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Mr. Akers’ Gym Class
Survival of the fittest
Mr. Akers was our high school football coach and gym teacher. His reputation was tough, gruff, and on a good day, mean. He praised rough play and encouraged courage. The more grit you showed, the better your grade. His favorite saying was, “You guys got more guts than brains.” Coming from him, it was a compliment.
While other gym teachers had fancy ways to get students moving, including square dancing and crab soccer, Mr. Akers’ class was all sports all the time. We went from flag football to basketball to wrestling to softball (no gloves allowed).
I had a friend named Norman who was a nerd before nerds were socially acceptable. I’m talking pocket protector filled with pens, and black rimmed glasses. If you mentioned his pens, he’d proudly describe each one, telling you where it came from and what he used it for. Norman was a straight-A student and was vying to graduate first in our class. Somehow, he landed in Mr. Akers’ gym class.
Norman and I were also in a Social Studies Class together, where we jockeyed back and forth for the top score. He left me in the dust in other classes, but I could hold my own in that class.
When we got to wrestling in gym, we rolled out the mats, and we were instructed to pair up. Norman hustled over to be my partner. One person was to…
