BOARDING: Tale from yesteryear

Really enjoyed the downhill skateboarding piece on Sunday.

Years ago, um, like the ’60s, I was clocked on my skateboard by a buddy on his Moped at 35 mph going down the Reserve Highway out of Silver City, N.M. The most horrific part is that this board had the old metal wheels. They might have burned and disintegrated. The composition wheels existed, but I didn’t have them.

While we were flying down the highway that Saturday a school bus loaded with the concert choir drove by us. We were supposed to be on that bus.

Monday morning we had our stories coordinated. The choir director interrogated my buddy first. Rob said he missed the concert because his dad made him do roofing work on the ranch house. When I got grilled I said I had been helping my buddy.

The stories were true but the roofing project had been completed in the morning. The concert and busload observing us skateboarding had been in the afternoon.

We were summarily dismissed from the choir. We had to sit out the spring semester in study hall, dozing while feigning reading. My first semester choir grade was A, second semester was F, with a C average for the year.

Some years later my mom was cleaning out some of my stuff and found a music letter I apparently received. How do you letter in music after getting thrown out of the choir? If a football player gets booted from the team does he still get his letter?

Doubtful. Pete Rose couldn’t even get his Hall of Fame spot and all he did was gamble a little.

I’ve still got the letter. Dumb luck I guess. Go figure.

Bob McILVENNA

Coeur d’Alene

Editor’s note: Check out the downhill skateboarding video: http://www.cdapress.com/video_553c5320-7d00-11e5-9e20-5f6a0c163c83.html