Sarah Groff Reflects On Her Start In Multisport

In a blog for EspnW, Olympic-bound Sarah Groff writes about her sporting experiences before discovering triathlon.

When you grow up in the iconic village of Cooperstown, N.Y., people imagine a childhood filled with pickup summer baseball games in the shadow of Doubleday Field. But while baseball was an omnipresent part of my life, the way it was for most kids who shared a home with the Hall of Fame, it didn’t define my upbringing. Sure I dabbled in Little League for a few years; ultimately, though, the sport was just another frustrating attempt to find my athletic niche.

For whatever reason, triathletes are occasionally referred to as “multi-sport athletes,” giving the impression that we are athletic Jacks and Jills of all trades. But the road to triathlon wasn’t a straight path for me. I had to deal with misadventures in other sports before learning to be at peace with my klutzy athleticism.

Before my Little League career, I had an even shorter foray into the world of baton twirling, as a member of the “Balancing Batons” group. To the twirlers, our instructor was legendary, a master of the skill who was head majorette in college and who once twirled fire batons while wearing go-go boots and sequined outfits. She was the most amazing woman on the planet. She was also the same woman who brought me into the world.

Read more: Espn.go.com 

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