CARL ABOUT CARL
“The Catch”
The bell rang. It was 10:30 am on a clear October day in Southern California . The Sun was bright and it looked like it was going to be another hot day. The room was already hot, there was no air conditioning in 1954 and Columbia Elementary was old in 1954. There was steam heat in the winter but nothing on hot days except opening the windows. That was all the relief there was on hot days. This was one of those days. All the windows were opened, Mrs. Frank, the sixth grade teacher sat at her desk fanning herself. I sat in the back of the room next to the window. I couldn’t wait for recess. The playground was next to the sixth grade class rooms. The playground consisted of a large rectangle shaped field. There were three softball fields. During Football season, there would be four football fields each about 50 yards long. The surface was brownish-gray clay and packed as hard as rock. There was no grass on the field. No grass could live in such hardness, created by decades of thousands of feet stamping, jumping, running sliding, and pounding it into the hardpan it was.
I was ten years old in 1954. I was the youngest in my class, ten going on eleven. The others were eleven going on twelve. I was younger and smaller than the others in my class. Since my birthday was in November I was allowed to begin school at four years of age. As the youngest and smallest in my class, I was always afraid of something. On the ball field I was afraid of getting hurt. In the class room I was afraid of being laughed at, so I tried to stay out of everybody’s way. It had been this way for six years; nothing had changed since I started school. I had been falling behind each year and it was getting worse. I lacked confidence and was discouraged. I knew my situation in school and it made me feel bad. I tried to hide my feelings but it showed. I tried not to participate in class room activities because I was always laughed at. So Mrs. Frank put me in the back of the room and left me alone. I was looking forward to recess. I didn’t have to think. It was time to play. This October day it was Football. The bell had rung and it was twenty minutes of football. We ran out to the field to choose up sides. Jack was the leader on the playground. He ran to the ball house to check out a football. We were waiting for Jack to begin the game. I waited with the rest of the boys hoping to be chosen. Sometimes I would not get to play, unless there were even teams. Being the smallest of the boys, I was not considered very good and was always chosen last.
Jack and Vern were the two boys who did the choosing. One by one the boys were being chosen. I was standing there waiting to be taken. Finally I was taken by Jack. During the game, I was ignored by the other team. I had never done anything good and no one expected me to do anything now. Columbia Wayne
Recess was almost over; Jack’s team had the ball and needed a touchdown to win the game. In the huddle, Jack was giving instructions “Carl you stay in and block. Everybody else go out for a pass in the end zone.” Jack was always the quarterback, the team leader, the best ball player in the class and in all sports. Once the bell rang, there was five minutes before the tardy bell rang. Jack hollered out, “ready set, hike one two three; the ball was hiked. Jack got the ball. Wayne, Dan, Pat and Bill all ran out for the pass. Into the end zone they went running around trying to get open. I tried to block Randy the biggest boy on the other team. Randy pushed me hard to the ground. I got up and ran to the end zone. Jack was looking for someone to throw the ball to. He was being chased by Randy and a few others from the other team. Jack ran right then left trying to avoid the tag. He was running around looking for someone who was open in the end zone. Everyone was yelling “throw it, throw it.” Everyone was on the same side of the end zone waving their hands and yelling. I was on the other side all by myself. No one was near me. No one thought I could catch the ball. Jack was a good runner and good at dodging tags. He continued to run and jump this way and that looking for someone to throw the ball to. Randy and the other boys were closing in on Jack, then Jack saw me all alone in the end zone and without thinking let the ball fly. It was heading toward me. I just stood there panic stricken not knowing what to do. The ball was racing, spiraling toward me. I didn’t know if I should run forward, backward or stay put. It was coming closer, it was too high I thought so I ran to the back of the end zone for more room but it was still too high. My only hope was to jump as high as I could with my arms extended and hope I could get it. When the ball was close enough, I leaped high into the air arms and fingers out stretched as far and hard as I could make them go. The ball and my hands reached the right spot at the same time. The ball slapped into my hands and fingers with enough force to push my hands, arms and body backward. I felt my whole body falling backward. I knew I was going to hit the rock hard ground on my back. I wanted to hold on to the ball but was afraid of getting hurt. I tightened my hold on the ball and waited for ground and my body to meet. Hold on to the ball I thought, pleeeeese hold onto the ball. Then, thud, my back and the ground collided. The air rushed out of my lungs in a great hissing sound I gasped for air but none returned. I lay there for what seemed like an eternity. Then the air rushed into my lungs again. My back hurt, my head hurt, my lungs hurt I wanted to cry. Tears began to fill my eyes until I realized I still had the football in my hands. I had caught the ball. Jack was looking over me along with everybody else from both teams. “What a catch everybody was saying. “Great catch” somebody said. Jack helped me up as the tardy bell rang. Jack and Vern put their arms around me as we walked back to the class room. The next recess I was the first one picked by Jack. I was first from then on. School was more fun everything seemed to get better. Carl
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