Gym Class Hero (The Parachute)

As a former elementary school gym class hero parachute day in gym class was literally the greatest day to be a budding star athlete. There was something special about those primary colored triangle shapes that put us first graders under some sort of enchanted spell. Maybe it was the rhythmic rippling of that giant nylon circle, maybe it was the way you got to have your very own handle to hold on to, making you feel like you played a vital role in making those parachute waves… either way… Finding out it wasParachute day was like waking up on Christmas Morning. 

Everyone had a favorite. Everyone had a specialized skill which directly impacted your placement on the parachute. 

•  If you could ensure that your wrist flick would properly catapult those rubber balls into outer space then you had to make sure that you were not next to someone else who had the same ability so those who couldn’t would not cause a parachute fumble during “popcorn.”
• If you were tall you had to be evenly placed around the parachute so when you completed the daring “mushroom cloud” it would have the stability to hold up high enough and long enough to get up and run across to the other side. 
•  But it was “cat and mouse” that distinguished the first grade super athletes from the band members. Pick a color., shake the hell out of that ‘chute and catch that damn mouse. If you had true skills to avoid getting captured you could bask in eternal glory until lunch (when the kid with the chocolate snack pack took over the kingdom).  

The memories of those days will last a life time. The parachute. The #1 rated gym apparatus by kids across the nation.