Why (I Think) Sports Are Important

I've been involved in sports since I was little.  I started speed skating somewhere around the age of 4, did recreational gymnastics (I was not very good or flexible), I played soccer (both rec and competitive) and I did soccer and cross-country running all through elementary school and high school.  While there are the obvious physical benefits to being involved in sports and in doing physical activity I've come to realize recently how beneficial it has been for me socially.

the last soccer team

I was a shy and somewhat anxious child, I've always been kind of a professional worrier, and even now I'm easily intimidated by other people.  Being involved in a sport or a member of a team where I was around the same group of people a few days a week forced me into social situations and because we were doing an activity there was always a common topic to talk about.

When I went to a different high school than all my friends joining the cross-country team put me a little more at ease and made me feel like I was involved in the school and not just floating invisibly through the hallways.  Although none of my best friends from high school ended up being in cross-country, meeting a lot of different people through the years of skating and playing soccer made me a little more comfortable to talk to people I didn't know because I'd been exposed to situations like that over and over.

Senior girls cross-country team 

More recently when I moved to Calgary for skating it was less terrifying than it could have been because I knew I was going to be around other skaters every day, even though I didn't know most of them, but I could calm myself down with the knowledge that I would be around people who were in the same situation as me so I was bound to get along with someone.  Travelling for skating and moving has even made me more confident going forward because I know that if I were to move somewhere else I would probably be able to find some other people to get along with (the idea of being isolated, friendless, and alone could have been enough to stop me from doing things/going places before).

Skating training camp, look at how many friends!

Based on the way that I react to some social situations still today I wonder if I hadn't always done sports and been on teams whether I would have ever been able to even leave home (also if I would even have any friends because I'm pretty sure I made a lot of my friends because I was good at gym class).

Liebster Award

Oh look a fun mid-week blog post! Olivia (http://cookie--crumbles.blogspot.com.au/) nominated me for a Liebster blog award which is basically a little question tag.  I'm supposed to write 11 random facts about me then answer some questions from Olivia and then make 11 of my own questions for the 11 people I nominate but since I don't even know 11 bloggers I think I'm going to skip that step (sorry, sidenote: hi other bloggers let's be friends).

Random Facts:

1. I was born 6 weeks early and only weighed four pounds 

2. I've broken both of my legs (about a year and a half apart) one speed skating and one playing soccer

3. My little sister and my cousin both speed skate and my parents are both coaches so skating is really a family affair for the Morrison's

4. I'm in my fifth year of university and still have no idea what I want to do with my life

5. I have British citizenship because my dad was born there even though I've only been to England once (take me back!)

6. I've seen Taylor Swift in concert twice and it almost killed me that I couldn't go to the Red tour

7. I'm an English major (I'm running out of interesting facts)

8. I actively played the euphonium until I finished high school (and was actually pretty good) 

9. I honestly can't even remember learning how to skate

10. I often wish I was a gymnast even though I did gymnastics when I was younger and wasn't very good

11. My favourite place in the whole wide world is our family cottage 

11 Questions: 

All time favourite...

1. Beauty product? I don't know if this counts but I am currently loving my Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter.  I got it because I had a gift card and it is incredible for taking off makeup.

2. Clothing item? I have these beige pants from H&M that are higher waisted and skinny and I probably wear them anytime I go out anywhere and I've had them for so long that I can't even remember buying them ... are the from H&M?

3. Makeup brand? I wouldn't say that I have a favourite brand, I like different things from different brands.

4. Fashion label? Oh dear, I could pretend I know a lot about fashion and designers but I don't, I definitely don't know enough to have a favourite ... 80% of what I wear on a daily basis is from lululemon

5. Beauty blog? I'm not sure if people consider this a beauty blog but sprinkleofglitter 

6. Celebrity crush? I have a lot of celebrity crushes but right now it's probably One Direction (all of them I don't even care) and/or Josh Hutcherson

7. Song? My favourite song of all time is probably Our Song by Taylor Swift it just doesn't get old

8. Singer/band? I honestly could not pick a favourite I listen to too much and on such a broad spectrum

9. Tv show/movie? Fave movie is The Sound of Music, it's amazing I will fight you on this

10. Book/Series? My favourite book series will probably always be Harry Potter but I think that my favourite stand-alone book is probably The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (I just read it and it's incredible)

11. Food? I'm a big pizza fan ... don't tell my coaches