Discovering Dargatz #24 - Imaginary Athleticism

From tennis against the side of my childhood home to basketball games in the backyard, countless hours of my youth were spent in sports.  Oddly enough, many of these many hours involved me playing against my imagination. I grew up an athlete, but never the most talented. I had coordinated skill, but was never the superstar.  I was never the last picked, but never the first either. I starved for that moment where the spotlight was on me, not the prototypical star athlete from my childhood teams.  I would play these games as my mind increased the tension and excitement until I came out on top. I would celebrate wildly, probably leaving my neighbors wondering what was wrong with me. These showdowns lasted summer afternoons and winter evenings. My imagination never let me lose, although I did have to recreate scenarios to make sure I would get the glory and be credited with the victory. Many "extra" free throws and three pointers were taken. Plenty of tennis strokes were smacked against the brick wall. Numerous pitches were wailed against the garage in hopes of getting that last crucial strike. While those games may have never really occurred, their memory lives on.