Starting Seven

The clouds were like a silk white quilt blanketing a baby blue linen sky. A starburst sunrise speckled starting at the substructure of the sheet. The light shaped a perfect triangle as if it were the single mismatched patch sewn to stand out. These were the first formed observations as I rode my bike on the trail this morning. I also cycled across a cluster of critters. It got me thinking…what if animals were athletes? What sports would they excel in? Here’s my starting seven:

I climbed the paved path of smooth sidewalk with my bike. I am usually in my own little world while steering but in my far view, I noticed movement ahead. At first glance, I assumed it to be a person walking the trail ahead of me. As I closed in and pedaled persistently, the broad body revealed itself to be a white-tailed deer. It quickly rushed into the woods, brushing by bushes belligerently. The deer would make an excellent lacrosse player. It was fleet-footed and had excellent lateral movement. I’m guessing it had great lower-body strength and the upper limbs were sturdy. Lacrosse players need that.
My next encounter was a sparrow fluttering from tree to tree as I sped past the straightaway. It kept flying in front of me as if trying to make friends. I think this sparrow would have success on a team sport because it was definitely trying for camaraderie. It would easily make a good wide receiver. Football players generally have great hands. I am not familiar with the anatomy of birds, but realize they do not have hands. However, this sparrow would fly across any football field in a feathered fury. It seemed to have the ability to snag spirals and soar into the end zone. There has to be some reason there are so many NFL teams named after birds, right?
A chestnut colored creature captured my concentration as I changed directions. I had to swerve my handlebars or the tires would have thwacked this thrilling tramp. It looked like a beaver, but I want to call it a groundhog. Whatever it was, I am sure the thick-covered being would be a hockey-playing hero. The padded layer of fur was like a heavily-equipped puckster and its squatty legs reminded me of a skating speedster on ice. It wasn’t, however, in any rush to get out of my way. Maybe the flat-backed groundhog would be best on the defensive end.
A rabbit hopped casually crusading past my path on its own joyous journey. The bunny’s vertical leap would be ideal on a basketball court. I can just see this friendly animal’s jump shot and crossover dribbles. It stampeded down a small slope kicking up a smidgen of dirt and dust on the way to a flowered plant. The rabbit would have to avoid being called for traveling as a basketball player, but its floppy ears seem to fit the prototype for baggy-short NBA stars.
I was gliding along in between mile checkpoints as green trees hung low in the intersection of the trail. Logs were scattered nearby, and a fenced-in area indicated a steep rock drop-off to my left. To the right, I observed a dark blob in my view ahead. I did not notice the object on my way down, but now it appeared to loom large. I was shocked to find out the blob was a hard-shelled, humongous turtle. I was somewhat taken aback at first and almost stopped by bike to get a closer look. The turtle did not move at all. If turtles played sports, they would definitely be baseball backstops. Catchers are not known for their speed, and turtles are the slowest amphibians I can think of. Turtles wear shells like catchers protect themselves with chest pads. They hide their faces inside as if I catcher shielding himself behind a facemask. Catchers see the entire baseball field. Turtles have a way of seeing everything too. I know this one saw me and was calling the plays. I was the one shaking him off.
Two squirrels conversed in front of the fence. I snuck up on the gray-tailed pair and they promptly scattered. They looked up to no good. Soccer players often hunch and huddle together. They are “squirrely” by nature in my opinion. The two trespassers would be stellar soccer players, noshing the ball off their noggin’ and kickin’ it with zest.
I lastly stumbled across a sly and sneaky cat. It was planning something in someone’s driveway. This one was fairly big and had dark gray hair with white paws. Cats are independent animals and like to do things on their own. This cat would put most boxers to shame. Its white paws were boxing gloves and it looked ready to deliver a knockout blow inside any ring. Boxers need cat-like instincts and slick moves to succeed. My cat had these.
So ended my bike ride, and what a memorable one it was.

Parting points: I played a couple sets of tennis this morning. It felt great to smack the ball around the court in competition. It would be great to hit everyday. As far as sports go, this is my sport. I love it.