After writing my las blog I started thinking about how much norms have changed since I graduated high school in 1977. We had a gym teacher who was an ex-college football player and in general a tough guy. He later quit teaching and became a State Trooper.
His philosophy, and I can understand the logic, was to allow kids to fight in gym class instead of after school. I think he thought it would be safer for the kids. I was involved in the last fist fight at my school. Gym class started as normal, we lined up and went through attendance. After that the teacher would give basketballs to those who wanted to play. I was not a basketball player by any stretch. Is I played it was like rugby basketball, I was on the wrestling team so normally I went to the mats to hang out.
On this day however, another guy stepped up after attendance and challenged me to a fight. To this day I have no idea what I did to cause him to want to fight. I was in my share of fights growing up, but to avoid my mother’s disapproval I never started them. And like in this case I never backed down. I accepted the fight, and we went to the mats with the entire class circling us.
Standing toe to toe my opponent said no wrestling to which I nodded in agreement. There was very little in those days that made me afraid, and this was no different, I had my fists up ready to go. I dodged his first punch and countered with a nice body shot. He backed up and tried to come after my legs, I guess he meant I was the one who couldn’t wrestle. Not to brag, but I guess I am, I was a very good wrestler. He never touched my legs, I did throw my legs back instinctually (it’s called a sprawl for all you non-wrestling folks) and landed my chest on his back. From there I peppered his face, and he was helpless.
The gym teacher to his credit jumped in right away and grabbed both my arms to stop me from punching. Thinking it was over I got off him without a struggle. I do remember I never wanted to fight in the first place. As the teacher stood behind me and held me back my opponent got up and gave me three shots to my face before the teacher let me go. Here is problem at this point, since I never wanted the fight I wasn’t angey, I beat him like it was any opponent in a wrestling match. With three shots to my face, well then, I got mad. Me mad was always a bad problem for me, I worked hard to control my anger in my twenties and I’m glad to say it has been a good many years since my last fist fight.
I ended up throwing this kid against the bleachers and going to town on whatever my fist happened to hit. The kids from the gym class gathered in and temporarily blocked the teacher. After that there was a nurse’s visit involved and a proclamation of no more fights.
I don’t write this as something I am proud of, just a note to how much the world has changed. If that happened today with would be a news story all day. Someone would have taken a video and it would be viral on social media. The teacher would be vilified and terminated. As it was the kid I fought, and I were picked on the same team for gym class a week later and had lunch together that day.
Thinking of this reminds me of another story which involved my wrestling coach. To this day I joke whth him that if he did what he did now he would be in jail, but that’s another blog.
Times have certainly changed.
Mike Settino 