What was your passion growing up

[crosscreekcooter]

 

[jdh5484]

Replying to OP ... Skateboarding, fishing, water-skiing.

A skateboard was my ride. To school, football practice, store or just hanging.

My best friend had a lake place in Colunbia SC and we went up there just about every weekend. Bass and crappie fishing in the a.m. Water skiing after lunch. More fishing in the evening. We would bait the trot line each night for catfish.

 

[AlexDaGator]

History, especially military history, especially WWII history. I was the kid that read all those books in the library, many more than once (Dad was a WWII vet).

The beach. Grew up right off of A1A. I lived in the sand and salt water.

Fell in love with football watching Spurrier's Tampa Bay Bandits and the Dan Marino era Dolphins. Being a student at UF during the Spurrier era turned me into college sports fan, especially college football. I have bled orange and blue since the first time I saw the Gators in person.

Beautiful women.

Cooking, good beer, and whiskey (especially bourbon) but those passions came later.



Alex.

 

[jdh5484]

History, especially military history, especially WWII history. I was the kid that read all those books in the library, many more than once (Dad was a WWII vet).

The beach. Grew up right off of A1A. I lived in the sand and salt water.

Fell in love with football watching Spurrier's Tampa Bay Bandits and the Dan Marino era Dolphins. Being a student at UF during the Spurrier era turned me into college sports fan, especially college football. I have bled orange and blue since the first time I saw the Gators in person.

Beautiful women.

Cooking, good beer, and whiskey (especially bourbon) but those passions came later.



Alex.

You reminded be that I also read the encyclopedia constantly. We had a set at the house. I read through each volume several times. I wore the volume out that covered the space program!

Becoming a Gator during the Spurrier era was probably the best time. Although Muschamps reign is probably a close second.

 

[AlexDaGator]

Steve Spurrier and John Lombardi arrived in 1990. From the first game of the 1990 season until the end of the 1996 season, we won our first (legal) SEC, another Heisman, our first National Championship, 5 total SECs (6 if you count the illegal one in 1990), and in those 7 seasons, I think we lost at home 2 times, both close games against top teams. The North endzone was enclosed and the stadium became the Swamp. It was widely accepted as the toughest and loudest place to play in America. For most of that time, we could leave the Swamp at halftime to slam some adult beverages and come back in. That's pretty awesome. We also went to our first Final Four in 1994. Our academic reputation was skyrocketing but the campus wasn't overrun with dorks who didn't like football or partying yet. The party scene may not have been as wild as the 80's when frats could throw 100 keg parties and everybody was invited because the legal drinking age was 18, but it was still a bigtime party school. Growl was still a big deal. Broward beach was dripping with talent. We won the Cold War and stopped worrying about dying in a nuclear holocaust. We felt good about the military after stomping Saddam in the Gulf War (early '91). There were awesome free concerts. Plenty of live music venues with good bands (not a douchebag DJ with a laptop and a headphones). The economy was (with one short hiccup) rocking. People felt good about their lives and the future. In the stadium, we watched the games, none of us had cell phones, selfies hadn't been invented, and there was no social media. You hung out with your friends and talked about their lives.

The blight on that era was the Gainesville student murders in 1990. The campus, the city, wasn't as friendly and open as it was before. It got better, but it wasn't like it was before the murders.

I went to all the games during the Tebow era too. It was great, but the passion in the stands wasn't the same as those first few years under Spurrier. We had done it before. Everybody remembered Wuerffel and our first National Championship and owning the Dawgs. When Spurrier arrived, we were losing regularly. Any SEC victory was a big victory. The fans weren't spoiled yet. They reveled in the beatdowns regularly administered to our rivals. That passion was even cooling off by '95 and '96 when dominating wins were expected.

I tell people that era, from Spurrier's first game to our first national championship, was probably the greatest time to be a UF student. The halcyon days of Urban and Billy with 2 football and 2 basketball championships is a solid second place era.



Alex.

 

[CDGator]

Steve Spurrier and John Lombardi arrived in 1990. From the first game of the 1990 season until the end of the 1996 season, we won our first (legal) SEC, another Heisman, our first National Championship, 5 total SECs (6 if you count the illegal one in 1990), and in those 7 seasons, I think we lost at home 2 times, both close games against top teams. The North endzone was enclosed and the stadium became the Swamp. It was widely accepted as the toughest and loudest place to play in America. For most of that time, we could leave the Swamp at halftime to slam some adult beverages and come back in. That's pretty awesome. We also went to our first Final Four in 1994. Our academic reputation was skyrocketing but the campus wasn't overrun with dorks who didn't like football or partying yet. The party scene may not have been as wild as the 80's when frats could throw 100 keg parties and everybody was invited because the legal drinking age was 18, but it was still a bigtime party school. Growl was still a big deal. Broward beach was dripping with talent. We won the Cold War and stopped worrying about dying in a nuclear holocaust. We felt good about the military after stomping Saddam in the Gulf War (early '91). There were awesome free concerts. The economy was (with one short hiccup) rocking. People felt good about their lives and the future. In the stadium, we watched the games, none of us had cell phones, selfies hadn't been invented, and there was no social media. You hung out with your friends and talked about their lives.

