I joined the Cross Country team in the fall. Craig had a solid team that typically qualified as a team or qualified several runners for State. I wasn't going to be one of them, but a nice thing about Cross Country is there is no bench.
I alternated between the low end of the Jayvee team and the top of the C Squad that season. It was fun to be part of the team. The part of meets that were the most fun was darting around the course during the varsity race to let our runners know their place and encourage them to the finish.
While there was a wide range of ability, we put forth the same type of maximum effort. There wasn't a varsity letter in it for me, but it was a good experience. My best finish came after a hard rain turned the course to puddles and mud - since my shoes were relatively cheap - I charged tight around the corners while kids with fancier shoes tried to keep their toes dry. And that, is the highlight of my athletic career!
At that time Craig had a tradition of staging a Shakespearean play every three years so each graduating class would have a shot at being part of one. My best friend and I decided to try out. To our shock and surprise, we made the cast as leads in "Comedy of Errors." It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun. By the time we were ready for opening night, we were ready to project our voices (no mikes allowed) to the back of the 1700 seat auditorium.
No Broadway offers came in after that experience, but it was a blast, the kind of thing to try when you stop worrying about what others are thinking.
That experience led to the Thespian Follies variety show production and my next door neighbor Andy and I did our interpretation of a couple Monty Python skits, "An Argument" and "the Dead Parrot." We had practiced our lines for months and honed our delivery - paying off when we heard the laughter. We couldn't break character, but the look we shared was one of victory and deep satisfaction.
Debate and Forensics came to a close - we finished in the top 3 more often in debate and I was conference champ in Extemp. Little did I know then how valuable those experiences would be later in life.
Final semester, I helped announce the school's track meets since an injury kept me from being a Jayvee contributor, it was another welcome taste of doing what I most enjoyed.
During basketball season, my friend Gary and I produced coverage of the girl's home varsity games. Gary ran the camera and I provided play-by-play and commentary. As far as I know the girls on the team were the only ones who watched it, but it was a blast. Our broadcasts celebrated with a trip to Pizza Hut for a large pan pizza and a pitcher of Mt. Dew.
Classes went well senior year - good enough that failing my last Final in Major British Authors had no impact on my final grade in the class.
Graduation day arrived - and 497 of us received our diplomas after retreating to our homerooms after crossing the stage to receive the blue diploma folders. A couple of days prior was the "Senior Sing Out" a celebration of the class with songs, a slide show (since I worked at the radio station I was able to help edit the soundtrack), and awarding of scholarships and honors. On Sunday afternoon, in the large school gym, each graduate could have 4 guests in attendance. I remember it being warm and seeming to take forever and decided then not to "walk" in another graduation if I could help it.
That evening was more fun, I had a shift at the radio station - glad to be back "on the air," and looking to the future.
Comments
Post a Comment