‘Indoctrination is not necessarily an obscenity.’
If your memory exceeds mine, you’ll recall early posts about no junior high sports due to the school district ‘jointure’. The Wide World of Sports action was in Rich Town high school. The good thing was we had no pecking order for boys; no big shot jocks walking halls on gilded slippers. The bad thing was that we were adrift, does anyone care to invite us to the picnic?
Well, football had started before our first day of class. And, as was the case for the next 10+ years, we sucked. Deceased alumni tried to emigrate to Nepal.
But our strength was basketball. In January, Foon announced the high school had graciously consented to offer us a school bus to go to ‘away’ games–was anyone interested? We didn’t even have to bring burnt offerings to the altar.
Well………..you’d think the Beatles re-formed. The sign up list was packed in two days–we eventually filled two busses. In a move that showed real intelligence, cheerleaders rode along. Yes, it was great having a bevy of pretty girls in short skirts smiling at young horny boys, but they also taught us the cheers before the game.
We also learned this:
And, unfortunately, someone started to sing this awful song called ’99 Bottles of Beer.’ We had never heard it, but it didn’t take long to hate it.
Once inside the visiting team’s gym, we yelled like freed inmates. Dan, Bob, and I had a great time rooting for our team and picking our favorite cheerleader.
The victorious trip home was one for the cranial scrapbook. Some cheerleaders gently heckled a few of their own to sing. Finally, a brunette stood up and requested quiet. She said that after a victory, her and two friends from the HS chorus sometimes sang a fun song, but we had to be quiet so they didn’t laugh.
The other cheerleaders started clapping, then the three girls harmonized. For the rest of my life, I will always smile at this dumb little 1950’s ditty.