Non-political Wednesday diversion-Back in my day...

[Mike Honcho 4,599]

Back in my day we had Dodgeball, but I know that the kids who grew up in my hometown don't get to play that today, and that's because of my senior high school gym class.   Senior gym was jock gym at our HS, it was an elective, it was last period and the teacher let us vote on what we wanted to play for 2 weeks.    Dodgeball was the only unanimous choice. 

Monday - Real good baseball pitched decided that it would be funny to pick on this one guy, every game we played, he would call him out then nail him.  Guy who kept getting hit was just getting madder and madder, and he just couldn't get hit the pitcher at all.   After gym, the way back to the locker room they had words and the guy took one more shot at the pitcher and missed again, and once again the pitcher didn't miss.  Straight right into the other guys nose and just mushed it.

Wednesday - Nothing as dramatic, but the gym we played in had cinder block walls.  The guy nearest the wall, had his arm out, brushed the wall and something sharp snagged him--needed 30 stitches.   Pretty gross.

Friday - Normal game of dodgeball, when guy on the other team jumped high to avoid my shot at his legs, but while he was in the air, he got nailed hard and it put him off-balance.   He came down awkwardly ---and landed in a heap.   He had torn his ACL---and that was the last game of dodge ball in our school district.

So, back in my day--we could play dodgeball, but alas, today's kids aren't going to get to do that...     Let's hear your stories.

[Djgb13 2,338]

High school gym in my day was nothing. My brother and my baseball coach were in charge of all the classes. Every day we would just sit in the bleachers. Some would play ping pong. Some would play basketball. Most just sat on the bleachers talking, messing around on their phone, or playing cards. Senior year I was only in school for an hour and a half (we had block schedule). First class was what they call Fiction to Film. We watched a movie every class. 2nd class was study hall with my friends mom, 3rd class was gym with my brother, and last class was Early Dismissal. So after my first class of watching a movie I left for the day. Buddy’s mom and my brother would always mark me present. Would leave and go get something to eat, go home to eat, take a nap, wake up and head to the ball field to hit off the tee until practice started. Would be out at the ball field around 2 and hit off the tee until 4 when practice started. Was an awesome school year 

[TimmySmith 2,782]

For my sons 11th or so birthday, I rented a gym and bought 5 dodgeballs.  15-20 kids.  They loved it and played for hours.   Might be the only time they ever played it.  We used to play it at recess every day.

[fandandy 3,312]

Another dodgeball story.  I wasn't in the class at the time but our gym teacher would sometimes play with the class.  He was also the basketball coach and baseball coach etc and quite athletic.  He threw it so hard that he broke a kids arm.  That was back in 86-87 I think.  Not sure how the school handled that but I don't recall him ever playing dodgeball with us again.

[Djgb13 2,338]

I’m sure everyone can still hear the sound of the dodgeball pelting someone. It’s a sound you never forget 

[TimmySmith 2,782]

6 minutes ago, fandandy said:

Another dodgeball story.  I wasn't in the class at the time but our gym teacher would sometimes play with the class.  He was also the basketball coach and baseball coach etc and quite athletic.  He threw it so hard that he broke a kids arm.  That was back in 86-87 I think.  Not sure how the school handled that but I don't recall him ever playing dodgeball with us again.

For my sons birthday dodgeball, I wanted to play, but didn't.  Parents/adults ruin so many things.  It was plenty of fun to watch.

[fandandy 3,312]

Anyone ever play kickball?  That was a big deal at recess when I was a kid.  I have a memory which is prolly the first or second greatest sports memory of my life involving kickball.  The other one involves flag football, to give you an idea of just how athletic I am.  

[sderk 1,040]

Floor hockey was my favorite. Once a kid smacked me in the calf with his hockey stick. I went after him just like in real hockey, I wanted to brawl. The gym teacher pulled us apart (this was like 6th grade), and that was that. I had a red welt on my leg for a couple days, but got over wanting to fight the dude once the emotions passed.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Kickball was our 6th grade blacktop game of choice.  Dodgeball was 7th.  By 8th we had graduated to real sports and it was basketball.

[Cruzer 1,994]

When I was kid, our house backed up to a huge ass field.

Me and my friends built (and maintained) our own baseball diamond and 50 yard football field - it was the schiit.

[Mike Honcho 4,599]

Did anyone else have those little wooden boards with wheels, sort of like a skateboard except the wheels could spin in every direction?   Had those in grade school, we would sit on them and play a soccer like game, scooting across the gymnasium.   Thing I remember most about those stupid things was that every time we used them was either running over my fingers or getting a finger pinched in the wheel housing.   

[Cruzer 1,994]

Marbles were also a big player on my block. We used to play for keeps along the curb... Was a s bummer day when you lost one of your prized marbles.

