Jack Butland Quotes

I was heavily into sport from 10 to 15, I was in all the teams, and it was everything to me. But I was very young for my school year and when puberty kicked in for my classmates I got left behind.

Sports are something that, for the most part, are for kids, and if you're able to extend your career, you're very lucky.

I've been athletic since I was a kid. My parents got me playing tennis when I was seven years old and I started to play competitively.

There's no doubt about it that my participation in sports allowed me to compete in the business world in a very gender-neutral way.

I tried all kinds of sports when I was a kid, like soccer and tennis and golf, and, in fact, started skating to be able to play hockey.

Both parents supported my becoming a world class athlete.

I just felt all along that if I could get a certain amount of years in the league, have great years and still have my health when I walked away, that would be great.

In sports, people reach their peak very early. You have to move on. I don't know if I will ever surpass what I did at the Olympics, but I'm still doing the work I always wanted to do.

I was obsessed with the Olympics. It's so exciting to see that level of excellence and endurance.

I stopped playing in Jr. events when I was 12 and played women's.

In sports... you play from the time you're eight years old, and then you're done forever.

I always wanted to be a professional athlete, it just took me a while to realise it would be in racing. I played field hockey competitively for Ontario since I was 13, 14. Then I tried for the national side and made it. But it was so competitive. The girls were just so big and strong. I was getting crushed.

I played baseball growing up, second base, and then when I got to high school, it just didn't exist there.

I wish I had more opportunities to play for Canada when I was younger, but pros just never had the chance in those days. It was just set up that way.

You have to retire before you can make the Hall of Fame.

Honestly, I was a troublemaker. The environment I grew up in, my mom and my sister, they decided they were going to sign me up in every single thing to keep me busy. I played football, basketball, baseball. Anything, whatever was in season, I was signed up for it. Basketball was one of the things that just stuck.

In my day, 20-year-olds already had 150 first-team appearances under their belts.

I started off playing sports when I was five years old. I played three or four sports all throughout the year.

I loved football. I'm so glad I played. But I didn't think it was wise for me to play longer.

I've played for 15 years and played in five major tournaments. I know what it gives me in terms of the joy, in terms of the love for the game. But I'm done with it.

I have been an athlete for much of my life starting at the age of 4.

I always think of it in terms of music. You're not always going to be a huge rock star in music, but musicians can play until the day they die. With sports, it's different. You can't always do it until the very end, and that's a hard reality of sports.

I think any kid wants to get on the field as much as he can.

I didn't play JV because I went straight to varsity and started as a 10th grader - that was back in the day when you could not play varsity as a ninth grader. I went right from playing junior high football to varsity.

From the time I started playing... When I tried out for a team in sixth grade and on - I was always starting through high school.