Locker room stories

The best sports story Sunday wasn't on the sports page. It wasn't even on TV. It was on the front page of the Des Moines Register. I complain sometimes that the paper lacks quality articles these days. Print media has changed, and many of my favorite writers have gone by the wayside at that publication.

But Sunday, one of the reporters, Bryce Miller, put forth a long article on the Des Moines North High School boys basketball team. In our paper it was on the front page and it was excellent. (click long article above to read) The printed version had great photos, including pics of each player. Plus an address for donations.

It's not likely North will end up winning the state championship. Or even their conference title. But these guys are winners. It starts with the coach, Chad Ryan, who has stuck with it seven years - chauffeur, mentor, therapist, coach and parent figure and friend. A former Iowa State player, Morgan Wheat serves as one of his assistants.

The players have challenges besides which girl to ask to prom. Their coach wants them to go to college. They're experiencing success both on the basketball floor and in the classroom. The article had me cheering for this team. Good luck to each of them in the future.

The article also made me remember my coaches from my high school years. The 70's were when girl's sports beyond tennis and golf in my hometown of Atlantic, Iowa were just starting to be allowed. Girls could run and jump without getting the vapors? Imagine that!

I played softball on teams coached by Joel Simms - he was quite a flirt, and a very good coach. We had a great time on the bus and drove around in Kristy Davis's classic car with root beer floats after games. The softball diamond was down by Sunnyside Pool back then. Toni Robinson, Chris Watson, Becky Nelson, Sandy Larsen (when her ankle wasn't busted), Joanie Troll, Sal..and Mona and me.

My sophomore year we finally were allowed to play basketball. All those years of playing on Reinertson's patio - the hoop nailed to a wood pole. I'm sure they looked out and thought - there she is again...I'd play with my ABA ball. American Basketball Association. It was red, white and blue. We also had a tile floor in our basement, so after I got the ball, I would dribble down there until Mom yelled at me.

My first coach was Dale Allen - for varsity. I was on Junior Varsity as a Sophomore. I believe our JV coach's name was Chuck McLaren. He was pretty quiet. We were all learning about this girl's basketball thing! That first year, something like 70 girls went out for the team. It was weeded out to 30 or so after a couple weeks. I was thrilled to be awarded that JV uniform. (all that dribbling paid off.) Though the school put their uniform order in so late, all they could get were silver. We called them the "silver bullets". It's ironic that teams like Kansas are wearing silver unis now. I think they're dorky.

Despite all my practice shooting at the neighbor's, I never became a good shooter. Recall this was in the days of 6 on 6 basketball - and I was a forward. But at only 5'6", and not all that quick, I was not great guard material. I did have a wicked hook shot. When Dale Allen explain how to do a pick and roll to us - it was so cool. I never knew basketball had actual plays before - it was like he'd invented it himself.

We chose the name Atlantic Trojanns over Lady Trojans or Trojanettes. Yes, it's dumb - but I still prefer it over the other two choices. I've never been an "ettes" fan. In the last couple years they started just using the name Trojans for boys and girls. We were terrible for the most part - playing catch up with other towns who had started their teams a few years before. But we had some exciting wins.

I'd like to say I was a big part of those - and perhaps I was. I cheered hard when we won in overtime my junior year at Red Oak. Cathy Hjortshoj made a shot for the victory. Sue Tyler and Sally Rodgers were other forwards on the team. The next year, Sally banked a shot in from long distance to beat our nemesis Clarinda on our home court. It was fun running onto the court and hugging everyone. Pammy played in the guard court - good thing Betty Heflin didn't see Chris Watson during hoops season, smoking those ciggies on her way out of the high school parking lot. She did during softball season...alas I believe Chris gave it later.

It was also really fun giving the youngsters crap on the bus - but not in a bullying kind of way. My little sis Betso acted as our manager one of the years. I still remember her - so skinny that she couldn't get pants long enough that would fit her.

