In A Nutshell LII

In a Nutshell

A place set aside to answer 201 autobiographical questions from a mother for her daughter. This may take awhile...join us if you like.

52. These were my favorite sports in school:

Grammar school, definitely red rover. I loved it. I was always chosen first, because I did it so well. I don't know why, but if I was the one running, I figured out early on just where to throw myself. I don't remember where on the linked arms that was, but I do know that it wasn't right in the middle. It may have been more to the side of the smaller kid, I'm no longer sure. And, I also didn't let kids break through when I was holding. Again, I don't think it was strength so much as tactics. I do know that getting dirt on my hands so they wouldn't slip from my partners' was part of it.

For 5th and 6th grade, it was baseball. I loved to pitch and was a good batter, as told here Of course, then I got hit in the face with the ball, and was never able to play again. And I really felt that loss.

I also loved to dance. I took ballet as St. Mary's and in Puerto Rico. I was chosen as one of 12 girls to dance around the Maypole when I was in 6th grade. Our mothers made us squaw skirts, two of each color for the dancing partners and I loved mine. The day we had try outs I didn't realize that I was on the list because they called my name first, before I had started paying attention. I think I expected the names to be called in alphabetical order, and neither Joyce nor Ward was at the head of the line.

Later, when I was a senior in high school and attended the local community college for two classes a day, one semester I took ballroom dancing. Each dance that we learned, we had to demonstrate for our grade. We got to choose the partner we wished to be graded with, and three pairs went out at a time. I was chosen as partner by one young man in every group. When it was time for my test, the teacher laughed and said that the men had already given me my grade. I really did love to dance.