As a kid growing up in Abbeville, SC playing outside was the ultimate release. Especially when you think about playing on a playground and that legendary time of recess at school. If you're like me some of the greatest experiences in elementary school were during the recess times. I remember going to the old Langley-Milliken Elementray School from Kindergarten until 3rd Grade. Their were two different playgrounds which had some significant differences and they were on opposite sides of the school. Plus there was an advantage for Kindergarten-2nd grade because those classes were held in the portables outside that surrounded the school. So when the three recess times were held, brother we hit the doors hard.
That easy access made it like green flag racing at Bristol as you tried to get to something quickly. You see the swings were like big time priority and if you could get to them first buddy then you were the stuff. The big playground held the big swing sets and part of the coolness was when you were done swinging you could take off out of the swings with some monster jumps. It was like you were flying. Occasionally you could time it out and actually use someone as a safety cushion as you tackled them from high above. We would have long distance challenges and man it was some good stuff.
And then there was the sliding boards that looked like they came off the side of a mountain. There was a big daddy slide and a junior slide. Of course you slide down both but if you got your sneakers slick enough with dirt you could ski down those bad boys which put you into legend status. I also remember we would run up the boards only to come back down. Of course we would have a race to see who could get to the top before the other would slide down. So you would have a dog pile coming down the board. And when it was hot man you would squeak down that thing with shorts and leave most of your legs behind. It was brutal.
Of course you had the monkey bars and the old Jungle Gym. So the monkey bars were not much unless you got up top and walked across the bars. Then you had to avoid falling and that was really funny when people would miss a step and find the open space between the bars. Lots of agony. The Jungle Gym at Langley-Milliken was like a small building that ran almost a story and a half. You could climb up through the cubes and then there were like 3 cubes up top where you could just chill out. Great view of all the swing jumpers as they would fly out of the swings. And plus it was concrete underneath you so if you slipped and fell it would be known to those around it.
Remember the See-Saws. I heard a guy talk about how that developed a serious trust factor between you and someone else. Especially if you saw a pretty girl and wanted to go talk to her. Man that other end would hit the ground fast and tear up someone's posterior. But they were like the little honorable mention things that you would sit on if you just wanted to talk to people.
We use to have pick em up bust em football games that were epic. I mean it was rugby without limits and nothing would be cooler than answering a question in class with a busted lip or black eye. Of course now it would be considered rough housing. But it separated the men from the boys so to speak. You could earn some respect if you got dirty during those times.
Of course you would have those times at recess where guys and girls were messing with each other. Guys would go around and push the girls they liked and then the girls would chase them around the playground. You also could have some games of tag going that would wear you out. And then there were rain days which absolutely stunk. But if it was your day to do PE then you could take your frustration out during some games of Murder Ball. No not Dodgeball. We didn't have all that political correctness stuff in the 80's. It was Murder Ball and buddy we would light each other up. And the girls would bring it to. Loved it.
But as we transitioned to Westwood Elementary during my 4th grade year it was like the blackest year of my elementary experience. We went almost 75% of the year with NO PLAYGROUND. It was the pits. Great for football and tag games. When you got a girl to chase you shoot you could run for days. But I mean it would be boring on most days. So that was tough but it developed character in us and made us run harder to the swings in the 5th Grade.
I don't know if that great feeling is still there in recesses these days but it was something that definitely highlighted my days as a kid. We had three or four at times during a day and now if kids have one they are doing good. I think it's a sad problem across the board in a technically overrun society. Now someone would say it was not that big of a deal, but when you sit cooped up in class and are not having a good day you needed to release that energy. So for my personal development it kept me healthy and inspired me to not get into trouble because missing recess was the worst experience ever.
If you have any great memories from your recess experiences pass it along to me. I enjoy the feedback. Plus I know some of you Greenville Street Elemnetary alumni in SC could chime in. Enjoy some outdoor fun even if you're an adult.
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