I can't remember getting a choice in PE... we just had to do what the teacher felt like that day. Fortunately, I was good at (and enjoyed) most things, except for long distance running. Sometimes we had to run every PE lesson for weeks. I simply refused to do so.
Since I was good at everything else, my refusal did not affect my grades. :0)
(It's about the only 'rebellious' thing I did in high school, lol)
I was good at sprinting, but could see no use in long-distance running. I still don't. Running is only good when you have to run away from something, and even then, sprinting will be more useful than jogging your way out of there....
I did hate the fact that sexes were separated for PE. Those girls were all big cry-babies and never wanted to play soccer, which I liked. (Now, maybe they were not all cry-babies... maybe I was a little fanatic when it came to sports, lol. I was like: if you play, you play to win. And if you're in my team but are keeping me from winning, I'll take you out anyway, lol.)
We didn't have any 'clubs', either. One year, we had a volleyball team and I remember going to Denmark to play against a school team there - but that's about it.
We had to take care of our own physical health. School didn't want to have anything to do with it. It's still like that - at least, in the schools I have been teaching over the years. Except for PE, nothing is offered.
I used to be a gymnast, back then. But once I discovered partying, the dedication was gone :0)
During the last 10 years, I used to be a dedicated climber and snowboarder, but the back trouble has made me completely inactive...
Thanks for the comment here! :)
I never understood distance running either and was much better over shorter. I do like watching the 3km and the 10km at top level though - lots of tactics there (as well as amazing lungs etc).
Weird that the schools don't really care - if they are seen slacking on PE in the UK they would be in serious shit.
Partying got me at 18, but then I found the gym and have done pretty well up until... Steem, lol :)
If you're not studying something that is sports-related, you have about 2 hours of PE/week (less, actually, more like 100 minutes), which is pathetic considering the entire 'healthy mind-healthy body'-thing.
LMAO