HTMMA Vignettes and Memories
RETREAT INTO LIQUID
I remember on eighth grade retreat, we all dared each other to do a flip off the high dive. We would all say we would right until we got onto the tip of the board. Our hearts would accelerate until all you could hear was it’s thump as it pushed blood to your face in embarrassment at your fear. You would eventually decide not to after many seconds of standing on the board contemplating death, finally shrug, decide you would do it next time, and do a pencil dive. Even a simple dive head first was a challenge. You would look strait down at the water 12 feet away, and remember diving disasters in the Olympics and facts such as that "at 20 feet away, falling into water the wrong way is like falling onto concrete". I eventually shut my eyes and jumped in an awkward sort of way, like a frog that’s been drinking and hit the water at a strange angle (maybe that doesn’t really count as a dive). None of us ever managed a flip. We would watch in silent awe and jealousy as gymnasts did a handstand on the tip, pushed off and did a back flip landing without so much as a splash into the icy water, and emerge unscathed, then do it again. It was a fun experience to share though.
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE SCHOOL
I remember the time when I was in 7th grade and was about to show off an artistic timeline project that I was sure was the best in the class. I had been working on it for a while, painting each individual piece until it looked like a pristine masterpiece. Based on the assumption that my artistic capabilities far outreached any possessed by my classmates, I counted on being the center of attention with my wonderfully painted and ornately designed scroll. Boy was I wrong. People showed up with colossal sized, inventive, artistically designed masterpieces. Mine wasn’t the worst or the best. It was in between. I was annoyed that most people had been more creative than me but was also interested. I had underestimated the students and HTMMA, a mistake I won’t make again.
I remember on eighth grade retreat, we all dared each other to do a flip off the high dive. We would all say we would right until we got onto the tip of the board. Our hearts would accelerate until all you could hear was it’s thump as it pushed blood to your face in embarrassment at your fear. You would eventually decide not to after many seconds of standing on the board contemplating death, finally shrug, decide you would do it next time, and do a pencil dive. Even a simple dive head first was a challenge. You would look strait down at the water 12 feet away, and remember diving disasters in the Olympics and facts such as that "at 20 feet away, falling into water the wrong way is like falling onto concrete". I eventually shut my eyes and jumped in an awkward sort of way, like a frog that’s been drinking and hit the water at a strange angle (maybe that doesn’t really count as a dive). None of us ever managed a flip. We would watch in silent awe and jealousy as gymnasts did a handstand on the tip, pushed off and did a back flip landing without so much as a splash into the icy water, and emerge unscathed, then do it again. It was a fun experience to share though.
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE SCHOOL
I remember the time when I was in 7th grade and was about to show off an artistic timeline project that I was sure was the best in the class. I had been working on it for a while, painting each individual piece until it looked like a pristine masterpiece. Based on the assumption that my artistic capabilities far outreached any possessed by my classmates, I counted on being the center of attention with my wonderfully painted and ornately designed scroll. Boy was I wrong. People showed up with colossal sized, inventive, artistically designed masterpieces. Mine wasn’t the worst or the best. It was in between. I was annoyed that most people had been more creative than me but was also interested. I had underestimated the students and HTMMA, a mistake I won’t make again.
