Physical education is the backbone of every American school. It is during this class that the less intellectually gifted students unleash their hormonal rage on the unsuspecting mathlete who will later enjoy the fruits of his knowledge by creating a fortune 500 company. I first began my festive dance with this sexy woman known as physical education during my wee kindergarten years in Our Lady of Good Counsel school in Lawrence, MA. PE class was the only opportunity during the week to shed our restrictive shirt and tie uniforms for the ever-so-comfortable sweatpants and T-shirt. My most memorable gym teacher during my time at O.L.G.C. was Mr. Carlos “Iron Leg” Crespo, the current Tom Clancy-esque proctor of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library. Because of Mr. Crespo, I can count to 50 in Spanish while balancing a soccer ball on my head. The Phys Ed-200 course here at PA differed greatly from what I had expected it to be. Local football legend and song writer Leon Modeste pounded the catch phrase “I sweat, therefore I am,” into the class’s head as we scaled 100 foot climbing walls laced with booby traps and automated turrets. The climbing wall was extremely difficult but I would have to give the crown to the swim and drown proofing test. Each student at PA must master the travel and survival strokes. The strokes were designed to keep a person alive if stranded in the ocean for a long amount of time. To fully simulate this situation, athletic trainers Brian Cox and Mike Kuta purchased fully bionic shark suits to remind lackadaisical students of the consequences of being idle in open water. PE-200 proved to be a challenging course that stimulated my mind, body, and soul. As long as this country employs physical education into its school system, the U.S. will continue to be a superpower in the modern world. God Bless America.
