Frazz by Jef Mallett for November 02, 2011

Why is this girl squinting like that?

Hahaha she’s Asian…

Kids don’t shower after gym class anymore either…Not sure why…..

BTW, nobody memorizes the vice presidents….the capitals of the states, maybe….

I hated gym class. I skipped segregated swimming class because we all had to swim naked!!! (1960’s)

Cathy — Yikes! My HS swimming class, also in the 60’s, was held a few blocks from school at the Y.

Ours was all girls, too, but we wore swimsuits.

To be exact, wool (!) knit tank suits from the 1920’s, that had been worn by generations of Central High girls swimming classes.

Cut perfectly flat-chested, with short “boy legs” — itchy, moth-holed and unflattering, But laundered.

With thin, strapless, rubber bathing caps that didn’t keep out the water.

After class we walked back to school in a line, our hair literally freezing.Brrrr.

And that %@#& rope was the bane of my existence….

It took me half of class just to pull myself up onto the knot at the bottom, and I couldn’t climb it at all.

Gym teachers in those days were not known for ignoring a lack of athletic ability.

In fact, they rather delighted in pointing it out.

I loved the rope climb, averaged about 5 sec (30ft?). But all in all, in my lifetime found it as useful knowing the all the vice presidents.

Hey, sometimes it’s important to know the vice-presidents. They show up on my New York times crossword puzzles occasionally. After awhile, I did end up making a cheat sheet.

Guy I knew in high school used his hands and would grab the rope with his toes to climb the rope. We all thought that was pretty cool.

The only thing I liked in gym (70’s) was climbing ropes. And we had the ones without knots. I was so proud of myself when I reached the ceiling. I was a skinny 90 lb weakling boy and wasn’t good at any other sports. But I often wondered how many kids fell from those things, and am not surprised if they don’t do that anymore.But eliminating showering after gym is just stupid. Never hurt anyone. We showered, and didn’t bother me one bit.

Count me in the group that can’t climb a rope. I also couldn’t do the arm hang (the girls’ version of pull-ups). I dropped like a dead weight after a nanosecond.

Humiliation was a part of the curriculum back in the 60’s. I dreaded the nude swimming and always worried that when I got back to my locker that it would jam and not open up.Also I retired as a physical education teacher of 32 years and the system really hasn’t changed much. I allowed those non-climbers to hang for 10 secs. as a way to make the monkey club. Education needs to be transformed completely and I am currently trying to write a book on the topic. Changes occur at a snails pace because the reluctent politicians don’t want things to change. The numbers get them elected . It is all about the numbers , hence remember those vice-presidents.

The problem is you guys went to public schools. Should have gone to Catholic school. We couldn’t afford a gym until the year I was a senior — no rope, no swimming. And another reason to learn the vp’s is to answer Jeopardy questions.

I probably owe my Special Forces time to the rope climb. A bunch of psychologists and of the Dean of the UCLA Med School I met later claimed that practice with rope climbing and pull-ups and mountain-climbing…were the physiological educational stimuli that made people want to “rise” in capitalist society …I note that RICH self-made guys like mountain climbing…but you flat-landers are gripers, mainly.

I notice that there aren’t any ‘pull-up’ devices on your kids playgrounds. Your kids aren’t very ambitious, are they?No experience in ‘wanting to rise’…go figure. We think PHYSICALLY before we start noodling.

No more rope-climbing? Darn, that was the only thing in gym I was good at, to my great surprise.

Nude gym classes?! That really happened? Guess so. Gee, folks, your gym teachers must have been even more pervie than average.

Well, they certainly haven’t given up on the pointless tasks.

Memorizing VICE presidents? Wow, and I thought memorizing the Presidents was silly!

Not the liability, not very many in High School that could climb it. Can you say Obesity?

The rope climb was one of the few things I was good at. Though we didn’t do it at school, they had one hanging in the corner of the gym at the college where my dad worked. Had to have been at least 20 feet, probably more – it was attached to the ceiling and that was where they played the basketball games, so it was pretty high.

I sucked in gym, as I have no hand to eye coordination and threw like a girl. But there were two ropes hanging side by side, and I could grab one in each hand and pull myself up until the span stretched my arms too far apart.

I hated the rope climb .. attempt .. in HS because I was – and there is no other way to put this – really Fat. And I mean really, REALLY Fat. Or about 2’ too short. I couldn’t even hang for 10 seconds, that’s how fat.

Lost all the weight in my senior year, AFTER required PE classes, of course. Went back to the gym anyway, found my old coach and had him witness my rapid ascent to the top.

Used that talent for many years afterwards in climbing the rigging of sailing ships. Have yet to ever need to recall the damn VPs …. not that I can remember ’em. Maybe it was that time I fell from the rigging?

They problably stopped the rope climb to make everyone equal. They don’t want to make any kids feel BAD that can’t climb the rope from the kids that CAN. So, they take it away and now no one can do it. There. Every one’s equal. Yay!!! (insert sarcasm)

I liked my school’s swimming program as a kid – it was fun playing without being competitive, but am really glad we didn’t do it naked! In grade school, we didn’t have a climbing rope, but one time we had lots of Olympic-style gymastic equipment set up. We had a huge climbing frame that let you climb up to the gym ceiling; that was very fun!

Unless you’re a bad shot.

What I remember most from gym class in Jr. High (mid 70’s) were jumping jacks to “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies, and not being able to run the 1/4 mile track without being winded… even though I was not overweight, and did not smoke! I just hated the showers because the other girls had breasts… and I didn’t… yet!

In the Marine Corps we had to do the rope climb. Once we had a knotted rope and on the way down I lost my grip. Those knots were pop-pop-popping all the way down and I was trying to push it outward to keep it away from my favorite parts! I had some bruises inside my legs the next day.