But one of the cooler things was the makeshift pool table my next door neighbor made. He cut it out of (what I guess) was a white board sheet. We used checkers as the balls and we had little (round) wooden sticks as cues - it was cool as hell.

 

[Bier Meister 1,582]

:tossesgranadeintheroom:   Don King should arrange a game of dodgeball between obama and trump.

[5-Points 3,151]

3 hours ago, Djgb13 said:

messing around on their phone

Back in my day we didn't have cell phones, we had pagers. 

[Djgb13 2,338]

11 minutes ago, 5-Points said:

Back in my day we didn't have cell phones, we had pagers. 

We had cellphones but they weren’t like they are now. People would play snake, text others, or call someone. Other than that they would maybe have their iPod out listening to music. My brother would bring out a stereo from his office and put on a radio station for everyone. It was nice having my brother work there cause I would always go to his office to take a sh1t instead of using the nasty public toilets at the school. I could use his private one and even watch tv half the time 

[Mike Honcho 4,599]

16 minutes ago, 5-Points said:

Back in my day we didn't have cell phones, we had pagers. 

In my day---we only saw cell phones and pagers on The Jetsons.   

[Herbivore 1,013]

I went with my son when he was 13 to a bday party at a paintball place.  I was the only dad there, ended up playing with them.  I was taking kids out all day, planning with my team, flanking and surrounding.  In our last game, the bday boy hid in a good spot, I was just kind of trailing my team as they were driving the other squad back.  Bday boy steps out about 15 feet on my right, called out freeze, I didn't hear him at all.  He lit me up with about 7 or 8 shots.  Had some nice welts.  That kid was psyched he took me out.  It was awesome.  

[Herbivore 1,013]

 

[kutulu 1,598]

We did dodgeball, I wasn't that good at it as I never had that great of a throwing arm, but my one shining moment was when I was the last one on my team, probably about half a dozen on the other side. I was moving around like it was the matrix...dodging balls, catching balls, putting it down and catching another, blocking balls with the one I just caught. Eventually I got beamed...probably lasted 30 seconds but felt like an enterity. 

[5-Points 3,151]

2 hours ago, Mike Honcho said:

In my day---we only saw cell phones and pagers on The Jetsons.   

[the s is ilent 69]

I was a frisbee god. Pro model 65g, I could throw it over a mountain. 

[shorepatrol 1,819]

"Smear the queer" was played everyday in gradeschool at recess and lunch. Broke my collar bone lol

 

[fandandy 3,312]

11 minutes ago, shorepatrol said:

"Smear the queer" was played everyday in gradeschool at recess and lunch. Broke my collar bone lol

 

I take it you were the queer?

[shorepatrol 1,819]

Just now, fandandy said:

I take it you were the queer?

However had the football was. 

[fandandy 3,312]

2 minutes ago, shorepatrol said:

However had the football was. 

I know man, I was joking.

[Thornton Melon 581]

1 hour ago, shorepatrol said:

However had the football was. 

So you were all queer?

[shorepatrol 1,819]

14 minutes ago, Thornton Melon said:

So you were all queer?

[wiffleball 4,749]

Every summer night - massive hide and seek. Great memories.

[Big Guy 1,400]

On 6/5/2019 at 9:21 PM, wiffleball said:

Every summer night - massive hide and seek. Great memories.

Same......and there were "lightning bugs" everywhere! And then some neighborhood Family would announce they're going to have a campfire. Then half of the kids would be asking if they could sleep out or over at somebody else' house, usually a tent though. Then if the girls would be doing the same, you'd start planning on how and when to visit them. ( raid )

[Big Guy 1,400]

The neighborhood I grew up in seemed to have at least 100 kids in just a 3 block area. There was always some kind of game going on, and when there wasn't, we'd all be on our bikes just hanging out, telling stories, planning what games we'd play later. In the 60's we practically invented BMX......we had grandiose bike races that included ramps and obstacle courses in this wooded area that had fun and amazing paths. 

There was almost always basketball, football, baseball. crouque, jarts, and a whole slew of other games we'd play....

"Round Up", "Kick the Can", "Smear the Queer" lol

Aside from riding my bike, probably my favorite thing to as a group was build and shoot off Estes Rockets. We'd shoot them off and everybody would run through the neighborhood like dogs after a stick to retrieve it. Many of these rockets would be rigged with the biggest "engines" we could afford just to impress. We'd also often add a grasshopper or something in those clear X-Ray rockets just for shitz & giggles.

What a fun but crazy assed neighborhood it was!

[vuduchile 1,941]

When we were on grass, football was the game of choice, but it always ended up in a game of smear the queer.

Our cul de sac was also great for baseball.  We used a tennis ball instead of a baseball.  If a ball was hit into a house, you could still play it, unless it was stuck under a bush or something.  Over a house was a homer.  

Dodgeball isn't played in school here, but my kids play it at the trampoline park.