Monday, September 22, 2008

Response to Jamie and Jess

Jamie and Jess, here's the back story on the hula hoop:

When i was in the 4th grade, I was not very athletic. How not athletic you ask? I was the kid SHIELDING myself from the ball rather than batting, hitting, or kicking it. All the other kids anticipated, loved, and looked forward to P.E. and I dreaded it. To me, it made perfect sense to NOT want to go outside in 90 degree temperatures with a gazillion percent humidity. I didn't like to be hot, I didn't like to sweat, and most importantly, I didn't like my lack of athletic ability to be made fun of. So when presented with several sporty options one day, I found the least sport-like: the hula hoop. I figured it wouldn't be too hard and it wouldn't require me to run. However, I underestimated the skill involved with keeping the hoop above my ankles. Seeing a group of girls jumping through the hula hoop like a jump rope, I decided I'd have a better chance at this.

For about 30 blissful seconds, I was a hula jumping star. And then as the hoop was rounding up and over my head I felt a huge yank. You see, when I was in the 4th grade, my hair was down to my knees and the hula hoop didn't stand a chance.

Remember that whole I didn't want "to be made fun of" deal? The whole 4th grade gathered around the wall-o-windows that looked into the front office while the custodian used a saw to cut through the hula hoop and free me of my purple and white striped captor.

There are people in my life that still remember that day and aren't shy about laughing about it to this day!

3 comments:

Jessica said...

whoa. that.is.awful.
i am so sorry to hear that, but for the record, i am not athletic, either, and am surprised something equally as awful did not happen to me.
thanks for sharing.

Lexi said...

Believe me, I was the sidelines gal too. I hated P.E. with a passion. I was always last to be picked because I didn't know how to play anything!
I didn't get any hula hoops wound in my hair, but I did have my fare share of sports related injuries which just perpetuated my loathing of anything that required you to run, jump, or worse, have things thrown at you!

Stacy Hutchinson said...

Awesome story!