{"id":2218,"date":"2019-01-19T15:06:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-19T20:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=2218"},"modified":"2019-01-19T15:08:29","modified_gmt":"2019-01-19T20:08:29","slug":"high-park-jan-17-2019-part-of-our-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=2218","title":{"rendered":"High Park … Jan. 17, 2019 PART OF OUR LIVES"},"content":{"rendered":"
HIGH PARK\u2026PART OF  OUR LIVES<\/p>\n
(Thanks to Carl Kirk and the Roncesvales 50\u2019, 60\u2019s 70\u2019s Crowd, Jan.  17, 2019)<\/div>\n
also Thanks to the Parkdale \/ High Park Rotary Club for Memory boards)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n

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Below are a whole  series of memories centred around High  Park.   If  you decide to read  them<\/div>\n
I hope you will see them as a kind of series of diary entries.  For those of you familiar with West<\/div>\n
Toronto, I am sure you have your own memories.  The memories serve to show just how<\/div>\n
important public parks are in the lives of citizens young and  old.<\/div>\n

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THOSE PIGS ARE  GOING TO GET US\u2026RUN!<\/div>\n

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\u201cRun. Alan, run like  a son of a bitch\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI am dad\u2026I am. What about Eric?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI got him\u2026you keep  running before these goddamn pigs get us.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRunning, dad\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy the hell didn\u2019t they tend  the goddamn fences\u2026how did<\/div>\n
the pigs get loose?  Get back you little bastards, back\u2026back\u2026Back\u2026or <\/div>\n
I\u2019ll kick your goddamn heads  from  here to kingdom come.\u201d<\/div>\n

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And so we ran.  Dad, carrying Eric.  Dad stopped a couple <\/div>\n
of  tames to kick at the lead pig and,  of course,  to swear.  When dad swore<\/div>\n
there was  a  kind  of poetry to it\u2026.musical.  I remember that so well.  Picked<\/div>\n
up some of the words myself.<\/div>\n

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That happened in  1945 at the High Park Zoo in Toronto.  Likely the war years<\/div>\n
had made maintenance difficult.  Pigs are good diggers.  Used in France to<\/div>\n
find those cherished mushrooms\u2026dig, grub around with their snouts.  Now these<\/div>\n
were  peccaries\u2026sort of  small wild  pigs with tusks.  And  I am not sure they<\/div>\n
were chasing us as  much  as  trying to escape the confines of the zoo.<\/div>\n

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John Howard\u2019s cannon is still in place facing south theoretically as a part of the defence  of Canada in case of an American invasion.<\/div>\n
Eric and  I crawled over it while mom took this picture.  Dad  joined  us in the second shot.  Perhaps taken around  1945.  Might even be <\/div>\n
the same day the pigs attacked us  but I doubt that since Mom was not along that pig attack day.<\/div>\n

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That was  over 70  years ago but seems like yesterday.<\/div>\n

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Today, January 17, 2019, Marjorie took me to the High Park pavilion for soup and  <\/div>\n
coffee and  the good fellowship of the Roncesvales 50\u2019S, 60\u2019S, 70\u2019S Crowd\u2026a group of  retired<\/div>\n
people wedded to Roncesvales Avenue on east side of High Park.<\/div>\n

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Pictures on the restaurant wall brought back  a lot of  memories.<\/div>\n

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This is all that\u2019s left of the Peccary (wild pig) enclosure.  The animals in the High Park Zoo in 1945<\/div>\n
are long gone.   There once were a pair of Long horned cattle, perhaps descendents of the cattle owned by John Howard<\/div>\n
\u2026and other animals\u2026camels for instance.  Today there are Yaks, Buffaloes, Reindeer, peacocks and  those famous little<\/div>\n
capybaras.  Not as many animals but enough to make the High Park Zoo unusual.<\/div>\n

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Likely the most currently famous animals at the High Park Zoo are these capybaras, two of whom escaped  last year and  spent several  months<\/div>\n
living among the Raccoons, Skunks and coyotes in absolute freedom within the boundaries of High Park.    They were eventually captured  and<\/div>\n
seem  to spend the winters in more luxurious  quarters somewhere.<\/div>\n

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GOT MY FIRST RIDE IN A SQUAD CAR AT MINNIE\u2019S SWIMMING POOLS\u2026ARRESTED (sort of arrested that is)<\/div>\n

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\u201cHey Marjorie, here are a bunch of pictures of Minnies\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMinnie\u2019s?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe Mineral Baths\u2026swimming pools on north side of High Park\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDid you swim there?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLots of times, that\u2019s where I got my first ride in a police squad car.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2018Arrested?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSort of.  I suggested to Eric that the keys  to the lockers were all<\/div>\n
the same keys.  Then tried to test my key in the locker next to me.<\/div>\n
One of the lifeguards  saw me and called the police.  What could<\/div>\n
i say?  Who would believe me?  So  the cop  came and gave me<\/div>\n
a heavy lecture then said he would take me home in his cruiser.<\/div>\n
I did  not want that but had no choice.  As  we got close to our house<\/div>\n
I noticed Grandma sitting on the verandah\u2026.<\/div>\n
\u201cOfficer could you not drop me here, my Grandmother would be <\/div>\n
shocked.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did  the policeman do?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDrove around the corner, let me out and said: \u2018Son, don\u2019t do that ever again.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLucky.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ever say the police have no hearts.”<\/div>\n

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THE HIGH PARK TOBOGGAN RUN <\/div>\n

