Ballet. Crew. Basketball. Volleyball. Lacrosse. Badminton. Field hockey. Soccer. These are just some of the sports and activities Libby Graham can remember she’s quit during her sixteen years.
“I have different reasons for quitting each.” Graham said as she recalled her memories of her past hobbies. “The first sport I ever quit was soccer. I had played for six years.” Then suddenly she stopped playing.
“Around that time I was playing soccer, my family and I moved to Maryland. I just kinda stopped playing because I didn’t know anybody.” Graham said. “I was embarrassed. I was worried that people would maybe not want to be my friend or that I’d take someone’s spot on the team.”
After her fateful move, the sports and hobbies given up kept piling.
“When I joined crew and badminton I was really only in them for less than a day.” Graham said nonchalantly. “My parents did this thing where they forced me to join something, anything, every new school year.”
With the workload less than any other time for Graham in the fall, she was able to try out nearly every sport her small private school had to offer.
“With basketball, the reason I quit was my broken finger. The coach actually broke my finger and that really made me realize, ‘Hey, I don’t want to play for this woman anymore.’”
Nowadays, Graham has found her sport. Her place in the athletic world at her school – a player on the tennis team. “I have finally found something I really like to do,” Graham states. “I’m not going to quit tennis, for sure. I actually like it.”
Graham claims all one must do to find their niche or what they like to do most is try everything else out until stumbling upon what you want.
In the eyes of the older generation, these Y2K babies have seemed to lost their tough skin, their willingness to stay in the game, their overall drive to stay in something till it’s done.
“Well, back in my day, we couldn’t just quit something whenever we felt like it.” Cindy Martinez, 46, said. “There was money involved. Money that wasn’t such a luxury as the younger kids think it is today.”
When asked of her childhood and teen experience regarding sports and clubs Martinez vowed to have never quit one. “Everything I did in high school, I did four years.” Martinez said confidently. “One club I can remember wanting to quit at times was the Pep Club. But I never did, I had to earn that uniform my parent’s paid for.”
Is there any other explanation as to how someone could manage to collect four credits of Home Ec in high school then refusal to give up and throw in the towel on a club?
“You know, I think the biggest problem is laziness.” Martinez said. “You kids just don’t give anything a chance. You try something, get bored and don’t get to even know if you really like it.”
What does young Libby Graham say to remarks made by the older set about her generation’s supposed lack of enthusiasm and commitment to nearly anything?
Whatever.
“People say whatever they want, but they don’t know why I or anyone else for that matter quit something.” Graham says. “I have my personal reasons they will never know about.”
