Kevin Cushing tried a variety of sports as a kid, pushed into them through a combination of natural athletic talent, aggressive competitiveness, lack of parental involvement, and a complete inability to interact with other kids his age in any other environment. He started off in baseball, but found the slow pace frustrating, and quit after the t-ball stand pitched a no-hitter (not a perfect game, though. Strong winds forced a walk early in the eighth, almost costing the game). Still, he did find it interested, and hoped to get more involved in it later in life once he was more coordinated. After that he tried hockey, but growing up in Houston had provided few opportunities to practice skating, and he kept falling down on the way to start fights, which charitably ended in “draws” due to mutual lack of balance, though he did have a lot of fun. Finally, he tried basketball, but his overly physical nature resulted in frequent foul trouble, and he found himself interested in little more than fighting for rebounds and getting the occasional, day-brightening block. That was about it for other sports. He had briefly considered getting into competitive mixed martial arts, but he was already at 200 words.
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