What was your favorite piece of playground equipment?--Al

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), September 15, 2000

Answers

Oh, man, I used to play "skin the cat" on those bar thingies. I don't know what those bars are really for. There would be two sets -- a tall one and a short one. Maybe they were for vaulting? And I'd knot a sweater over the bar (so the backs of my legs wouldn't get too much friction burn), and flip over and over. Frontwards, backwards, one leg, two legs. Whee. Oh, and tetherball. I ruled at tetherball... Sigh.

-- Sunshyn (sunshyndream@aol.com), September 15, 2000.

The swings - no question about it. If they were big swings with a lot of space in front and back of me, I felt like I was flying.

ally

-- ally (ally3223@aol.com), September 15, 2000.

I played to the best of my ability on all playground equipment -- some with a measure of success anad joy, they were all fun for me. The merry-go-round, the rings, the slides and things not designed for play equipment, but nevertheless were used by us, the poles for shinnying, the cyclone fence for many different things.

But my most favorite of all was the big swings -- whether at school or in the park. In first grade I would watch the big boys enviously -- wanting to be able to pump a swing like they did, thrilling as a boy would swing far enough out to make the chains jerk, just before he would come down.

An older boy from my block took pity on me after watching me to strive to swing, and said one day, "Come on, I'll show you how to do it." His coaching helped me to understand the principle and co-ordinate my efforts. That day, by my own efforts, my feet left the ground and I swooped and soared like a bird. I swung after school until I had to report in to my caretaker.

What a joy to me it was, when on a picnic at a park, to notice Mom and Dad watching me swing -- that day, I made the chains pop for the first time. I was so happy with my new pastime and happier because of the notice of my parents and their words of praise. That day I swung, feet to the sky, until I was so tired that I could just barely walk to the car where I fell asleep on the ride home. I can just feel the self made wind on my face and it's riffling of my hair.

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), September 15, 2000.

Swings. Swings have always been my favorite.. I still have to swing everytime I happen to run across some.

-- Jen (Winter@nyc.com), September 15, 2000.

At one of my elementary schools they had a huge elaoborate set of monkey bars that we called "The Green Machine." We would flip forward, backwards, etc. and I would come home with blisters on my hands. These would be bandaged up so I could still play on them the next day....

-- AJ (joijoijoi@hotmail.com), September 16, 2000.

Tetherball was my favorite. I was REALLY good at it. Usually, I could beat any challenger, because I was so tall and gangly. I was the one the kids always picked on, made fun of. The last person chosen for any team - except tetherball. When you grow to your full height at a very early age, even your life doesn't fit right.

-- Planet Earth (imagine@industrial-ideas.com), September 17, 2000.

I'm writing a story about my life for my kids and grandkids. I'm to the time in early 50's when I was an elementary school child. I have written about the swings--the bigger the better--Standing up and pumping with all your might, then smoothly sitting down and enjoying the ride! But I'm trying to find out what another piece of equipment was called. There were chains with hand holds suspending from a pole which one grasped and ran around faster and faster until the momentum took one up to a 45 degree angle (or maybe even 90 degree if speed was attained). I cannot remember exactly what this equipment looked like, but I remember how exciting it was to finally get up to the speed to be taken up off the ground. Perhaps someone out there can remember and give me a little more description.

-- Sue Ann Floyd (FLOYDSueann@aol.com), April 20, 2002.