Childhood hobbies?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

The baseball thread where Strat-o-matic was mentioned had me thinking back to when I was a kid. I used to play that game all the time with my older brother. We had tons of teams and we would have full seasons where we kept stats on the results. I think it may have been one of the reasons that I was really good at math.

I collected some baseball cards, but never got into too many other hobbies other than playing sports. When I was around 12, I learned how to beat off. That became my hobby (probably still is).

 

Other than playing sports, what hobbies did you do as a kid and was there any value derived later in life?

[Franknbeans 46]

your mom

[Electric Mayhem 35]

I started playing music pretty young. First piano, then violin (blech), trumpet for a little bit and I settled on drums in I think 3rd grade or so. I played through high school, was in a band and had a blast playing live. Some of my best memories.

[flap 1]

Building and flying control line model airplanes...like this.

And, of course, making cyclops cry.

 

 

[JT 137]

Brother-in-law gave me a guitar when I was about 10. It's been my refuge, outlet and enjoyment ever since.

 

Played the crap out of Strat-O-Matic. Had the basketball edition too.

 

Aside from sports, which were a year round pursuit, that's what I did.

[KSB2424 3,083]

I had (still do) every baseball card made from 1983 through 1993. I have no idea if they are worth anything anymore but it was fun collecting them all when I was a kid.

 

I was never into music all that much as a kid. I was a sports nut. My childhood consisted of playing baseball, soccer, basketball on teams and at home playing wiffleball or football in the backyard, riding our bmx bikes and skateboarding (I still have my Lance Mountain board in my attic)

 

The only "hobby" I had was the baseball cards and maybe Nintendo.

 

ETA: A far as 'toys'? GI Joes and Transformers were the mainstays. Me, my brother and my next door neighbor would set up all of our GI Joes and actually have a draft to pick them on our respective teams. Its probably why I ended up loving fantasy football drafts. We had GI Joe drafts back in the day, then set up bases around the house and play out a war against each others teams. Good times.

[Franknbeans 46]

Seriously, this

 

I actually grew up playing on a Coleco table. Switched over to this table a few years back when I joined the largest league in North America. It is now defunct but not before I finished as the top scoring team the last season.

 

I still have about 6 games in my attic of various makes and models.

[DankNuggs 305]

Seriously, this

 

I actually grew up playing on a Coleco table. Switched over to this table a few years back when I joined the largest league in North America. It is now defunct but not before I finished as the top scoring team the last season.

 

I still have about 6 games in my attic of various makes and models.

My bro-in-law bought one of these last year and they were expensive as they've become collector type items according to him. He bought teams with the bruins and the whalers and whatever came with it. Those things were awesome.

 

The local italian restaurant my family would take us kids, and father would put 3 quarters in the middle of the table. If we were behaved through dinner we could use them at the arcade. They had one of those giant full size hockey games... It was the best.

[jerryskids 5,206]

By and large our hobbies were sports -- we'd get up, eat breakfast, and go play baseball or football until it got dark. But on those rainy or winter days...

 

- Collected baseball cards from like 1975 into the 80s, until the industry became more of a business than a hobby. Life lesson: accepting failure, when you opened a pack of cards you had saved up for only to find that you already had every card in the pack.

 

- Kicking paper footballs with our fingers -- we had quite a setup. On an old pool table in our basement (bumpers were trash, nobody played pool) we built goalposts out of Erector Set and drew lines 1-6 on the table, with 6 being at the far end. You rolled a die and kicked from that number, adding up the points. Life lesson: aerodynamics, also risk/reward concepts.

 

I also played trumpet and was in the scouts, and learned hella lot of lessons from both of those, but they were more "activities" than hobbies I think.

[edjr 5,566]

sticking things in my arse

[DankNuggs 305]

1-yard plunge was a game where i'd have a football, and try to score by getting onto the bed or a couch or whatever. It just turned into wrestling matches and eventually fist fights... Just like those little plastic bball hoops you put over a door... Put one up on an accordion closet door and I shaq blocked my brother and put him through the entire door into the back of the closet. Giant bang, I walk out triumphantly like I just won the intercontinental belt. As parents rush to accuse me what i had done i was tackled from behind, giant melee ensues...

