Hustle Up, Kids!
. . . it's time for gym! Yay! P.E! Even better than real P.E., here at Big Al's Comic Blog, you don't need to change into polyester gym shorts and ill-fitting School District t-shirts. Unless you want to.
And here's your lesson for the day: It isn't arm strength that gets you up the rope as much as it is getting your feet twisted in the rope so that you can actually push off with your feet. Lucky for Pasquale, his rope has knots tied at helpful intervals.
I am totally confused about Pasquale's age. He can't be older than kindergarten, can he? 2nd grader at the oldest. And they climb ropes in P.E.? Man, I didn't even attempt this until college. I guess that's why they have the knots -- they are little kids. Now, really, do little kids ever climb the rope? I'm asking seriously - if you know of such an instance please tell.
My Google search for rope climbing in P.E. attests to the unpopularity of this drill, as many schools have replaced it with a climbing wall. This is more fun. More fun than struggling to pull yourself up to a high ceiling? Getting rope burns all the way? Shocking!
So it seems that most schools don't do this anymore, and if they do, I doubt they make little kids like Pasquale do it. I am happy to be told I'm out of it, if you know better.
I also found that those ropes aren't particularly cheap.
OK, everyone, 3 laps around the gym, then hit the shower! (AIEEEEEEE! Embarrassed changing in front of your friends! Neurosis-inducing nakedness! AIEEEEEEEEEEE!)
And here's your lesson for the day: It isn't arm strength that gets you up the rope as much as it is getting your feet twisted in the rope so that you can actually push off with your feet. Lucky for Pasquale, his rope has knots tied at helpful intervals.
I am totally confused about Pasquale's age. He can't be older than kindergarten, can he? 2nd grader at the oldest. And they climb ropes in P.E.? Man, I didn't even attempt this until college. I guess that's why they have the knots -- they are little kids. Now, really, do little kids ever climb the rope? I'm asking seriously - if you know of such an instance please tell.
My Google search for rope climbing in P.E. attests to the unpopularity of this drill, as many schools have replaced it with a climbing wall. This is more fun. More fun than struggling to pull yourself up to a high ceiling? Getting rope burns all the way? Shocking!
So it seems that most schools don't do this anymore, and if they do, I doubt they make little kids like Pasquale do it. I am happy to be told I'm out of it, if you know better.
I also found that those ropes aren't particularly cheap.
OK, everyone, 3 laps around the gym, then hit the shower! (AIEEEEEEE! Embarrassed changing in front of your friends! Neurosis-inducing nakedness! AIEEEEEEEEEEE!)
posted by big al at 9:32 PM
6 Comments:
We had to do this in elementary school, but not until at least the third grade. I had the same PE teacher my parents had, so he may not have wanted to give up his old school ways.
Laura
What strip is this? I thought that was a little girl. I am so out of the comic strip loop.
This strip made me roll my eyes and vomit at the same time.
We didn't have a climbing rope in elementary, middle, or high school. I don't think my university had one either. I always assumed the rope was something from the 60s/70s that now only appears in movies and t.v. shows. We didn't have a climbing wall either. I don't recall doing any sort of climbing exercises. We mostly ran laps and played team sports that I always sucked at. I do recall jumping hurdles once in seventh grade. I knocked over three hurdles at the same time and was excused from ever having to attempt jumping hurdles again.
We had two ropes in our elementary school gym. One was a regular rope and one had these balls on it that made climbing easier. Most kids couldn't really do it, particularly the regular rope. I don't remember what grade we started it in, but the school was K-4. This was in the early 80's.
Jacey, this is Rose is Rose. Usually not too bad, innocuous strip.
I guess I only remember the fun things about P.E. In elementary school (early '80s) I remember dodge ball, kick ball, and walking around in circles with a parachute.
In middle school (mid '80s), I remember nothing. Just sheer terror at changing in the locker room, body insecurity, etc.
In high school (late '80s) I remember we did a lot of team sports, learning the rules of sports, etc. So, we played a lot of volleyball, team handball (like we were Koreans or something), soccer, etc.
I remember that there was a rope in my elementary school gym, by why not in my middle school or high school's gym? 5-11 year olds will climb better than teens? The logic confuses me!
I happened to be reading the archives, and I happen to know that at least in Newton, Massachusetts the kindergarteners get to climb on the ropes. Actually, since their ratio of arm strength to body mass is relatively high, some of the little guys do it pretty well.
Post a Comment
<< Home