I was always hugely into sport before I started boxing. I played rugby, football, cricket, athletics, swimming.
Handball, swimming, running, jumping, basketball, and boxing were as much a part of me as breathing.
Any time you've played different sports - for me, it has always been basketball; that is an instinctual sport. You're dribbling the ball, passing. I'm sure that has helped me a lot along the line with helping with my football instincts.
I think I'm a very versatile player, that's how I was at LSU.
I always wanted to be a pro athlete. When I was younger I wanted to be the first person to be a pro at three different sports, but then realized how impossible that is. At 15 I stopped playing other sports and focused on tennis.
I'm a championship handball player. I'm a championship softball and baseball player. I used to be an extremely talented center in high school in football. I also dabbled in lacrosse and soccer. I'm really good at billiards, darts, shuffleboard.
I graduated with about 23 people, so if you were the least bit athletic, you kind of had to play everything. So I played baseball, basketball, football, ran track, and played golf.
My favorite was always whichever sport was in season. I think these days it's almost saddening to see kids who are 10 or 11 and are forced to choose one sport and specialize in that sport and play that sport year-round. By playing different sports... you become a better all-around athlete.
I played all sports when I was young. I was into wrestling, basketball, baseball, football, and I ran track. But wrestling was my main sport because there was no criterion height-wise.
I always knew and my parents always knew I was destined for greatness. I didn't know what sport it was going to be in. I played football, baseball and wrestling.
I played everything. I played lacrosse, baseball, hockey, soccer, track and field. I was a big believer that you played hockey in the winter and when the season was over you hung up your skates and you played something else.
I'm a football player playing basketball.
I boxed. I did track and field; I did basketball, football, any sport I was able to sign up for.
When I was younger, to be honest, watching Bo Jackson, I dreamed of playing both sports. But as I got older, the opportunities were much better in hockey than baseball.
I grew up a Michael Jordan fan; that was my first idol. But my true sports idol was Deion Sanders: he was the person I always wanted to be. I wanted to play two sports professionally, which would never happen, but to me, that was every kid's dream.
When I played football, basketball and baseball, I was always a starter. I played baseball as the number three or number four hitter. Playing baseball, I was the third baseman or pitcher. Football, I was the quarterback. I was always versatile. It came to me naturally. It was always easy.
For athletes, it is unhealthy to be one-sport focused, especially at a young age. I believe in exposing kids to lots of activities - there are great advantages to being a well-rounded athlete and human, no matter the field of play.
Besides being a national level basketball champion, I have played a lot of other sports like volleyball, badminton, kho-kho, and kabbadi.
I was a ball guy. I played basketball, baseball, football. I excelled in football the most. I played running back, wide receiver, safety, kick returner, punt returner.
I always dreamed of doing this, being able to do track and field and the NFL at the same time.
I support Leeds United, and like any fan, I dreamed of playing for them. I tried out at the club and also tried rugby and cricket, and triathlon didn't really become part of my life until I was 16 or 17 - but it was the sport I enjoyed most.
To me, a hockey player has to be every sport rolled into one: ice skater, baseball player, football player, etc. It's just incredible to watch!
Watching Bo Jackson, seeing his size, his speed, a lot of his abilities, really drove me.
I can play basketball, run track, and play volleyball, so yeah, I've always been an athlete at heart.
In high school, I played basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, badminton - two sports every season - and I was named female athlete of the year twice.
