 Visit the Australia India Institute Website http://www.aii.unimelb.edu.au/ Recent Conference (The Land Question) http://idsk.edu.in/program.php New Book Series (Dynamics of Asian Development) http://www.springer.com/series/13342 Recent books: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780198082286.do#.UI5Wzmc2dI0 http://www.oup.com/localecatalogue/cls_academic/?i=9780199646210 http://www.anthempress.com/pdf/9780857285041.pdf http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=295354 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent from my iPad > On May 6, 2014, at 22:06, michael yates <[email protected]> wrote: > > Full at http://cheapmotelsandahotplate.org/2014/05/05/playing-win/ > > > > > > "When I was a boy, I loved sports. Baseball was my passion, and > > I could be found in the backyard, even in the middle of winter, > > endlessly throwing a rubber-coated baseball into the air and > > hitting it as far as I could with my bat. I played organized > > ball from the age of nine to twenty-two, in Little League, > > Pony League, American Legion, High School, College, and in > > town leagues. When I began teaching, basketball became my new > > sports obsession, and I played seven days a week for many years. > > > > > > In a working class town, excellence in sports was much prized, > > and for me, helped secure my budding “manhood.” It greatly aided > > my desire to fit in, to be considered someone who was physically > > tough. Sports allowed me to be good at something and respected at > > the same time. Academic excellence wasn’t even a close second. > > > > > > It was impossible then, in the 1950s and 1960s, just as it probably > > still is, to be sports-crazy and not worship competition. When I > > played, I wanted to win. Defeat bothered me; there was never a game > > that I didn’t do whatever I could to win. This often led me to behave > > badly. I had no sympathy for teammates whose performance was below par. > > I’d yell and scream at them. Once when I was fifteen and pitching > > in an important contest, our third baseman dropped an easy pop fly. > > I shouted an obscenity at him. My father was watching the game and > > was so angry at my outburst that he came onto the field and told me > > to apologize. To little effect, however; I wasn’t chastened and didn’t > > change my behavior." . . . > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
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