Solitary Sports

Posted by Bill Scherer Jun 25, 2008

It dawned on me (it's about time that something did), while dissassembling the lockwork of my 1895 Nagant revolver, that most of my pursuits, recreational or otherwise, are, by and large, solitary. My modest gun collection, of which the Nagant is a part, requires virtually no help from anyone else for me to enjoy.

Of course, in competition, firearms requires more than one shooter, but it can be practiced, and thoroughly enjoyed, all by my lonesome. This is also true of being a musician, a motorcyclist, a writer, or a boxer.

At 43, I'm too old to box competitively anymore, but I still feel weird, even a little guilty, if I haven't worked out for a couple of days. Being in the gym is addictive and while slinging leather with guys 20 years younger than me might not be too smart, I enjoy setting up next to them on a heavybag to test myself, to see if I can still keep up. Once in a while I do.

It seems to me that boxers, like musicians, writers, and shootists (think cowboy here) are all derived from similar temperment, and very likely, environs. Something makes us individuals in the extreme.

Miles Davis, the most influential jazz trumpeter of all time, loved to box. Ernest Hemingway, the most influential American writer of the last century, loved to box and was an accomplished hunter. Many prominent boxers, including Oscar De La Hoya, and Roy Jones Jr., have successfully dabbled in music.

I could play amateur shrinkologist and try to give you reasons for all this, but sometimes too much analysis ruins the romance.