I went to a somewhat posh school
This meant that rugby and cricket were taken ludicrously seriously. Being 6' by the time I arrived (in 1st form (year 7 in the state reckoning)) meant that I started in the B team in rugby. Despite my total lack of interest, ability or speed. I was down to the Cs by the first match, proceeded to do sod all, and was in the socials by the end of the first term.
After a couple years of throwing the short kids around (my record was getting one person from the try line to the one behind it), the school offered another choice. Fencing.
Which was perfect, I generally enjoy combat sports (done my fair share of martial arts), so I took to it rather well.

Those complaining about injuries in rugby or football dont know pain until you have seen a man take a running fléche (probably spelt wrongly, but basically a leaping/running attack with the sword stuck out infront of you) right to the nads, during a badly timed lunge (so both comatants were moving at a fair lick), He spent the next 10 minutes writhing in agony on the floor.

This choice also let me get an A at French, working on the assumption that if you could make the teachers laugh enough they wouldnt notice the mistakes in the oral, I memorised the following line:
"J'aime l'escrime, pace que je peux poignarder des autres personnes et m'echapper belle"
Which, roughly translated, means "I like fencing, because I can stab other people and get away with it"

Length? Well, it wasnt just my height that grew early...
( Tedium Alduce me to interlow myself., Thu 19 Nov 2009, 23:32, Reply)