My senior year, the school hired a real girl's basketball coach - Sharon Leslein. That was different after Dale Allen! I liked her a great deal, and she liked me - but that didn't increase my playing time at all. I would volunteer to ride with her to scout teams before playoff games. To this day I can't hear Aerosmith's Dream On without thinking of her - that song always came on while we drove to games for scouting. When she got married the summer after my freshman year of college, Sandy Larsen, Mona Jones and I were cake cutters at the wedding up in Edgewood, Iowa. I lost track of Sharon after she married Bruce and moved to Minnesota.

Kids don't have to be stars to be part of a team and to be "coached" up. The memories of those team years are worth all the sweat, shin splints and yes - even the dissatisfaction with lack of playing time.

First Love

I saw this McCauley fam photo on Facebook yesterday and it took me down memory lane. I see Mike and his parents and two sisters in the pic. Man, that must be Kathy's daughter - she looks like her! Mike says the Korean bros weren't there.

McCauley Clan

The McCauley Family. I spent a lot of time with this clan when I was a teen. The parents are Dick - who was a classmate of my Aunt Marty. The mom is Pat, who taught music at Washington Elementary during some of my years there. Paula Bacon remembers Pat sending the two of us the the principal's office! Evidently we were talking (and smirking) during music class. I believe I've blocked that black day out of my memory bank...I've forgiven Pat though, because she played the violin at our wedding. It was beautiful!

Their son Mike was my high school boyfriend - really my only other long term boyfriend besides my current squeeze. Mike is the oldest of the group, followed by Dorothy and then Kathy who I think is Betsy's age. Dick and Pat adopted two sons from Korea - Joe, who was a baby when they got him, and Bok who was 10 when adopted, I believe.

I loved hanging out at their house. Dick and Pat liked motorcycles and snowmobiles - so Mike had access to each. He even had his own dirt bike, a Honda 175cc. His mom had a Honda 200 that I learned to ride, and I even got my cycle license! One winter I went to Okoboji with them for a snowmobile trip. It was such fun riding the snowmobile on the lake so fast, without worrying about trees. My grandpa saw me riding on the back of Mike's motorcycle on Highway 6 in Atlantic without a helmet, and he tattled to my parents, and I got in trouble!

Mike liked to hunt pheasants, and a couple times I walked along - good preparation for me to be married to Paul someday. Oh not that I walk along with Paul. It's just that I can kinda picture what he's doing. I guess 17 year old love is different than 55 year old love, huh? I tried to get my buddies to "like" Mike's buddies too - Diane and Chuck Templeman, and Mona and Tommy Chlorophyll (his real name is Green - Mike's next door neighbor). Just kidding Mona - he was too cool for you....

Mike is such a nice guy - he could get along with everyone in our class - from the jocks to the hoods. By our senior year we had broken up but were still good friends. He went to Iowa Western in Council Bluffs after High School, and I went to ISU of course. We continued to stay in contact though. Mike was handy with tools, and in college I had him in stall my new cassette player in my new 1977 Chevy Monza. A bitchin sound machine! I only blew the speakers twice. 

Mike met a Harlan girl named Lori and I attended his wedding. I believe they have three sons. Mike and Lori lived in Atlantic for many years after college and he managed a couple different businesses. A few years ago they moved to Michigan where I lost track of him, until I tracked him down on Facebook - I know I love it and I hate it, but it can be useful! I'd love to get together with Lori and Mike again someday to get caught up. I'll always have a place in my heart for the McCauleys!

Confessions of a former lifeguard

Creston built a new pool some 15 or so years ago - despite the modern look the noises are the same as my lifeguarding years

On my walk route today I ambled (but on a quick pace Deb, I swear) by Creston's public pool. Certain things in life take me back to my lifeguarding days. Songs of the day, pool noises, the way the sun sometimes shines on my face at a particular angle...I can't explain it - but that too takes me back.

