The Squad asked, and I answered

This week, on a very special episode of the Blog Squad…

Just kidding!

We thought we’d change it up a little. If you’ve been reading these past few weeks, you’ll know that we’ve been tackling the same topics. This week we are doing a round robin of questions for each other, challenging ourselves to get outside the box a little.

So, Caitlin asked me:

When did you first start to think of yourself as an athlete, and why?

I read this question a few days ago and have had ample time to write and think of the answer. And yet it took me a long time to organize these thoughts into a somewhat cohesive post.

The truth is, I really don’t know. In fact, I don’t even know that I do!

I’m not that introspective and have spent little to no time self-identifying as anything, really. It’s not something I have considered. I’m more someone who is governed by tangibles and measurable objectives, and this felt like something that I couldn’t quite define. And honestly, no one has ever asked me this question.

If I were to identify as anything, it would be as a mother above all else. This is the role I assume 100% of the time, whether I am physically with my children or not. Everything else, love it or hate it, must be secondary.

As I pondered this further over the last few days (ironically, whilst at a training camp), I really had to wonder if I did consider myself an athlete. I looked up the definition:

ath·lete

ˈaTHˌlēt/

noun

a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.

synonyms: sportsman, sportswoman, sportsperson; More
1. BRITISH
  
  a person who is skilled in competitive track and field events (athletics).
  
  (To confirm: the British definition definitely does not apply to me!)
I don’t know. It doesn’t really seem to fit. I’m pretty proficient, I guess? But does that make an athlete, specifically? I mean, I love junk food! I am lazy! But then again, I own so much active wear…

Isn’t this a benefit of being an “athlete”?

I thought about it some more. I’m sporty, yes. But I don’t like team sports. I can’t catch a ball to save my life. I’m outdoorsy, but I hate being cold and I’m scared of bears. I’m athletIC, but does this make me an athleTE?

I turned it around – as I often do – to the kids. How do they identify me as, besides Mom (obviously)?

I called them via FaceTime from the airport on my way home from training camp (hello?! Athletes go to training camps!!) I asked: if you were to call me something, besides Mum and “event worker person”, what would it be?

The answers were, in order: “biker” “runner” “Ironman person.”

(Please note, swimmer never comes up. They know me well).

Huh. Maybe I am an athlete after all. Maybe?

Why I am so sceptical about this? What is it that’s stopping me from calling myself an athlete? This is going to require a little more thought. Maybe I should should own it, go with it, try it on for size.

So Caitlin, to answer your question: Today, I will start identifying as an athlete. Because as it turns out, all signs point in that direction.

Because athletes run in sideways rain, right?

The rest of our round robin team can be found here. The Squad, as we call ourselves, are Erin, Jen, Liz, Caitlin, Elizabeth, Laurel and Hailey.

Enjoy!