 

 

We weren't allow to use those hoops anymore after that.

[OldMaid 1,838]

I started playing music pretty young. First piano, then violin (blech), trumpet for a little bit and I settled on drums in I think 3rd grade or so. I played through high school, was in a band and had a blast playing live. Some of my best memories.

I started piano lessons in 2nd grade and continued them all the way through high school. Started playing trumpet in 5th grade (I think) and was a member of jazz band and marching band. For some reason, coming from a smallish town in Iowa, it wasn't considered geeky to be a band member.

[DankNuggs 305]

I started piano lessons in 2nd grade and continued them all the way through high school. Started playing trumpet in 5th grade (I think) and was a member of jazz band and marching band. For some reason, coming from a smallish town in Iowa, it wasn't considered geeky to be a band member.

Band nerd

[DankNuggs 305]

NEEEERRRRRDDDDDDSSSSS

[OldMaid 1,838]

Band nerd

I'm gonna give you a flute enema.

[patweisers44 697]

Strat-o-Matic (all four sports, but baseball was the big one), collected sports cards, mostly played sports though.

[patweisers44 697]

1-yard plunge was a game where i'd have a football, and try to score by getting onto the bed or a couch or whatever. It just turned into wrestling matches and eventually fist fights... Just like those little plastic bball hoops you put over a door... Put one up on an accordion closet door and I shaq blocked my brother and put him through the entire door into the back of the closet. Giant bang, I walk out triumphantly like I just won the intercontinental belt. As parents rush to accuse me what i had done i was tackled from behind, giant melee ensues...

 

 

We weren't allow to use those hoops anymore after that.

Like you ever scored (with another person) on a bed or a couch.....

[BiPolarBear 476]

I was a rock hound as a kid and collected rocks, minerals, and fossils. It made for a easy A in college geology.

 

I started guitar at about 13 and still play.

[Electric Mayhem 35]

I started piano lessons in 2nd grade and continued them all the way through high school. Started playing trumpet in 5th grade (I think) and was a member of jazz band and marching band. For some reason, coming from a smallish town in Iowa, it wasn't considered geeky to be a band member.

I grew up in the NE, so being in the marching band did make you a bit of a nerd. I was in the drum line until my senior year when i became a drum major, so I was basically King of the Band Nerds. But I was able to cross into a bunch of 'circles' because of the rock band and getting voted class clown (still one of my life's crowning achievements).

 

Toy wise: Transformers, He-Man, Legos, and of course Star Wars stuff. I had a lot of Star Wars stuff. I also built my fair share of plasctic models - those were a lot of fun.

[OldMaid 1,838]

I grew up in the NE, so being in the marching band did make you a bit of a nerd. I was in the drum line until my senior year when i became a drum major, so I was basically King of the Band Nerds. But I was able to cross into a bunch of 'circles' because of the rock band and getting voted class clown (still one of my life's crowning achievements)

I can see where it would be considered nerdy for the guys... but I think it was different for us girls. We didn't have to pick between playing football or marching band and for some odd reason cheerleaders weren't cool at our school.

 

Where in NE?

[Mungwater 588]

Band geeks were/are band geeks, doesn't matter where you're from.

[SUXBNME 1,335]

Dungeons and Dragons

[MDC 5,891]

Oh you know pretty normal childhood playing chess and Dungeons and Dragons, had of the science fiction club in school, loved collecting rare stamps and insects, just your average middle schooler with a wraparound retainer and a fanny pack ...

[BunnysBastatrds 1,916]

NEEEERRRRRDDDDDDSSSSS

 

 

I hear she plays the flute and swallows the music.

[wiffleball 4,640]

When I was a little kid, I used to play a game I called "roll the balls".

 

Was too short to use a pool cue effectively, but that didn't stop me.

