I played no sports at all. Then I did 100 in a year...
Like many women of a certain age, Sam Taylor struggled to leave her sofa in the evening. At 35, having spent the day running around after three children and holding down a full time job, she freely admits she would prioritise a glass of wine over a walk.
“I was unfit, tired and lacklustre and I realised at this rate I was facing a sedentary future,” she recalls. “One day I suddenly thought ‘enough is enough’ and I came up with this ridiculous notion of trying 100 different sports in a year.”
And she did. In half an hour she drew up a list of 91 activities to try, from a spin class in a Tenerife pool and Capoeira (a Brazilian form of martial arts that originated in Africa) to rallying and snooker. The last nine took a little longer to choose, as she had to go back into her ‘no’ list of activities. Eventually the list was complete – with coasteering (she is afraid of heights) to octopush (underwater hockey - not great when you are claustrophobic) being unwelcome additions.
“I also decided I was going to be accountable, and so I told everyone what I was planning to do. That way I would have to see it through,” she says.
What followed was an astonishing year that saw her travel 10,000 miles across her home county of Cornwall and beyond, as she pitched up to sports halls, muddy fields, draughty village halls, swimming pools and leisure centres.
“One of my greatest fears has always been looking stupid or unfit or not being able to do the class and thinking everyone is looking at me and thinks I’m rubbish,” she says. “But actually if I’ve learned one thing – and I’ve learned a lot more than this – no-one actually cares what you look like. They are usually too busy concentrating on what they’re up to.”
In an often hilarious read, Sam has written an honest account of her adventures. Her self-deprecating tone about her non-existent body co-ordination, her lack of finesse and balance, how she is not, and never will be, a skinny stick girl makes the fact she took part in classes such as pole-dancing and water polo all the funnier.
From cricket (which turned out to be her all-out winner), to volleyball (“not my favourite, it really, really hurt my forearms”) this vivacious, curvy, fun-loving socialite was quite clear from the start that she wasn’t on a drastic weight-loss mission. “It was all about getting out there, getting more active more often, and having fun,” she says.
Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing (although she freely admits the beer she had on the boat when she tried her hand at that activity helped). Low points included having to go out throughout the winter on cold, dark rainy nights when her partner and children were tucked in for the evening, and numerous injuries that slowed her up. Trampolining was also a particularly tricky challenge, involving a ban on drinks on the day and numerous trips to the loo in a mindful attempt to avoid wetting herself in public.
“I also wasn’t popular when, during the challenge, we had a few precious child-free days when my parents had them. Unfortunately I had pulled a muscle trying out the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do and spent five days on the sofa, unable to move.”
Rumours that her partner Paul wanted to marry her just to be able to divorce her in frustration are not far off the mark.
But like all fairy tales, this story has a happy ending. Two years on from completing her epic year, Sam does weekly cardio tennis and squash, plays hockey during the season and enjoys kayaking and walking with the family.
If you want to try something new, Sam has set up a website, www.hermojo.co.uk . The site is free for all to use, whether you want to find a new sporting activity near you, or whether you want to promote one you are running.
Sofa Dodger: One Woman’s Quest to Try 100 Different Sports and Fitness Classes in a Year, by Sam Taylor, is on sale now.
