Growing up, I had absolutely no interest in football at all, and even if I had I didn’t have the ability to play it very well. I enjoyed playing baseball a lot, but I was born left handed and in first grade was forced to bat rightie, so I was never good at hitting. Then I became nearsighted, and after getting glasses the summer between fifth and sixth grade I never wore them in gym, to avoid breaking them, so I couldn’t see the ball anyway.
So by the time I got to high school I wasn’t good for much in gym class. I knew Ed Leary was a great football coach, but because I wasn’t into sports I wasn’t tuned into his wavelength. What I enjoyed doing was running, and only running. I wasn’t even exceptional at that, but I enjoyed it, and I looked forward to track in the spring.
By the eleventh grade Mr. Leary and I had reached an understanding, and he’d sometimes let me run laps around the track instead of whatever else I was supposed to be doing. I couldn’t believe that doing lots of laps was considered to be some sort of a punishment. I loved it. With the pressure off, I actually started to enjoy basketball, beyond just shooting baskets.
If PE could have been all about running and nothing else, I would have been happy. Frankly, I think the concept of team sports being equivalent to physical fitness is bogus. It seems schools have caught onto that, and now health and fitness doesn’t demand kids knowing the rules of American football.
My senior year in high school I didn’t have to take gym, so I didn’t, and that was very good for me. The summer after graduation I had a job working with two guys who had been on the track team. One of them was the star runner, and he got me started with long distance running, and 35 years later I’m still running.
One of my regular routes took me past Mr. Leary’s house, and one time when I was home from college I saw him outside and I waved. He looked amazed, and with a big smile on his face he shouted, “Pratt… is that you??” “Yes sir, Mr. Leary!” I think he said something like “Good man,” but I was moving and couldn’t really hear him.
At my high school reunion five years ago I was saddened to hear that Mr. Leary had suffered a stroke, and now I’ve read that Mr. Leary died five days ago. Obituaries are here and here. Even though I was a different sort of kid, Ed Leary was always fair and honest with me, and I’m glad to have known him. God rest, Mr. Leary.
Hence, my twinster’s love of running and his yearly turn at the Boston Marathon! Thanks, Mr. Leary! Josh, I feel your pain! I had an evil P.E. teacher and there was NO sport I cared for, until I HAD to walk to get to work at a few summer jobs and really liked the exercise. Bike riding is OK, but I’m clumsy and I fall too much. Still, despite that fact I managed to become a fair ice skater years ago. I don’t skate anymore, maybe once or twice a year.
Josh, thanks for the confirmation that my enjoyment of running laps was an unusual one. I did them by request, and not as punishment.
I never did well in PE, and since I grew up in Texas, I was expected to play football. This post just brought back some pretty scary memories of laps as punishment.
Doug,
It’s been wonderful to hear/read so many geat memories people have of dad. He certainly was able to get people motivated wasn’t he?
Thanks again, hope you & your family have a wonderful holiday season.
Maura
Maura,
Thanks for spotting my post about your father. I felt it was worth having a remembrance from someone who had been a regular, non-athletic, student. A couple more things.
First, he was in shape, and that made an impression on me. Mr. Leary was only fifteen years older than me, but at the time I associated him with someone my father’s age, and my dad was definitely not in shape; nor were some of the gym teachers I’d had before moving to Acton. From your father’s example I decided I’d rather keep myself fit than let myself go. And today, past age 50, my doctor says I’m in “ridiculously good condition.”
And I’ll always remember the time when we were wrestling in the 11th grade. Another kid was getting the better of me, and your father was nothing if not encouraging — “demanding” is a better word — that I stop holding back. So I threw aside my caution and really tore into the other kid, who was quite surprised, as was your dad, who was very pleased to see me get into it, and that did a lot to boost my confidence.
The photo came from the ABRHS ’73 yearbook. He was so young! Weren’t we all.
Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories of my dad. He truly loved what he did, and enjoyed his time with all the students. And thanks for including such a wonderful picture.