 

Instead of playing solids and stripes, I had two different groups; The good and the bad.

 

Good:

2,4,14,6,15,7,10, Cue

 

Bad:

1,9,3,11,5,13,8,12

 

From there, it was played basically like 9-ball without a cue. The balls sharing the same color were brothers, but sometimes,tragically, brothers would become divided. Such as in the case of 7 and 15. Still they rarely went after each other.

Cue and 8 were of course, naturall rivals and pretty much the leaders of their respective groups. Ten and 12 were both a little sketchy and tended to play whatever shot was easiest for them to sink. Not the kind of balls you'd like with you in a foxhole.

Six and Fourteen, however were stand-up balls. Loyal as the day is long. 7 was the best ball of all - and frequently went after 8 with a passion - because 8 was the toughest ball on the bad side.

 

 

God, I played the shiit out of that game.

 

Come to think of it, I anthropomorphized my hot wheels into good and bad units too...

 

 

 

 

 

Then I discovered my weemus.

[shotsup 832]

Oh you know pretty normal childhood playing chess and Dungeons and Dragons, had of the science fiction club in school, loved collecting rare stamps and insects, just your average middle schooler with a wraparound retainer and a fanny pack ...

I think I may of beaten you up back in the day. I am sorry if it was you on Hempstead Turnpike that day when I went on a D and D fanny pack rampage.

[BiPolarBear 476]

When I was a little kid, I used to play a game I called "roll the balls".

 

 

This surprises no one.

[MDC 5,891]

I think I may of beaten you up back in the day. I am sorry if it was you on Hempstead Turnpike that day when I went on a D and D fanny pack rampage.

That's okay I don't hold grudges.

[Hurricane Ditka 0]

Fishing. When I wasn't fishing I was doing homework so I could go fishing afterwards. Seriously, I lived next to a feeder canal off the Mississippi River. Also, played sports year round.

[wiffleball 4,640]

This surprises no one.

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

Fishing. When I wasn't fishing I was doing homework so I could go fishing afterwards. Seriously, I lived next to a feeder canal off the Mississippi River. Also, played sports year round.

Same here, fishing in the rocky mountains and playing sports.

[BiPolarBear 476]

[Giants Fan 85]

You know what surprised me? Apparently kids don't play marbles anymore.

 

I was pretty bad ass at marbles. We used to play 2 shot. Basically one guy throws his marble, then the other guythrows his, as close as he can to the other marble (1 shot) and then you have another shot to try and hit the opponents marble. Then each opponent has 1 shot to try and hid the other guys marbles.

 

I remember one day I won like 3 of a friend of mine's best marbles, and he started crying. I felt bad and gave them back, and like a poosay, he accepted.

[mahan day 4]

basketball i would say. i was never good, but i loved it. i remember playing in the PAL leagues as a kid.

[heavy-set 39]

baseball cards

video games

beer

[BunnysBastatrds 1,916]

Tackle football with the girls

[shovelheadt 61]

Every form of baseball possible. If it wasn't Little League, it was wiffleball. If it wasn't wiffleball, it was a version of baseball using a bunch of wadded up paper cups from the concession stand. You batted with your hand and could throw the paper ball at the runners. Other than that, it was pretty much anything you only get in small town/rural areas. Playing in the woods, fishing, picking blackberries, bb guns, picking dandelions for my grandpa to make wine, tractor pulls, demolition derbies, county fairs, Friday night varsity football games, Saturday morning JV football games. Pretty good way to grow up.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

I've always been a voracious reader and history nerd. I loved mythology, Greek and noise as a kid, and was a huge civil war buff. I researched my genealogy, found a relative who fought for the confederacy, and joined the sons of confederate veterans when I was twelve. I wanted to do reenactments, but you had to be 18. By then, I figured out that I was glad the south lost the war.

[shotsup 832]

Drugs

[wiffleball 4,640]

Every form of baseball possible. If it wasn't Little League, it was wiffleball.