Were you the last one picked for teams at P.E.?

Deus Ex Machina · 24-01-2011 11:44PM #1

It's probably already being (or has been) phased out as schools attempt to hide children from any potential source of embarrassment, despite how character building it may be, but I always remember the team selection in P.E. class. Before or since I have never encountered a social ritual which more neatly sums up one's status so publicly as the process of unnatural selection.

Based on some combination of your social status and physical strength you are chosen, in front of and by your peers, in order of merit. The biggest pimps are gone instantaneously, and slowly it works away, until the twisted husks of adolescent beings are left cowering, until one is left, not chosen but instead a waste product of the process, left to wander towards which ever side has fewest numbers.

Got to be pretty harrowing for some kids, where did you fit into this whole thing?

PS: Obviously I was always picked dead last for everything.

Noodleworm · 24-01-2011 11:46PM

Also often last, It was more of a social thing, whoever was in same social group as the chooser.

easyeason3 · 24-01-2011 11:47PM

Got picked first.
I was a ninja with a hockey stick or a basketball.

24-01-2011 11:47PM

Yep, I'm physically clumsy so was never good at sports. I've no problem admitting it either.

GLaDOS · 24-01-2011 11:48PM

Despite my relative lack of athletic ability, I'm a relatively good goalkeeper, which is a position nobody wants to play but at the same time want someone good playing there on their team. So usually got picked 2nd or 3rd, occasionally the honour of first! Obviously only worked for games you actually need a goalkeeper though :P

winston82 · 24-01-2011 11:48PM

Noodleworm wrote: »

Also often last, It was more of a social thing, whoever was in same social group as the chooser.

LOL keep telling yourself that!!:)

brummytom · 24-01-2011 11:49PM

I've always been ridiculously shite, but so bad that it's funny. So as much as people love me doing PE in individual sports, I was never ever ever picked to go on a team :pac:

red menace · 24-01-2011 11:49PM

Second last!
Thank you slightly clumsier child!

KeithM89_old · 24-01-2011 11:50PM

Usually middle of the bunch.
Skinny and good stamina but cant aim for shite...
There was fat kid in the class who used to always get picked last so the PE teacher always let him pick a team...

El Horseboxo · 24-01-2011 11:50PM

I'm quite good at most sports except soccer so i was picked quite early. Only thing i'm good at in soccer is hitting a target from far away with the ball. My accuracy is lethal.

RichieC · 24-01-2011 11:51PM

I was total jock who had fanny hanging out of me all day!

okay maybe not.. would have been in the middle, was okay at sports.

Dudess · 24-01-2011 11:52PM

Yep. But it didn't bother me - I actually ensured it would be the case in secondary by claiming to be on the rag every week (oh the pluses of being a girl :pac:). And I don't think it was anything deeper than the simple fact that I was sh1te at sports.
In all seriousness, my primary school was sports-obsessed (GAA and athletics especially) and did make people feel like failures if they weren't good at sports, but to be fair to them, they recognised other abilities, and I got on well at English, music, acting and dance, so that prevented any severe ego-bruising.

I was put in goal for camogie for a bit (against my will) and actually did all right at it in a Lisa Simpson playing ice hockey kinda sense - i.e. putting my hands up in fear every time a sliotar was blasted my way, and thus stopping it. :pac:

Raffo69 · 24-01-2011 11:53PM

I was always one of the 1st picked but that is no indication of me being good at sports. It was more a case of being in a class of people who were even worse than me

--LOS-- · 24-01-2011 11:53PM

Probably the last few, they never did let the quieter ones do the actual picking but if they did........./plots

Probably picked higher for basketball coz I was actually pretty good at scoring just not the whole team part, hate team sports

Smartly Dressed · 24-01-2011 11:53PM

Being the most athletic in the class at the time I was chosen as a captain! I was to pick first, and I chose the person who was normally always picked last. When it was my turn to pick again, I chose the person who was always picked second last.

Naturally we lost most of our team games but judging by the look of happiness on the two girl's faces at being picked first, I'm pretty sure I made their day.

It was a bit of an eye opener because I never realized how degrading it could be to be constantly picked last.

