I used to play Hockey goalkeeper, not at club level here, but in the company league in the Netherlands where you would come across a lot of very fine players, we had an international in our side plus a couple of “premiership” players and I found the reasonable, nothing special, level of rugby I played hurt a lot more.

But on the subject of talent, I would rather have it in my head than my feet.

Fast Jet Pilot.

Why would you want to be anything else?

WEC driver. It must be a real buzz driving a circuit like Le Mans at night time. Everything feels faster in the dark.

Airplane Driver or have a musical talent, my tone deafness and inability to master any musical instrument has been my main frustration in life.

Road cycling or ice hockey goalie.

Me, as a rank amateur:

Well if we’re not talking sport then astronaut. Astronaut beats fast jet pilot every singe time.

A stunt cock..

Otherwise an endurance driver in a nice Prototype car, running the LM24 and the like, big endurance races..

A stunt cock..

Yeah, baby.

Racing driver (our family’s always been into watching it, probably my earliest memory is James Hunt’s McLaren at Silverstone in ’77), fighter pilot (astronaut might be cooler but it’s not much cooler and I bet you really have geek your way into that) or actor (approaching the end of week one in an amateur production in Stratford – great audience tonight, it is just fanTAStic to be able to make people laugh). Surprised at the MX/SX mentions, 20 years ago I might have agreed but really can’t be arsed with it any more.

Being an author would be cool, too.

The biggest jollies I ever had were rockclimbing, I was half decent too. And ice climbing, skanky Welsh waterfall ice was my speciality. So I tried a career in OP, it was not for me at all. Hum drum weeks of taking clients walking over hills that they didn’t always want to be on.

I used to get a massive hit from free-diving ever longer sumps whilst caving. When I mentioned that I was possibly thinking about taking up diving I was given short shrift and told to wise up. I still hanker after it a bit but Paul Esser’s fate doesn’t really appeal…

So I became a teacher. Some days it is the best job in the world. Sophie, and Lloyd did amazing things today, I’m so proud. What Shaughan and his mates are doing is stunning, it is making news.

On other days it can be the pits though.

Well if we’re not talking sport then astronaut. Astronaut beats fast jet pilot every singe time.

Piffle.

Coolness is a function of the ratio of speed to height, 800 mph at treetop height is infinitely cooler than 17,000 mph in space.

There are plenty of fighter pilots who became astronauts, I don’t see many phd space nerds transitioning to bombing Iraqi runways. 😛

I was at school with a fighter pilot, he got shot down and is dead, so I guess he is literally cooler.

Oh well, live fast, die young and leave a good-looking (smouldering?) corpse etc.

Whatever’s right in the middle of the venn diagram of money, fun and attractiveness to wimmin. Meanwhile in the real world I’m the sort of person that makes jokes about venn diagrams, so I’ll just stick to riding bikes moderately well.

Sport: Golf maybe? lots of money for a walk in the fresh air and not breaking a sweat? Or Rally driver, scarily exciting.

Job: C130 Pilot, to quote one who flew them “Low level? like driving a bus at 90mph down the high street” that must be worth it.

Seriously?
I would give all your organs for a chance at playing rugby at at even a halfway decent level. I’m 5’2″ and weigh ten stone, cannot physically run due to CMT but love the game.
In the real world it’s nowt, but it burns me more than any other sport.

Boxer/rugby player/Lionel Messi

Whatever’s right in the middle of the venn diagram of money, fun and attractiveness to wimmin.

That’s got to be an F1 driver.

Had the lightest of dabbles with boxing last November and, whilst it was an amazing experience, I would never choose it as a career, even a fantasy one. Totally understand how career boxers go a bit off the rails when their careers end, even from a one-off charity scrap.

surprising number of rugby wannabees in here, despite most of us being of an age that pre-dates the pro-game. Says something about how far Rugby has come.

Skier , adrenaline rush, stunning mountain views and world travel – whats not to like .

Yep, Fighter Pilot is the one, professional footy striker two, but for longevity golf would be difficult to beat. Best places in the world all year round.

Job…Wanted to be an spaceman as a kid but born in the wrong part of the world for that. Next was a pilot,but i was too tall and eyesight wasn’t up to scratch, so i’d like to be either of those. Or a shit hot piano player.

Sport… Was good enough to play football for a living but chose bmx as i enjoyed it more. If i didn’t live in the arse end of nowhere i could have made a living at that too. Of the two i think pro footballer as the level of bmx now is seriously dangerous. Not interested in MTB as a career – it’s bmx’s fat clumsy brother 😀 . Of the sports i’ve only sampled i’d say big mountain snowboarder or mx rider. Would get bored racing circles on tarmac i think.

WRC driver 😆

My BIL is a fighter pilot (red arrows also) and is a total bell end. Me, a top classics rider. Paris Roubaix, yes please.

wakeboarder (boat not park)

Wish I’d put more dedication into breakdancing

If I ever had the talent, I would have loved to be this guy.. or just Dance like him..

Gene Kelly…

And maybe get to do this with Vera Ellen… (yes I know Gene’s not in this clip…)

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meO3ims3GvU[/video]

Pro BMXer as I still love the stuff they can pull.

@ SaxonRider, who do you think you are, Patrick Roy? 😉

[url=https://flic.kr/p/EQU1Ny]Roy03[/url] by jimmyg352, on Flickr

Golfist sounds good, not too strenuous, pays loads of money and you work for yourself. Less chance of death too.

Then you can spend the time in between tournaments doing things that are actually fun

Great thread.

My first thought was something along the lines of singer or guitarist in a rock band, as I’m spectacularly inept at both of those disciplines. However, pilot definitely appeals; a jet pilot with an in-road into NASA, then dropping back as a helicopter pilot when I’m getting too old for that stuff. I’ve actually flown a helicopter, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

Then you can spend the time in between tournaments doing things that are actually fun

to a golfer that’s usually more golf

I’d love to be either awesome at mountain biking, or at martial arts. Sadly I’ve had crap knees since my teens, so neither were ever going to be very likely. Actually, I’d settle for being average at either and have fully functional knees!

In no particular order:

Comic artist
Climber
Porn star
Or seriously good drummer

Non-sports wise, I’d love to be able to sing, play the drums and guitar. I can play bass a bit, but otherwise I’m musically a bit inept. I’d also love to be a really good artist, which is potentially an achievable goal if I put the time into practicing and developing.

Non sport I would of liked to be a prominent scientist or doctor . Trouble is my brain cells didn’t agree.

Parkour would be on my list if I was younger and didn’t have a dodgy back and knees!

Slight edit on mine. I want to be Cancellara.

My uncle was a winchman, the news didn’t ask to interview the pilot after he’d plucked 4 guys from a fishing boat in the North Sea and the crew of the lifeboat that tried first up. I’m OK on a bike but I’d swap it for a degree of guitar playing talent.