Category: sports

No regrets

Ian Hunter1 Comment

When I was sixteen

I decided to learn golf

after purchasing a few clubs

I practiced in a large field

I spent the whole summer

hooking and slicing

chipping and putting

searching for lost balls

I became obsessed

with making that perfect shot

analyzing my swing

adjusting my grip

occasionally I would hit it long and straight

my mathematical brain

believing I had cracked it

convinced I would be a pro golfer

until the next shot was fluffed

started to calculate

club face angles

and ball trajectories

sadly it became apparent

that the most minute errors in my swing

caused huge differences in the ball flight

I became very frustrated

I had to make a big decision

should I spend the rest of my life

trying to master this crazy game

or do I accept that I never will

at the end of that summer

I put away my clubs

I have never played golf since

over fifty years later I have no regrets

Sports can either keep you wide awake or put you to sleep

Ian HunterLeave a comment

I am an avid sports fan

Following sporting events on TV and occasionally in person

Big events like the Wold Cup are thrilling to watch

The best soccer players in the world performing spectacular moves

Combined with the passion of the fans supporting their own nation

Occasionally some David beats Goliath surprise results capture my attention

Every game starts with the uncertainty off who will score goals

Both sets of fans firmly believing that their team is going to win

Cheering and singing in anticipation of that victory celebration

The certainty of defeat for one team is only realized at the final whistle

One set of fans dancing and singing with their team in the joy of victory

While the defeated team and their supporters hold their heads in sorrow

Formula One motorsports is exciting in a different way

The drivers are not the only ones racing against each other

Its a team effort of designers, engineers, mechanics, statisticians and strategists

Who dares to keep their car right on the edge for two hours usually wins 

Those who try but make one small mistake often crash out and lose

Formula One attracts the glitz and glamor of an ultra rich entourage

Supermodels and movie stars parade around the paddock posing for the cameras

The mechanics work at lightening speed preparing the cars with an intense focus

Totally oblivious of the media and celebrity circus swarming around them

I also like to watch a game of cricket on an English village green

There are no supermodels or movie stars to be seen at all

No hoards of flag waiving and cheering fans

There might be just a few dozen spectators watching the game in deck chairs

Patiently waiting for the batsman to make a good hit or the bowler to strike the wicket

Polite applause follows a good stroke of the bat maybe every twenty minutes or so

Some spectators unashamedly doze off during the long periods of inactivity

Woken by the occasional applause they clap a few times before napping again

I wonder if they are dreaming about making a great shot with the cricket bat

Perhaps they are dreaming about scoring a winning goal in a football match

Or driving a  Formula One car at lightening speeds on the track

I feel blessed to constantly dream about all of them

be there but only if you can afford it

Ian Hunter2 Comments
Formula One came to Miami in 2022

when I was young my main sporting passions were football(aka soccer) and motorsports

I played soccer as a boy and dreamed of being a professional

I never made the grade but played with local amateur teams up to the age of 18

it was relatively inexpensive to watch my team Liverpool play back then

I went to many games and enjoyed the thrills of seeing it live

the stadium was always packed with over 40,000 fans

mostly young boys and working class men

I also attended many motorsports events which were all inexpensive to watch

in my early twenties I built a racing Mini Cooper

spending two seasons competing in national championships

I soon learned that I would never make it as a professional racing driver

I gave up racing to focus more on my career

it was fun though to attend Formula One events and see the pros in action

as the years passed I drifted to watching football and motorsports on TV

although the coverage is excellent its not the same as actually being there

I recently thought about taking a trip to England to see a Liverpool game

the only tickets available for the game were over $400

that’s about 200 times more than I used to pay for a ticket

I was planning to see the Formula One race in Miami this year

Until I discovered that the cheapest available ticket was $1200

that’s more than I spent in a whole season of racing my Mini Cooper back in the 80’s

So sad that these sports have become so corporate

Formula One used to be the ultimate thrill for motorists enthusiasts

Its now the place to be seen for the ultra rich and famous

I bet most of them know nothing about motorsport

they just want to hang out in the VIP hospitality section and hope to be photographed 

I feel blessed to have grown up in an era when sporting events were accessible to everybody