If you can dodge a wrench.....
Believe it or not, in Junior High I was an extremely shy, awkward, nerdy-looking kid. In Junior High there were few things to look forward to. It definitely wasn’t math class or science with Mr. Beasley. He seemed to enjoy tormenting me by only calling on me for the 1 or 2 questions I didn’t know the answer to. Thanks for making me look even dorkier, Mr. B.
There were a few things I did look forward to—like lunch or sitting next to the gorgeous Tracy S. in Social Studies (do they even have Social Studies now?). No, she didn’t know I liked her. That would require talking to her. I was too chicken. However, something I was not chicken about was Dodge Ball day in gym class. My favorite day. Dodge Ball Day. Some people called it Bombardment. Either name you like, it was one of the few things I was good at during that awkward age. You didn’t have to run fast or be super strong. You just had to be nimble, throw accurately, and catch. Three things I was good at. I could dodge, weave, and pick off even the best players with accuracy. I could even catch to get people out—except Tim Alex.
Even though Tim was only one grade above me, he was 6’3” and 185lbs in 9th grade with a bazooka for an arm. No matter how well you dodged, weaved, or caught, when Tim threw the ball it wasn’t going to end well.
Many dodgeball days ended like the time I caught one of Tim’s fastballs with my face. I threw a ball up as a shield, but his throw blasted it straight into my nose. My eyes watered, my face stayed red until 6th hour, and I saw stars the rest of the day. No broken nose – just plenty of pain and a reminder that against Tim, you didn’t really “win.”
Lawn care is a lot like playing Dodge Ball with Tim Alex. No matter how good you are, something is always going to bombard you and make your eyes water. Every spring the lawns start out great—green, thick, and beautiful. Then Tim Alex…uh, Summer hits us in the nose. We end up dodging weeks of hot days, zero rain, grubs, fungus issues, and our newest menace – Armyworms. We follow the 5 D’s of Dodge Ball – Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive & Dodge -but we still get blasted in the face by a 90 mph dodge ball every summer. Luckily, Tim Alex moves on to High School and summer gives way to fall. The fall weather gives us a reprieve, the bombardment stops, and just like my face—the lawns recover!
Cary Carlson, Owner & 2nd Place 8th grade Dodge Ball Champ
ClassicLawns