****ing tit of a teacher never did anything about it.

Jazzy · 24-01-2011 11:57PM

vollyball - picked first. my serve was a game winner

football - middle of the road. if the other guy that was good in nets was picked then id be picked straight after
basketball - middle... but that was always a mistake ^^ about halfway through 2nd year i started playing basketball instead at lunchtime and 4/5 of us got pretty good. but because we werent as good at football (outfield anyway

) everyone thought "ah they'll be crap at this too" so we would stack our team and kick ass. only worked once though

Hurricane-Dean · 24-01-2011 11:58PM

Picked 1st

the only one who bothered to tackle other people

BickNarry · 24-01-2011 11:59PM

ScienceNerd wrote: »

Despite my relative lack of athletic ability, I'm a relatively good goalkeeper, which is a position nobody wants to play but at the same time want someone good playing there on their team. So usually got picked 2nd or 3rd, occasionally the honour of first! Obviously only worked for games you actually need a goalkeeper though :P

Testbook nerd!They always pride themselves in "adequate" goalkeeping skills and no one says a word cause no one else wants to go in goal.

Sorry,but its true....

tony 2 tone · 25-01-2011 12:01AM

Picked last or nearly last for most things except basketball, yay growth spurt!

Tar.Aldarion · 25-01-2011 12:01AM

usually around the first as I was my full height from and early age and about 75-80kg from training 7 days a week. Always won obstacle courses etc and dodgeball was my game

Also played for the school, rugby, gaelic, hurling, and basketball teams.

also i was picker a lot, well my brother was adored by teachers at the school for being a sports legend so me n my brothers just got handed it.
one teacher literally jsut talked about my brother all class every class, he had a bad memory and taught that **** cspe lark

alwaysadub · 25-01-2011 12:03AM

Last or second last most of the time. I was pure sh1te at PE and everyone knew it.

Sandwlch · 25-01-2011 12:06AM

Someone who listened more than me in maths might correct me, but, can I conclude from the above stats that if 21% of people were picked dead last, then the average size of PE classes was 5 people? Those were the days. Some have more than 30 now!

marzic · 25-01-2011 12:10AM

At primary school once I got to 4th class i became first pick. One abiding memory as a ten year old, is scoring the only point for the u-12 football team in a 14 goals and 9pts to 1pt thriller rout! my teammates carried me shoulder high off the field, we used to take great pride in our performances!

Once I moved to secondary I became about 2nd or 3rd. I scored a goal in the final of the first year blitz, in front of most the school, and although we lost I will never forget the cheer that went up when the ball hit the net.

Rubberlegs · 25-01-2011 12:21AM

Always last. Mainly because I hid, not wanting to be picked, as hated all sports:D. Especially for basketball as I was so short. I was the kid the teacher had to wade in and rescue, when everyone surrounding me, trying to make me give em the ball. Twas much more fun smoking behind the sheds:)

PeterIanStaker · 25-01-2011 12:26AM

I was sh!t outfield at soccer but alright in goals, so funnily I used to get either picked first or last. Depended on the defensive mind of the picker.

gerarda · 25-01-2011 12:28AM

Always last. Our school was GAA or nothing, which I was rubbish at and was told that to my face by the teacher and a few kids. 12 marathons and a couple of triathlons later I since bumped into the teacher on Grafton st, he now has a huge belly! (which I pointed out) I took great pride in telling him what I thought of his class and what I achieved since then walked off leaving him with a priceless look on his face.

carfiosaoorl · 25-01-2011 12:28AM

I was always one of the last picked for team sports. I was crap and afraid of the ball. I always made sure I was at the opposite end of the pitch/hall to the ball. In the event that the ball came towards me I was A1 at ducking:D

cassid · 25-01-2011 12:33AM

basketball, normally first few, as I was tall and played for the school team and not bad at running ( back then)

crap at most other sports

kowloon · 25-01-2011 12:34AM

Dudess wrote: »

Yep. But it didn't bother me - I actually ensured it would be the case in secondary by claiming to be on the rag every week (oh the pluses of being a girl :pac:). And I don't think it was anything deeper than the simple fact that I was sh1te at sports.

I really wish someone had explained the rules to me before I trotted out that excuse

.

starbelgrade · 25-01-2011 12:34AM

I was pretty good at sports when I was in school. I played for Na Fianna in gaelic football, Home Farm football team, under 16's Dublin team & did trials for Liverpool. But I broke my leg badly in Liverpool & during my recouperation, lost interest in it all when I discovered booze & women.

There was quite a few people in my school who did well in sports - Jason Sherlock was in my class & Dessie Farrell and Kenny Cunningham were in my brother's class.

These days, I couldn't kick snow off a rope!

Equium · 25-01-2011 12:35AM

I was usually picked 2nd last (there's always one!) for some reason, despite my team winning practically every match. I was the only person who could defend in any sport but everyone seemed to forget that by the time the next PE class came around. Still, I saw it as a challenge to prove people wrong, so I didn't really care.

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