11th April, 2009 - Ten Random Thoughts About Primary School #9

There was a big slide in the playground at the back of the school. Not a chute. But an icy slide the kids made in winter. The thing about the slide was that, clearly some kids were better than others at sliding.

I, for example, was not a good slider. I would run at the slide tentatively, and then set off rather gracelessly down the icy surface, turning slowly through 180 degrees, before falling clumsily to the ground. But other kids – well – the knew how to slide baby. They would run pell mell at the thing – like Carl Lewis in his pomp tearing towards the plasticine strip in the long jump – and then, they would hurtle like bullets along the slide. Whhhoooooosh. I swear they would travel a quarter of a mile – maybe more on really cold days.
These kids were friction free. I swear it.