americano...

The weather in Seoul is starting to properly reflect a changing season, and spring was present in full force this past weekend. The weather alone was enough to coax me outside, and despite my inability to run, or jog, I went out Saturday afternoon to throw around a(n) (american) football.






I quickly realized how lame a participant I was, because coupled with my lack of running, came an inability to throw the ball. I've never been great at throwing a football, but I was embarrassed, it took me a while before I remembered I wasn't throwing a baseball. The other guys from work, both American, could throw the ball (spiralling) huge distances with relative ease.

It was this ease and distance that attracted the attention of several Korean High School students. These students were fascinated with my two coworkers. They were completing running plays with dazzling accuracy, as one jumping catch created a cheer team of energetic highschoolers. It didn't take long before this audience wanted to participate.

I can't imagine what they thought of this sport, as it is not a common sight at all in Korea. The only thing that comes to mind in comparison would be if I saw a group throwing around a boomerang. I've them before on TV and in stores, yet never actually tried one. There must be subtle nuances that I wouldn't understand, and people would find humour in my attempts.

The reason I mention this is because these highschoolers were hilarious to watch. Catching the ball created confusion, as footballs hurt if they are caught improperly. Yet through trial and error some of the kids got pretty decent. Throwing the ball was a different story. Some of the students were throwing the ball sideways, like a giant malformed baseball. The ball would lurch through the sky tumbling awkwardly like a plinko chip. One Korean student threw a perfect spiral on his first attempt, he was so clueless as to how he did it, he couldn't replicate the feat.









The highlight, in my mind, of the afternoon was their touchdown dances. One of my co-workers got them started on the idea, and had some dancing around the ball like fairies. One student spiked the ball after going down in an Asian squat. With spring (hopefully) just beginning I hope to bear witness to such events again. The kids were having a blast, and laughing along as they tried out this foreign sport.

I mostly wish that I too will be able to join in on the running plays, as my throwing abilities sincerely suck balls.