How times have changed….

by Wayne Wallace

 

Since my oldest grandson turned fifteen and began high school (actually, 9^th grade, today there is a distinction),  I have had the opportunity to attend high school sporting events for the first time in 36 years, give or take.  Last night I attended a basketball game.  It was Suburban town “A” versus Suburban town “B”, a very fierce rivalry.  The student sections were filled with girls who ALL tried desperately to look exactly like Britney Spears, bare midriffs and hip huggers,(ALL of them), while the boys in the section all wore stocking caps and sported wispy goatees (also, ALL of them!)  A few of the guys had their ears pierced with fruit jar lids, or something larger forced into the punched holes, bringing back images of African native tribes and their ear adornments in ancient issues of National Geographic. The girls merely had each ear pierced 30 or 40 times with dangly, dangerous looking things hanging from each and every neatly punched hole.  Those young ladies who sadly had no hope of looking even remotely like Ms. Spears, sported green or purple hair, and wore all black (again, ALL of them).  It was refreshing to see that today’s youth has soundly rejected the conformity of our era (the all purple or gold-attired pep clubs,  at least at our school) for the independence and individuality that exists today (yeah, right!).

            The game itself has not changed much, three point shots and the advent of African-American players not withstanding. The first half was a tight battle, and the score was tied at 26 when the buzzer sounded. The players ran to the locker room and the cheerleaders took the gymnasium floor.  I was glad to know that this time honored tradition had survived.  A hip-hop CD began to play so loudly that dust fell from the roofs cross beams, and the girls broke into dance.  The crowd stood and began to cheer, whistle and in general, hoop it up.  I asked my son what was so exciting?  He told me that “Megan” was beginning her routine.  He went on to say that she was better known as Megan “no panties” Malone and that her “routine” was made up of a series of handstands and somersaults.  It was the highlight of the evening and the reason the gym was so packed.  I decided I might be better able to witness this social phenom from courtside, a vantage point to which I hurried quickly.  After what, I must admit, was the most truly unique half time show I personally had EVER witnessed, I returned to my seat and the still cheering crowd..  As the crowd began to quiet down, I asked my son, a local policeman, how “Megan” was able to perform this rather unique routine without being arrested.  “We did bust her the first time she did it, and her attorney had her out in about fifteen minutes.” He told me,  “and the next morning, she filed suit against the Board of Education and the city for violating her civil rights and her right of creative individuality.  A judge ruled in her favor and now the city and the Board are struggling to pay the amount of her judgment. So”, he told me, ”the show goes on!”  I also discovered that since this unusual half time show began, all of the games had been “standing room only.” In a bold move, the school had raised admission from $3 to $25 and expected no fall off in attendance.  In fact requests for advanced ticket sales have been made and some reports of ticket scalping have been reported.  After all, the school’s budget cuts have severely threatened the very existence of extra curricular activities.  Perhaps school “A” has found a solution.  After the half time show, the teams came back onto the floor and the cheerleaders left the gym, as did 95% of the crowd.  Team “A” won the game by 3 points and the 11 people left in the gym applauded both teams for their hard fought effort.  Yes, times have sure changed