re: What were your greatest moments in youth sports?

Had a great throw to the plate from center field to get the last out in the 9th. Was a 1 run game. Earlier in the same game I had a diving web gem with bases loaded and 2 outs to get out the inning. Felt like I single handedly stopped 3 runs

When I was 7, I went off on Trinity Baptist for a game high 8 points.

In Tee-ball the last batter just kept running for some reason, probably a stupid military base rule no idea. Anyway, I'm pitcher and bases are loaded. Last batter steps up and hits a grounder to me. I field it, run home, and proceed to tag all 4 runners out as they run into home. 4 outs in one inning, boom.

Youngest winner of the 5-A state championship in golf history for Colorado.

3 time all American and received full ride to University of Arizona. That was my peak

Sad it's been 22 years, but finishing 4th nationally in the 50 yard breast with a state record that still stands today.

I played one year of varsity football (WR). Never started but appeared in two games. I had a sweet peel back block on a lineback during a scrimmage against Breaux Bridge.

Literally the only thing of value I did

I slam dunked a 30 yard bunker shot on 18 to win the junior club championship when I was 15. I won by 3 strokes but the people that were watching went bonkers.

When I was 14 and playing baseball, I played for a really comically bad team. Despite that, I couldn’t crack the starting lineup at 1st base (I was that good! ).

the mid-week practice got pushed to Friday and I was just practicing fielding when the backup catcher asked if I could throw him some pitches. I did and surprising threw pretty straight, which on our team was a notable achievement.

The kid who was going to be starting pitcher on Saturday could throw heat but had terrible control. He’d typically walk in more runs than he’d surrender through hits.

Coach saw me throwing meatballs, but straight meatballs at least - and came over to give me some pointers. After practice, he unceremoniously told the team I’d be starting tomorrow at pitcher.

I was totally freaked out. My best friend who was on the team asked to borrow the catching gear and we stayed in the back yard at my house practicing pitching until dark.

The next day, I nervously took the mound and despite the sort of embarrassing moment when the umpire corrected my wind-up motion, I managed to do ok.

Apparently, my pitches were such slow duds that a lot of the batters were getting out in front of them and fouling them off or hitting dribblers into the infield.

Anyway, I managed to strike out a few batters, including the last batter and we won the game.

It was such a blast when the team tackled me in celebration and then (as was custom) we went to Pizza Hut and had celebratory pizza and Pepsi in the red plastic tumblers.

It was the only game we won the entire season and it was glorious. I’m not an athlete but love sports and this was one of the only real “moments” I ever had.

30 years later, it still makes me smile.

Football: Senior year against our rival. We were down by six with 2 minutes to go. I was playing left tackle (all 6' 210 lbs of me at that time.) we were on the opponents 35 or 40 yard line and QB was scrambling on a pass. I did the comeback blind side block on the LB who was chasing him down, QB scrambled for the TD and we won the game.

I had 2 int from my middle linebacker position my freshman year and those were the last passes I ever caught in a football game from there on out.

Football: Game sealing INT on homecoming night. Sweet salvation for me because i had been abused by a taller faster WR all night leading up to it.

Basektball: Hit 2 free throws with less then 10 seconds left in a game where we were down three. We got a steal on the inbound another teammate of mine got fouled with 1 second left and missed both. Only needed one to tie.

Basebal1: Coach put me in at left field when we needed the final out of 1 run game when they had runners on base because the guy had hit 3 fly balls to left during the game and our left fielder misplayed two of them. I normally played second. Sure enough he hit a fly ball to me and i made the play.

Track: Ran a PR of 51 and some change on my leg of the 4x400 relay. Beat the team in the league meet that we had lost to every other time that season and with that win it gave us the overall league championship. Pretty sweet.

But overall i was a small white boy that had sports smarts and was a try hard. Luckily i played in rural Michigan and went to a very small school that played against other very small schools