As a kid I was always looking for new things to try. New adventures seemed to be just around every corner. I remember in the 6th Grade my friend Edwin and I were bored with the incessant snowball fights on the playground. As we contemplated coming up with something new we saw another kid named Shane go sliding by. Shane was one of the meaner kids in school. I treated Shane with respect and hoped that he would just ignore me. Life was better when the mean kids ignored you. Edwin and I watched him go sliding by wearing his slick shoes headed for three 4th graders who were nervously lying in middle of the icy sidewalk. I was about to warn the kids to get out of the way when Shane jumped over them (just barely clearing them) and kept sliding. Curiosity struck me as to why anyone in their right mind would lay in the middle of an ice covered sidewalk and let someone like Shane jump you. Shane saw me staring and glared at me. I recovered by clapping for him. Edwin joined me. "Good job." We said, "Good job jumping those 4th graders."
Shane smiled and grabbed a third grader and had him lay down next to the 4th graders. Then he carefully made his way up the hill again in the snow bank. Part of me was jealous. I wanted to jump the kids too. This was after all, Butte Montana home of Evel Kenievel the worlds most famous daredevil. Every boy in Butte had a passion for jumping things. It was then that Edwin pointed out to Shane that he had just barely cleared the three 4th graders. There was no way he was going to make it over 4 kids. Shane glared at him. Edwin explained it was all about the need for more speed. I will never forget Shane's grin as he conscripted Edwin and myself to serve as horses to pull him so he would get enough speed. Of course there was no arguing with Shane. Mean kids don't argue fairly.
I was nervous our first run. Edwin and I would ran as fast as we could down the hill with Shane holding on to our coats. We broke in opposite directions when we were a foot away from the kids on the ground. It worked flawlessly and Shane sailed through the air and landed several feet beyond the kids just as the recess bell rang. It was high fives all around and lots of big thanks from the kids on the ground.
That afternoon Shane came looking for us and once again we were the horses and he was the jumper. This time it was 5 kids who were drafted into service and number 5 was white as a ghost and almost in tears. Shane made 5 with ease and over the next few days he kept increasing his record and kids from all over the playground came to watch the spectacle. Edwin and I were almost as famous as Shane. We gained the respect and admiration of everyone in school. We had two jobs 1) pull Shane and 2) keep the crowds back so Shane could concentrate before a jump. I also helped recruit kids to distract the playground lady so that she was always somewhere else when we were ready for the jump.
I will never forget the last jump Shane made -- 14 kids. That is the exact number of busses that Evel had attempted and missed. I only know that because Shane pulled Edwin and I aside just before the jump and mentioned it to us. He told us to pull as hard and as fast as we could. We exchanged high fives and the stage was set for Shane to go down in history. The crowd cheered us on. We raced ahead. Our timing was perfect and Shane was slingshotted over the kids; most of them anyway.
I thought he was going to make it. It looked clean but Shane came out of his tuck just a little early and his heels came crashing down on number 14 knocking the wind out of the kid and sending Shane hurtling head over heels to the icy pavement. Edwin and I ran to Shane. He was shaken up but ok. The other kid was winded but he was ok too. What wasn't ok was that the kids I had drafted into keeping the playground lady occupied had failed. Suddenly there she was towering over number 14 and glaring at Shane, Edwin and me. Needless to say Shane never jumped again and every day until the snow melted the playground lady watched the three of us like a hawk.
After that things were different. Shane wasn't mean to me anymore and we became good friends. I would have spent the rest of 6th grade avoiding him like always if we had not shared the camaraderie of working together as a team. Have you ever been a part of a team like that. A team that is passionate about reaching a goal. Teamwork is essential for reaching goals and it brings us closer together. I have no idea where Shane or Edwin are today but I will be forever connected to them because for a short period of time we made history on the playground or Webster-Garfield Elementary school. The playground lady may have kept us from reaching the ultimate goal of jumping 14 kids or more, but no one can take away the closeness we felt as a team.
Shane smiled and grabbed a third grader and had him lay down next to the 4th graders. Then he carefully made his way up the hill again in the snow bank. Part of me was jealous. I wanted to jump the kids too. This was after all, Butte Montana home of Evel Kenievel the worlds most famous daredevil. Every boy in Butte had a passion for jumping things. It was then that Edwin pointed out to Shane that he had just barely cleared the three 4th graders. There was no way he was going to make it over 4 kids. Shane glared at him. Edwin explained it was all about the need for more speed. I will never forget Shane's grin as he conscripted Edwin and myself to serve as horses to pull him so he would get enough speed. Of course there was no arguing with Shane. Mean kids don't argue fairly.
I was nervous our first run. Edwin and I would ran as fast as we could down the hill with Shane holding on to our coats. We broke in opposite directions when we were a foot away from the kids on the ground. It worked flawlessly and Shane sailed through the air and landed several feet beyond the kids just as the recess bell rang. It was high fives all around and lots of big thanks from the kids on the ground.
That afternoon Shane came looking for us and once again we were the horses and he was the jumper. This time it was 5 kids who were drafted into service and number 5 was white as a ghost and almost in tears. Shane made 5 with ease and over the next few days he kept increasing his record and kids from all over the playground came to watch the spectacle. Edwin and I were almost as famous as Shane. We gained the respect and admiration of everyone in school. We had two jobs 1) pull Shane and 2) keep the crowds back so Shane could concentrate before a jump. I also helped recruit kids to distract the playground lady so that she was always somewhere else when we were ready for the jump.
I will never forget the last jump Shane made -- 14 kids. That is the exact number of busses that Evel had attempted and missed. I only know that because Shane pulled Edwin and I aside just before the jump and mentioned it to us. He told us to pull as hard and as fast as we could. We exchanged high fives and the stage was set for Shane to go down in history. The crowd cheered us on. We raced ahead. Our timing was perfect and Shane was slingshotted over the kids; most of them anyway.
I thought he was going to make it. It looked clean but Shane came out of his tuck just a little early and his heels came crashing down on number 14 knocking the wind out of the kid and sending Shane hurtling head over heels to the icy pavement. Edwin and I ran to Shane. He was shaken up but ok. The other kid was winded but he was ok too. What wasn't ok was that the kids I had drafted into keeping the playground lady occupied had failed. Suddenly there she was towering over number 14 and glaring at Shane, Edwin and me. Needless to say Shane never jumped again and every day until the snow melted the playground lady watched the three of us like a hawk.
After that things were different. Shane wasn't mean to me anymore and we became good friends. I would have spent the rest of 6th grade avoiding him like always if we had not shared the camaraderie of working together as a team. Have you ever been a part of a team like that. A team that is passionate about reaching a goal. Teamwork is essential for reaching goals and it brings us closer together. I have no idea where Shane or Edwin are today but I will be forever connected to them because for a short period of time we made history on the playground or Webster-Garfield Elementary school. The playground lady may have kept us from reaching the ultimate goal of jumping 14 kids or more, but no one can take away the closeness we felt as a team.
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