Arnold Palmer: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

The question

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Arnold Palmer

Professional golfer; winner of seven major championships

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

I’ve always believed the British Open is one of the greatest championships in the world. As a kid I read about Bob Jones and Walter Hagen and other Americans who had won the British Open...

N/A, N/A, Wikiquote, N/A source ↗

Others on this question

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Michael Stipe American singer

Archaeologist, pop star, store cashier.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 January 2020 source ↗

Jack Whitehall English comedian, actor, presenter and writer

I was hellbent on being a Thunderbird. I was devastated when my parents finally told me it was a fictional organisation. Ruined my 18th.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 April 2023 source ↗

Chris Hoy British track cyclist, 1994–2013

Scotland’s rugby captain. My hero Gavin Hastings was captain when he came to our school for a training session when I was 10 or 11. I met him and was blown away.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 February 2018 source ↗

Ivan Lendl Czech and American tennis player

I always wanted to play tennis. Otherwise, I always thought it would be fun to do something in mathematics or physics.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 July 2017 source ↗