I grew up a small-town jock. This modest social role came with a number of comforting certainties. For instance, from about seventh grade onward, I played the same sports with basically the same teammates each season. My town was just barely large enough to field one team in most sports.
In our competitions, we faced mostly the same kids from each nearby town. And we all knew our assignments right away. For instance, on the soccer field, I was always the goalkeeper. I didn’t have any talent for the position, really — but I worked hard, obeyed coaching directives, and occasionally got lucky. Continue reading