The blight on that era was the Gainesville student murders in 1990. The campus, the city, wasn't as friendly and open as it was before. It got better, but it wasn't like it was before the murders.

I went to all the games during the Tebow era too. It was great, but the passion in the stands wasn't the same as those first few years under Spurrier. We had done it before. Everybody remembered Wuerffel and our first National Championship and owning the Dawgs. When Spurrier arrived, we were losing regularly. Any SEC victory was a big victory. The fans weren't spoiled yet. They reveled in the beatdowns regularly administered to our rivals. That passion was even cooling off by '95 and '96 when dominating wins were expected.

I tell people that era, from Spurrier's first game to our first national championship, was probably the greatest time to be a UF student. The halcyon days of Urban and Billy with 2 football and 2 basketball championships is a solid second place era.



Alex.

The early Spurrier years were truly an amazing time to be a student at UF! Student football tickets were $6 a piece if I recall correctly. I sold one ticket to an alumni that paid $50 and was thrilled that my whole season was paid for plus some beer money.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

Chicks, man....

 

[TLB]

Exploring, that was my primary passion in my early years. Until HS age, I'd hop on my bike and go. Just go. Everyday after school, I'd head out in a new direction and explore parts of G'ville. Main roads, neighborhoods, back roads, woods, whatever was available. When I reached my tween years, I came to the profound realization I had a complete lack of eye-hand coordination so all the major sports were a losing proposition for me, so I took up soccer. Played very competitively until my early 20's when I lost my invincibility and the poor diet (and genetics) claimed my body for more couch time. In HS, upon getting a car, I still explored a lot, driving all over G'ville and spreading out to Alachua, Archer, Newberry, anywhere in an hour radius just to see what's there. I went on to explore nearly ALL of FL though never made it to the Keys and the panhandle was limited to Tallahassee (FL games) and I-10 (going to Baton Rouge).

Late 20's, I started building computers and have done so for myself since then - knowing the hardware and software gave a sense of independence and capability. But I also found my future wife who promptly moved to UVA for grad school. She loved travel as well, so we spent the 2y of her grad school by meeting at diff places throughout the SE from G'ville to Birmingham (Olympics) to Myrtle Beach to wherever....especially for UF away games (she loved football more than most guys, still does).

Family and kids has constrained finances-time-etc so we don't explore as much. However, I've always believed there's a LOT to experience in your own backyard, so we still get the kids out regularly for local hikes or to see things. For the first time in my life, I'm starting to look ahead to retirement (I'm 50, wife is 3y behind me) and when the kids are out she and I will likely resume travel again. One of her dreams is to rent a camper and travel the US hitting all the college football stadiums for games. We'll see. I'm also inclined to his the Eastern half of the world (Asia, Australia) as we've both been to Europe a bit already.

 

[Gatordiddy]

and spreading out to Alachua, Archer, Newberry, anywhere in an hour radius just to see what's there

...surprised you didn't run into Corch and have breakfast

 

[Nalt]

Sorry, but I didn't read this thread. I didn't even read the entire original post... but... Growing up my "passion" was a beautiful girl named Marsha Lucas. She was just a year younger than me and we actually spent a lot of time together for a few years. Only problem for me though was she was just being nice. She never had any passion for me. Last I saw or heard from Marsha was about the end of my 11th grade in school when she moved and switched schools. I think she stayed in the Huntsville, AL area but I really don't know.

Other than Marsha I loved going fishing with my dad. He instilled that love in me that still burns hot today even though I rarely get to go any more. About 2 years ago he gave me his little 14' Tomboy tri-hull fishing boat. It is still in very good condition even though it is 46+ y/o. The engine, a 35 hp Evinrude has seen it's better days though. I tried taking it out this morning and surprisingly got it started but when trying to make a run it kept jumping out of gear. Only way to keep it in gear was to literally hold the shifter with one hand and hold the tiller handle with the other. That meant I had my back to the direction I wanted to go. No thank you. Put it back on the trailer and headed back home.

 

[Gatordiddy]

Last I saw or heard from Marsha was about the end of my 11th grade

certainly no reason why you can't start cyber-searching/stalking her today.
I'm sure she'd love to hear from an old "friend" - possibly even an unannounced visit

 

[Nalt]

certainly no reason why you can't start cyber-searching/stalking her today.
I'm sure she'd love to hear from an old "friend" - possibly even an unannounced visit

That's creepy. I think a chance encounter bumping into one another while shopping of something would be the better, though more remote option... ;)

 

[Gatordiddy]

That's creepy. I think a chance encounter bumping into one another while shopping of something would be the better, though more remote option... ;)

"Marsha? Marsha Lucas?!? It's me 'Nalt Ledbetter'! Nugene's cousin... We went to high school together as friends! So funny running into you at your private place of employment where I don't really have an appointment or a reason to even be in here! How have you been? Is there a Mr. Lucas?"