5/21/12

Forever Number Fourteen~BackInTheDay Monday

Coach said, "Line up, Varsity Girls.  Seniors first, Juniors, Sophomore's and then Freshmen.  Get the same number you had last year.  Try everything on to be sure it fits, and don't leave any of the uniforms in the locker room.  Be sure and tell me your number...and remember...it's forever.

Last in line, only Freshman, and last to get a uniform.   At least I could see over everyone's heads at what was left on the rack.  There's some advantage to being the tallest on the team, but that's not much consolation when you're a freshman and all your Basketball Uniform dreams are about to come true. 

Just think, Sue, it all started way back in the seventh grade when you signed up for basketball because Mama played in school, everybody else was playing, and Coach Moore said, "You are in Athletics.  See you on the court".

By the end of the eighth grade, I was hooked on basketball, still growing longer legs, and realizing that eighth grade boys were forever going to be short.

Such a nincompoop!  Silly eighth grader with a tall girl complex.   Who needs boys you can dribble circles around, out play, out shoot and out score every single, short one of them!

 Boy Howdy, was I ever glad to get to high school.  Tall guys...well at least taller, and several taller than me, and to my surprise, some of the eighth grade guys had grown over the summer.  So, here I am standing in line thinking about all that silly eighth grade stuff and remembering my parents words of wisdom. "Sue, always do your best,  practice like you play, listen to your coach, stand up straight and never LET ANYONE beat you."

Finally, my turn.  Slim pickins.  Oh, how I've looked forward to the red shiny satin shorts..."Coach, can I take these up?"  From his office next to the uniform closet he replies, "What's your Number?"
"I'm Fourteen"
"Yes, I know your age...What's your Number?"
"Forever Fourteen"
1961-1962...It was a Memorable Year!

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Back In The Day

5 comments:

  1. Wonderful story and pictures. I remember being one of the tall girls in 8th grade. I hated picture day because we had to line up by height and I was always at the back of the line with 3 other girls. But I was done, and in high school I was just normal height while others kept growing. No basketball team for me!

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  2. Anonymous5/21/2012

    CUTE POST:) Your blog is so wonderful and I want to follow, do you have twitter or facebook??

    If you want some décor inspiration from Sweden, check out my blog:)

    Have an awesome week.

    LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
    (Sweden)

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  3. Can you believe how we did our hair for sports! There was no such thing as wash'n wear hair back then! I played volleyball at a convent school and we played in terrible gym dresses. They had to measure exactly six inches from the floor when we knelt down. They had collars and sleeves and belts. It's a wonder we could play!

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  4. Pamoverhere5/21/2012

    Girls' basketball in 8th grade was played half-court. Why did they decide girls could only play on half the court? At 5'2" I was a gangly tall 8th grader, too! Erich Hardaway was a good head shorter than I was!

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  5. Sue you haven't change not one bit. See what all that healthy exercise did for you. That is why you are still a tall sexy girl. zznot #14 anymore. Now you're a #10. :)~Ames

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