The Long and the short...

A woman  writer lamented that there are support groups for just about everybody.  Whatever it is that makes you different from some socital norm, there's a support group to help you cope.  Too tall?  Check Google for support groups for tall people.  You'll get millions of hits.  Too short?  Too thin?  Same.  Too fat?  ...now I'm hitting close to home; there are some who suggest I fit this category and would enroll me in one of the weight-loss groups identified in 148,000,000 Yahoo hits for fat people support.

Not many would enroll me Mensa, a group for people with high IQs. 

I searched for support for silly people which describes me.  There were lots of hits but most offered support for you, people who have to put up with us silly people.

There are lots of groups with "anonymous" in their names, inspired by alcoholics anonymous.  Debtors anonymous, gamblers anonymous, messies anonymous (for messy people - they should be playing defense in football, which you know if you've read a recent blog post), social phobics anonymous, narcotics anonymous, overeaters anonymous... you get the idea.

The woman writer who inspired this web search complained that there are no support groups for "normal" people.  Of which she claims to be one.  A normal person.  She is neither tall nor short, fat nor thin. not super smart nor dumb.  She isn't given to any of the habits that inspire groups anonymous.  She is neat but not obscessive. 

Why, she lamented, aren't there support groups for normal people?

And I got to thinking.  Are there enough normal people to form a group? 

Nope.  And that's good.  This world is an interesting place because of the differences in people.  Don't you think?  I'm glad we aren't all "normal," whatever that means.  I tire of people trying to make us all the same by forming groups to help change us, conform us.  Viva la difference.

Rubi extending arm so Maile
can walk under.

This long introduction is a lead in to what I hope is a fun blog post.  One reason I love football is that it accepts people who are different.  If you're bigger than average, the team needs you.  If you're smaller, there's a place for you.  Tall or short, come on.  If you can play, we'll find a place for you.  I've posted on this general subject before - I think I used the label "Bein' big."  If I were a good blogger I'd put the link here.  This post is inspired by two of my favorite Outlaws, both of whom will be profiled one day soon.  I noticed something about them and asked them if they'd join me in a little fun project.

One is Maile Capers-Cristobal.  The other is Rubi Reyna.  I noticed that one of them is the tallest Outlaw, the other the least tall.  And I suggested we do a blog post visually depicting the difference.

One visual way to represent tallerness is to hold your arm out to the side and have the shorter person walk under you.  As in the photo above, Rubi is extending her arm and Maile fits nicely under.  It helps if you cheat just a little and raise arm above a strict horizontal position. 

See how we pulled off the
first photo - we cheated.
Call it photetic license.

It helps even more if you stand on a park bench.  In fact, Rubi is 5'2" and Maile 6'1".  Almost a foot taller.  There's a weight differential, too.  Maile's weight has her well suited for line play, Rubi's for scooting through small gaps in the line for large yardage gains.  The point is that football has players both large and small and the difference is sometimes substantial.  We met at a park and spent a little time trying to create visual images to illustrate.

Really Maile is the one whose
outstretched arm about clears
Rubi's head.

Getting a little more serious we reversed roles in the walk-under-my-arm visual and put Maile in the true perspective.  If you are an astitute observer you'll notice we had to put Maile on a slightly higher elevation.  She says it was because Rubi has her hair combed in a style that exaggerated her true height.  You be the judge.  I'm not going to quibble over an inch or two.

Perspective gained by having Rubi
stand in front of Maile.

I like this shot (above) because it gives a perspective.  Maile's eleven inch height advantage isn't quite enough to have Rubi stand directly in front of her, which was my original vision for the shot.  Still, imagine Rubi carrying the football and looking up over her left shoulder and seeing Maile.  And being so happy they are on the same team.

You generally don't see quarterbacks or running backs in a three point stance facing off agains a linewoman.  And you can see why in the photo below.  Notice my models are having fun.  I asked Rubi to turn to the camera and look afraid.  She tried but she and Maile are friends and she just couldn't generate fear.

Rubi is happy she's not a linewoman.  Though I've seen her in games throw blocks at
defenders who were much larger than she. 



It can be fun having strong
friends.  Rubi riding on
Maile's shoulders.

There's a smart aleck question often directed by average size people to tall people:  "How's the weather up there?"  To which one of my tall cousins returned a smart comment about it being fine, how is it down there around my...  Rubi didn't ask such a question of Maile but did get an opportunity to check both the weather and the view from 6'1" above the ground.  Maile is strong.  Very strong.  Carrying Rubi was no test for her.  Not at all.

This post is getting a little long.  I'll be making future posts on the subject of people being different from socital "norms" and the world being a better place because of it.  I've focused in the past on being big because I've experienced that.  Maybe I'll expand the discussion to include being small. Or average?