Janie and Tara were excited to be juniors at Waterbury Hills High School. As sixteen year-olds, they could drive, party with the older boys, and best of all, they were accepted for the infamous Towel Team. People have heard about the Towel Team, but no...
I had been swimming again for the past few months, trying to get fit for a summer triathlon, I had a swimming background in my youth but it had been many years since I'd swum competitively. The local masters' swim program had me back in shape but, unfortu...
The final bell rang as teacher Marcus Jackson was putting tests into his briefcase to grade over the weekend. It was Friday, so all of his students fled out of the classroom like it was on fire. He got a few goodbyes and some well-wishes for the weekend f...
The Waterbury Hills High School men’s swim season was just starting. The team was a mix of the younger new swimmers and the six more experienced varsity swimmers who would be graduating at the end of the year. “Great job everyone,” Coach Travis announced...
No one could imagine that the weather could get hotter or more humid, but Wednesday was one of the hottest August days on record. Everyone showed up at 6:00 a.m. to take advantage of the coolest part of the day. Kyle and Jon went to their usual lockers...
Everyone was at school bright and early on Tuesday. Kyle and Jon said hi to Rachel, but then she disappeared. The seniors on the team decided that they wanted to take over a remote section of the lockers just for themselves, sort of Upper Classmen Privi...
Waterbury Hills, CA, was the epicenter of the Hippies' movement of the 1960s and 70s. Now in 1990, things were a bit more mainstream, but still left of center compared to the rest of America. The locals held onto their very liberal outlook on life, and...
It was finally the day for soccer tryouts, and I was determined to make the varsity team. I had put plenty of hours into training and preparation, but I still felt nervous to perform in front of the coaches. My freshmen year had gone great and my goal for...
Coach Calhoun’s cheerleaders were enjoying moderate success in their competitions. They could almost always count on getting second or third place. Maybe it was the coaching, or maybe it was the motivational activities in the showers that brought out th...
Mr. Crete’s new student teacher was Jessica Calhoun, a former all state cheerleader from the next county. Jessica was an excellent English major, and she was an outstanding teacher-in-training. However, her real talents were as a cheer coach who could c...
Josette couldn’t stop fidgeting as she waited to meet Claude. If he accepted her, her chances to compete with the world’s elite in gymnastics would drastically increase. She thought about the hours and effort she had put into her craft, and it had all com...
I have been coaching my granddaughter, Michele, in gymnastics for sixteen years. I have taught her every apparatus and floor routine. Michele was in diapers when we started simple rolls. She was on top of the world holding number one all around, until pub...
“Mmmh! Valley High School,” I mumble. I stop and motion. “He is really hot.” “He’s a coach, and he’s probably like twenty four,” Ryan says, punching a number into the keyboard in front of us. “Please,” I say. “You honestly don’t think he’s hot?” “I do,” R...
Most major corporations expect their employees to be involved in community activities, and it is essentially required for senior-level executives. I am an executive vice president for a major financial services firm in the greater Newark, New Jersey area....
Angie's Perspective In Part 1 of this story we learned that hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains near our home in Roanoke, Virginia had become my husband Ed’s primary exercise and relaxation. My name is Angie and I prefer to go to the gym for my workouts. W...
