08 February 2008

Sledding Is Now an Approved Vermont P.E. Curricular Activity

Basketball, running, softball, and square dancing. This is the stuff of gym class, also known as PE or Phys Ed.

On my way into work this morning, I passed a Middle School for kids ages 10-13 that sits next to a sizeable hill as I do on a daily basis. This morning however I noticed there were a good number of kids at the top of it all with sleds. It was not a snow day as I verified with my coworkers, although we did receive about another inch of snow last night on top of the foot of snow we got Wednesday night. The time was about 8:15, so not knowing what time school began, I thought maybe these kids were getting in a last minute slide before school begins at 8:45 or 9. But no, this school isn't in a residential neighborhood, it is a good 1/4 mile from the nearest house, and all the kids are bussed in from neighboring towns.

Then I thought, they must have begun class at 8 and this is part of their PE class. Yes, that's it. How cool would that be? Go to school, grab a sled, hike to the top of the hill and go whizzing down it. I'm now insanely jealous.

However my elementary school had its quirks. In winters, when possible, part of the schoolyard was flooded creating a skating pond. The gym teacher had a collection of kids' ice skates, although I cheated in a way and had double blade skates my parents got me. Of course I was made fun of for this (shocking) and begged my parents for a pair of real skates with just the single blade. I eventually got some, learned to play ice hockey, and in my adolescent years made my way back to that schoolyard to play stick and puck / pick-up games.

Any quirky PE activities in your schools? Do tell.

Have a cracking weekend!

8 comments:

Ted D said...

What's sledding? It hasn't snowed in years down here.

Have a good weekend, Stephen.

~**Dawn**~ said...

Oh man. I got stuck playing volley ball and climbing a rope and doing gymnastics, and these kids get to go sledding?! That is so not fair. =P

Sparkle Plenty said...

My sister was a few years ahead of me in school and I MARVELED at the banquet of high school PE offerings she had before her. Submitted for your approval:

1) Bowling. They got in the car and went to an alley.
2) Badminton.
3) Some kind of dancing thing when they clacked sticks on the floor and you leaped over them with varying degrees of agility.

By the time I got to high school, PE offerings were much more standard--although I did enjoy a brief flirtation with archery...

In elementary school, we played dodgeball but AS we played dodgeball we rolled around on little skateboard thingies and crashed into each other.

Redbeard76 said...

Other offerings aside from the usuals at the Glens Falls School Districts were:

-team handball
-archery
-country line dancing
-swimming
-lacrosse
-cross country skiing (only briefly)
-floor hockey
-golf (only briefly)
-krackerball (like dodgeball but with a foam nerf ball)

Sparkle Plenty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sparkle Plenty said...

COUNTRY. LINE. DANCING. You, sir, have bested my sister's bowling.

Redbeard76 said...

I don't know about that. I'd rather be bowling than Texas Two-Stepping or Boot Scooting. I think we also learned the Achy Breaky too. But at least I got to touch girls' hands in the process, and it didn't matter if they liked me or not.

Ted D said...

Stephen, has the plague finally left your house?

Line dancing?

I went to school in Oklahoma, and even WE didn't line dance.

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