What can I say - it's the best possible job a kid can have. And I had it that summer after my freshman year of college - the summer of 1977. It's a great job especially when you're working for the Merrick girls - Cindi and Marci (perhaps one of the nicest peeps you'll ever know) and with the rest of a great cast of characters, some of my best buddies. Sally Rodgers (of course was my longtime friend and college roomie, gorgeous but anaware, dorkily funny, smart and loyal). But others became good friends - Kim Waters (who became my sidekick homegirl that summer), Cindy Hmmm last name is escaping me? lived near Lally's. Thank you Ted - who filled in the blank. Cindy Sheppard (another very nice kid I got to know & corrupt that summer), Nellie Juhl (our resident hippy), Cathy Hjortshoj (so funny and cool) and Julia Hoilien (I recently blogged about how much I admire this chick) worked the treat stand with her mom. Candice Drake filled in as a sub. I know I'm forgetting people. Todd Pellett was one guy - I'm sure there were others. Ted Simpson taught swimming lessons.

It was a pretty vigorous schedule - at least during swimming lesson season. I'd go to the pool at 8 or 9 in the morning and be there through 9 at night. But what else did I have to do? I got one day off a week. I'm sure my mother appreciated having me out of the house. In fact she invited me not to come home after the summer after my freshman year. That fun for ya Mom?

A typical day: I would arrive at the pool in my 1977 Red Chevy Monza hatchback - just prior to 8 or 9 a.m. For four weeks in the summer the Red Cross hosted swimming lessons. For the first two weeks "city" kids attended. Their moms would drop them off - some sticking around to watch little junior swim. Other kids rode their bikes to lessons. Often Fantastic Faye - a local figure would hang out outside the fence on his own bike "Silver".

During the next two weeks, it was the "country" kids turn - delivered from places likes Cumberland and Anita in big yellow school buses. Skinny and chubby lilly white kids with plastic bags containing their towels, some with pink nose plugs. Shivering in the cold morning air - in the unheated pool.

I earned every penny of my ($2.25/hr?) teaching under the tutelage of Grand Puba Nancy Pellett, who was following in the footsteps of Betty Lou Pellett. Mom had once taught lessons with Betty Lou, so I was a pool rat from way back.

This was before Red Cross came up with fancy names for swimmer levels. We had Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate and Swimmer. Of course there were a gazillion beginners - to graduate they had to front float and back float. Some kids are just sinkers and ya gotta feel bad for them. But this is one time when a chunky kid can shine when they float like a cork! We did have "aids" (14 year old helpers) to assist instructors, but darn it sometimes I had to get into that frigid water to instruct. (I bet those parents watching were thinking - "about time!" I know that now that I have viewed similar situations as a parent). All in all - I learned a lot as a swim instructor. Like I knew I didn't want to be a teacher!

After wearing myself out instructing for 3 to 4 hours, I usually had an hour break before I needed to begin guarding lives. Sometimes I got a takeout sannie from pizza hut. Why did they do away with their hoagies with Italian dressing, man they were good! If I didn't go there, Lally's next door or the former A&W - now called Town and Country Drive In. Mona Jones worked there - she'd whip me up a patented Dr. Pepper float with fries. If all else failed, I went home - "Hi mom I'm here to make mess and eat your food."

At one the pool opened for biz. The kids came streaming in. We were daycare for many of them - a pool pass is a cheap alternative to a sitter. Little guys - Dusty and Ricky are two names that come to mind - would arrive in just their trunks with a towel. They were to entertain themselves all day at that pool.

Each pin was numbered

Work/study staff, low income high school kids, helped man the office, checking passes, taking money and dealing with baskets. What baskets you ask? Sunnyside Pool (what a cheery name) didn't have lockers, we had baskets and changing rooms. Each basket had a corresponding pin - a sturdy looking thing that could be quite a weapon if need be!

This blog is getting a bit long (I'm a windy old broad), so I'll start a Part 2 later. We're (meaning Paul, due to my unfortunate shoulder problem) painting the kitchen this weekend and I've got errands to run. And despite the poker-like pain (I know I'm milking it) I plan to clean everything from the top of the kitchen cupboards that just didn't look that dirty until we got it down. I have an appointment to see a surgeon on the 24th since therapy doesn't seem to be helping. Dang it's hell to grow old. It's likely an old lifeguarding injury - blew my whistle once too often or something...