Not much on the tennis front. My team does play this week as we are away at Copperleaf. This past week I played 4 days straight and then had the last two days off. I am off again today and then will hit the courts on Monday and Tuesday before our Wednesday match. My stamina for a match is perhaps at 60%-70% as this heat takes a toll on the body. I am hoping that the next two days will be helpful. IF not I am in trouble for our team match!
Yesterday was a day of rain and reading books. It rained off and on to the tune of maybe an inch or so. Today might be some of the same. They had very little rain over the last month so I am guessing this rain is more than welcome.
For the first time in many many years I sat down and watched almost all of a college football game. Minnesota played Rutgers and won handily to run their win streak to 9 and their season to 7-0. It is fun to see them have success as it has been a long time in coming.
Terry and I brought our high school annuals down with us so for anyone who happens to read this blog you may see pictures of LONG AGO! Next May will mark the 55 anniversary of high school graduation. Not sure the word anniversary is the right one to use but it has been a LONG time since my high school days.
Terry continues to enjoy the gifts she was able to give to family. She received another written thank you note yesterday. It is a fun and special time when one can give to others.
Back to 1962/1963
It was a fun/difficult and interesting year for me.
It started out with football practice two weeks before school started. From the very start it was clear that I would make the starting lineup as left end on both offense and defense. Bob Z, who had started the year before, complimented me on the right side. As the first two weeks of practice took place it was clear that I did NOT have the hands of a receiver BUT, even as a sophomore, there may not have been a better defensive player. I found out that on offense I would rather see the ball go to Bob or Dick in the backfield. On defense it was a different story. Jack G played linebacker on my side and I would not be afraid to say that very few running plays over the entire season went far against us. It seemed that on offense my mind just did not work right but on defense I loved the chase, the hunt and the tackle! We went 4-2 that season and I had a fun time. It was a precursor for our championship season the next year. It also was the last year we played in the Wild Rice Conference as the next year we would be in a bigger and more difficult conference.
Perhaps I should not even mention this but it was part of life so here goes. I had this girl friend my freshman year and it made me feel special that someone would like me! But as the new school year started it was evident that things changed over the summer! She found someone else and with my shy personality I was left to wonder. I was afraid to ask anyone on a date so I went the entire year alone and I should say that as a 16 year old young man that actually made sense but at the time it was difficult. I would venture to say that I was very mature and very immature at the same time. At 16 I was finished growing physically but oh my goodness I had a LONG ways to go in maturity.
Football finished and on the heals of that came basketball. It was not a given but it seemed that I had a good chance to make the varsity. I did. My dribbling skills were so lacking as the weeds and dirt on my farm basketball court did not lend much to dribbling. However my shot was very good and my hustle was beyond anyone on the team. I also was in better shape than most as farm life did that without much effort on my part. Back then there were no weight rooms etc. but working on the farm and hauling bales for Uncle Russel and Rollof helped a great deal. Our yearbook does not have our basketball record in it but it was a good year. I played sparingly but it was a fun time. Perhaps I have said this before but the class ahead of me had several very good athletes as more than one went on to play college.
Basketball ended and for the first time in my high school days I caught the bus after school to ride home. The year before I had been on the baseball team but baseball was dropped because of the short season and weather that often was uncooperative.
The picture is of the class officers for that year. Everyone in class voted on them and for the second year I was one. I remember being reserved as I was with 3 girls. I actually do not remember class officers doing much of anything but we did have them. When we would meet, most of the time, I would kind of sit and not say much. Some of the girls did not have that problem!
So 1962/1963 came and went. At my age I am glad that I can look back on my high school days and say they were fun. They were not without the "good" and "bad' but over all it was a fun time in my life. Today, many years later, I can sit with my FP and "remember". Life is good "for sure".
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