Maura
Someone else’s gym class experience:
http://www.itsjerrytime.com/?p=113
Disclaimer: IANJ
I occasionally had the rare teacher who actually inspired me to learn more and more. One was an American history teacher with a cool sense of humor. When I did my biographical book reports, I injected little jokes and puns about the character, which everyone got a kick out of, since we had to read our reports aloud in class.
Mr. Powell’s approach was easy-going, and he was soft-spoken. He wore glasses with lenses as thick as the bottoms of Coke bottles, and he left you wanting to study, wanting to learn, and I always got good grades in his class.
Not so with most other male teachers, who generally regarded the girls in their classes as burdens they had to bear because the classes were coed through no choice of their own.
I can understand your natural tendency to refer to Mr. Leary in the present tense — that’s the spirit of the man. That’s the impression he left on you, and that’s larger than life.
This is a great topic!
— Jan
I, too, was the victim of forced sports participation in junior and senior high school. I wasn’t any good at it, either, and resented the fact that my lack of talent and aptitude in this area was being disregarded. Why FORCE someone to do something everyone knows they’re lousy at? I often felt my PE teacher as well as my classmates got some perverse pleasure out of seeing me humiliated on the softball diamond or hockey field.
Fortunately, my wise parents never placed much emphasis or importance on the grades I got in PE. They felt as I did — that those with athletic ability and a real desire to play sports should be allowed to do so, and NOBODY should have it crammed down their throats.
The emotional and psychological scarring that can occur from being called “easy out! easy out!” in chanting, mocking tones by one’s teammates lasts a lifetime. I grew up with an inferiority complex anyway, and this sort of thing only exacerbated it.
I’m grateful that you’ve written on this topic, Doug. We need to learn, as a society, to respect the talents and abilities of each individual, and refrain from demeaning them if (hello, human condition!) they’re not perfect at everything.
— Jan
Boss! I never knew! And you didn’t even inherit the infamous “Pratt thighs;” you got Mom’s lean, long legs. Doug, I forgot to say, remember how you used to pitch balls to me in the driveway in Acton? You were good! The term we had softball in the eighth grade was the only time in P.E. I EVER got an A and I owe it all to you. I love to walk, and naturally walk too fast, anyway, so speedwalking came naturally to me. I’m awfully out of shape now, not huge, just not exercising enough.
I had Mr. Leary for PE one quarter my freshman year, for track. For some reason I expected that he’d only be interested in the jocks, but he actually paid attention to each kid in the class. He said I was a good runner, gave me pointers on improving my stride, and suggested I try out for girls’ track, which he coached in the spring. I didn’t, but I did start winning some of the sprints in gym class instead of always coming in last. I was amazed that anyone would take my efforts seriously–like my siblings, I lacked coordination and could never see the ball let alone catch it. Mr. Leary clearly felt his job was a calling, and not just the coaching part of it….Like my siblings, I have found something physical I enjoy, having recently achieved black belt in Taekwondo. Though I have always enjoyed swimming, too.
It’s funny how even now my inclination is to call him Mr. Leary. The same is also the case with a couple of teachers with whom I was very much on the same wavelength. I wrote about them back here:
http://www.dograt.com/2008/03/10/slate-of-hand-by-judy-ted-buswick/
Coach Leary sounded like a great teacher! I was impressed by his achievements and this man had the perfect vocation to devote his life to. That he turned a tryout to the Dallas Cowboys down to take the position to coach and teach speaks volumes. Condolences to everyone who knew this man and I know he’ll surely be missed. As someone who reads and watches biographical stories, so often you read or hear about people you’d like to know or would have liked to have known, and you can tell this man was greatly appreciated.
I remember Mr. Leary! Never heard anything but good stuff about him. Yes, our graduating class was mercifully allowed to skip gym. I remember the SCREAM that went up when they announced that on the first-day assembly! I was hugging all my friends. Like Doug, I am highly myopic [I no longer am, due to cataract lens replacement — D], and not partial to team sports. I can’t run well, because my left hip and leg are rotated too far to the left, but I CAN walk for miles on end when I’m in good shape. I learned how to figure skate at the age of 24! I’m in pretty crummy shape now, but I’m still trying.