It was a big boy slide, no doubts
about it, and we became professionals one spring preparing the slide to
perfection. Philip and I would first go dig into the steel drum trash cans that
sat in between to posts and dig out some waxed cups to tear into flat pieces,
if there was enough we could just ride the cups down the slide our little buts
planted in the middle with our legs up feet pointed in the general direction of
forward and down. Over and over we could do this increasing in speed every
time, or we could go the deluxe method. We would jump the slide and began one
of us from the top the other to the bottom and we would first clean the slide,
and then start rubbing down the slide with the waxed paper cups till the whole
slide was coated then we buffed it. We took some real dry sand and tossed some
down the slide as we buffed the slide to a smooth polish with our butts. Now
let me tell you about this slide when they say they don’t make them anymore kids
like us are to blame. The slide was twenty or so steps made of steel with a
design to the top. It was about 25 ft tall as tall as or just a little taller
than the full size adjacent swings and its rails, handles crested another two
feet in the air. The pad was small and
required using the handles to sit down or later the cross beam as a swing
propelling our small frames down the chute like mini human torpedoes. The steel
chute was a sturdy sheet of stainless with one join half way down, by that time
we could be moving, and the bump was a minimum. The best wear was tight shorts
running shoes and a tea shirt the best ride came literally from the seat of
your pants. Philip, I, and a few other boys had been in on the initial idea of
juicing up the slide were practiced and seasoned for the speed and landing.
What was good at it? Well at the age of eight I weighed 60lbs so with a good
swing and keeping knees and elbows tucked I could fly down the slide at speeds
equaling a full sprint the first few steps were in the sand box but your third
or fourth “better” clear the sand box boarder, then full speed towards the
field with arms and legs flailing in an attempt to stop from speeds that were
faster than physically possible for the child in the thrills of his ride. We could
go so fast only one foot was needed inside the sand box the chute having
propelled us 6-8 feet, bounce one and run like a squirrel that has had the
misfortune off falling out of a tree. We weren’t falling that far but in our
defense squirrels are better equipped than we were.
“No matter what you must avoid the
rail and run full speed when you land.” We would call up to some over zealous
kid who wanted to ride full speed just like us, and never fail one out of two
of these daring fellows got hurt, wiped out, hit the sand rail, or just face
plant into the sand. That kid didn’t get up right away and was dazed for a
little and had to sit on the side rail and watch until he was okay. Sort of he
had snot, sand and, and blood smeared around his nose but he had a big smile on
his face for being so brave to try what we “The expert kids” were doing. He was
maybe 6 ½. Mike and Brian showed up and
being my constant bullies were sure they could ride the slide. Brian went first
he had more of that crazy white boy in him than Mike. He launched himself with
a rebel whoop and zoom he was flying like a turtle twisting and turning on his
back somehow keeping his feet underneath him his wild long jet black hair a
blur tossing about his head in contrast to his alabaster white skin some how
got his chucks underneath him and took off when he hit the sand box. He made it
slowing down in the grass. Mike had to do it if Brian did it. Mike was bigger
all over not fat just little chunky and big framed and not at all wiry like Brian.
So his decent was met with a slower accent and take off from the top. I would
like to pause for a second as to tell you about this slide it was fast, finely
polished, slippery and just down right dangerous for the inexperienced and
people of any weight over a hundred pounds. We didn’t know that we were just
kids. We had no idea about gravity and incline planes, physicists and such.
What we saw was a sudden increase in speed in the fast zone Mike was out of
control early on, he attempted to right himself but the gravity thing nailed
him down to the slide like some one put a weight on him, the edges of the slide
were 5 inches high to keep the rider safe. Mikes feet were dancing in the air
when he left the end of the slide and he was horizontal to the ground going
sideways towards the corner boards which were harder to miss. He didn’t. He had
managed to right himself somewhat when flying in the air but that first foot down
tells the story. Mike went down hard, slam belly and chest first with his hands
out, slide for a second, and rolled once hard sort of like a flip and a final
flop. Dirt, gravel, grass stains, and
skinned hands, elbows, cheek, and bump to the head. He had to sit down a while.
I saw the big kids totally bit and then they took it for the day sort of. Those
boys who I pointed to were “cool” and could get in line with the big kids. I
remember mothers running to the side of there overly brave 10 year old, our age
who had found part of the railing with his foot then the ground with his nose.
She was yelling things like “Why do you have to have it so fast?” “You boys are
being dangerous” “Look at him.” She shrieked, and marched him off to the car.
He was crying. I think he broke his nose.
Parents in the park started watching the slide putting restrictions on
which kids could ride it. Philip and I were the fastest of the middle sized
kids 55-75 lbs. We could zoom down that sucker like it was nothing, and that
what this “old man” (average adult) though when he wandered into the park. He
sorted of jumped off the side half way down, straight chickened out on the
speed. He left the park beaten by professional sliders, the veterans of wax and
speed with a noticeable limp and dazed countenance. Of course the other boys
are often watching and a mid “Ooohs’ and “Ahhhs during a spectacular wreck.
This guy did something we never saw and tried to get off mid slide and bit it
hard. A “tong” could be herd as part of him hard hit one of the steel poles
holding up the mid portion of the slide.
I would get all the kids into it. My gyrations, animated activity, and
excitement would be contagious and boys would be scrambling for wax paper cups
in the two garbage cans next to the picnic tables, feet up in the air, trash
flying, and the scramble to create the fast ride. We got in trouble when the
recreation staff showed at summer. They were adults and wore shirts with Staff
on one side and Takoma Park Recreation. At first they were amazed by the local
kids of the park who gathered together to achieve a common goal. We worked the
slide to perfection. Kids were flying in the air everywhere and a line had
formed at the base of the slide. All the kids wanted to try it, and they did.
Zoom, Zoom kids are coming down so fast the other kids at the bottom who had
done a but-slide in the sand or mini wrecked could not get out of the way fast
enough. What we had never for seen had happened, a pile up of small legs and
arms with little wails and umps for a pile up, is a pile up, and in the 70’s we
appreciated that and took full advantage. Kids were stacked and twisted into a
laughing from the top, screaming from the bottom pile which had to be carefully
undone for these stacks could get 10 to as much as 20 little kid bodies
intertwined in a mass of elbows, knees, and heads popping forth. The staff
intervened and began applying rules. A staff member posted himself at the
bottom and regulated turns on the slide. Still the slide was fast for some too
fast. It was a little fellow who changed the slide rules. He took off like a
pro from the top with a powerful swing, and he positioned his but in the
perfect position to maintain the least friction as he hurtled down the slide,
but instead of sliding off the end he put his foot down right on the end of the
slide, friction. He went off the end of the slide with a side ways spinning cartwheel
which surely was not planned, his body stiff in its flight awaiting the dreaded
landing. Every kid knows what this is like. The stunning impact that knocks
your wind out, leaves the whole world shaking, and is often accompanied by big
head to foot howl, ending up in an ear curdling scream. Yeah that’s it. This little kid
hit hard, and we knew he was hurt. His spinning sideways allowed his head to
find its way to down to smack his head on the border of the sandbox with was a
sturdy 2” x 12” board of hard wood. The thud could be herd from fifty feet away
the scream following it could be herd first stunning the park with sound then
echoing around the trees sending every available adult into motion full speed
to the emendator of such a horrid noise. It is the sound every parent knows,
the sound of a child being seriously injured. They didn’t let us speed the
slide up anymore, at least when they could. Philip and I would still speed it
up at night or on dry week ends, but for the park staff the ride was over.
Still the idea spread. Kids in different parks were getting the idea from the
kids shipped in to Jacquie
Park University Blvd.
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