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\u201cSee that little kid down there with his sled.  He\u2019s standing on  the old toboggan  run\u2026zip right down to Grenadier pond at lightning speed\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIs that where your dad got smashed up\u2026broken rib cage?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyep\u2026right where that little kid is standing.  Eric  and  I got new steel runner sleigh for Christmas in 1944.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cOK, boys, Let me test the sleigh first.  You wait for me at the top of the hill.\u201d<\/div>\n
Eric and  I  waited  and waited but dad never  returned\u2026half an hour later we slid<\/div>\n
our way down the hill and  found  him in the centre of  a crowd  wrapped around  the<\/div>\n
trunk of a tree with his ribs broken.  His ribs did  not bother us as  much as the total<\/div>\n
demolition of the brand  new sleigh.”<\/div>\n

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\u201cMarjorie, look at the warning here at the top of the hill\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAlmost as  if they park rangers remembered your dad smashed ribs.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cand  the broken sleigh\u2026it was brand  new\u2026painted\u2026.slick metal runners\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThink about your dad\u2019s broken ribs.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat too\u2026”<\/div>\n

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THE RONCESVALES 50\u2019s, 60\u2019s, 70\u2019s CROWD<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlan, this Roncesvales bunch sound really interesting.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho are they?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cA diverse collection of individuals  who cherish Roncesvales Avenue and High Park\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot a  sports team or a religious organization or High school alumni or doctors or  lawyers?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot at all\u2026just a bunch of people with cherished memories of High Park.\u201d<\/div>\n

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Above left is Carl Kirk, the proud  organizer of the group.  He is a Western Tech grad.  As organizer he named the group \u2018The Roncesvales  50;s, 60\u2019s, and 70\u2019s Group\u2019<\/div>\n
And when they meet Carl goes table to table with his wife making sure that each member is made to feel welcome in the High Park Pavillion.  <\/div>\n

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You might be amused  by the article being read  by a member on the left.  She is not admiring the Sunshine girl but looking with interest or scepticism at<\/div>\n
an article found in the home of Marilyn and Gerry Holmes.   The article startled me.  See below.<\/div>\n

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Marjorie in the red sweater making everyone have a good time sharing outlandish memories<\/div>\n

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This is  Lucy Petriv on the left\u2026one of my first students as a history teacher at Parkdale Collegiate Institute. <\/div>\n
Funny thing about teaching is that students never seem to age.  I remember Lucy as a keen student, a bit <\/div>\n
shy, when she first came to Parkdale.  And I think she was in the Grace 9 or 10 class on the day  <\/div>\n
President John Kennedy  was  shot.  That was the kind  of  event impossible to wipe from my memory.<\/div>\n
I remember the class, the place \u2014 a portable Classroom on west side of  Close Avenue with classroom <\/div>\n
door opening close to a  towering elm tree.  The class expected me to do  something but I was  just<\/div>\n
as  numbed  by the assassination as they were.<\/div>\n

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Marilyn and Gerry Holmes found this  old newspaper clipping  in  their attic.  Gerry is President of the Parkdale Collegiate Alumni Association.   Both are members<\/div>\n
of the Roncesvales  50\u2019s, 60\u2019s  sand 70\u2019s Group.  They were both part of my support group when at war with Hydro One.  Not sure why the Holmes kept the clipping<\/div>\n
perhaps  because of the Sunshine Girl on the  back side.  Most likely, however, was because they supported me in my fight with Hydro One.  I  got a  lot of <\/div>\n
support from Parkdale people, particularly ex student Glen Coady who knew how to fight the big guys.<\/div>\n

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THE HYDRO ONE STORY:  A CASE OF DAVID  AND GOLIATH<\/div>\n

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About a decade ago I got into a scrap  with Hydro One over money.   The company took $12,000 out of  my bank account with CIBC \u2014 got it after two or three attempts.<\/div>\n
I don\u2019t know why my bank did  not inform me and  allowed HyrdrO One to take the money but the bank did.  One day  my bank balance was good \u2014 the next day<\/div>\n
it was empty.  I thought it was a  bank  error.  \u201cNo, sir, Hydro One took the money as  a  payment.\u201d  Why $12,000?   Hydroi One claimed I owed  them that money<\/div>\n
for the use of electricity on our family farm.   I had  paid every bill \u2014 automatically withdrawn from my account.  Naturally I  was incensed and  wanted  my money back.<\/div>\n
Hydro One refused  arguing the meter reading which they had not read for years and years entitled them to the money.   After neglect for years they finally did  a reading.  <\/div>\n
That was their argument.  I was  made to<\/div>\n
appear like some kind of  crook,  I had  all my back bills.  They had no documents arguing it \u201cwould  cost to much money to get records from the Iron Mountain\u2019 whatever<\/div>\n
that meant.  The fight went on for weeks and became a  public relations embarrassment to Hydro One.  I wanted my money  back.  Felt I had been  robbed.<\/div>\n
To quell the uproar an executive from Hydro One eventually called  me.<\/div>\n
\u201cHow  do  I know who you are?  I am going to check  you out and call you back\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHello, checked you out.  You are a vice president with Hydro One and  probably want a meeting.<\/div>\n
Well I  am not coming down  to your goddamned lawyer infested  office with its  credenza, marble fittings and mahogany desk… with private secretary.   If we are going to meet, we\u2019ll do so<\/div>\n
on my terms just like Gary Cooper did in the film High Noon.  Meet you  at Loblaws coffee shop down near the Ferry Docks.  Alone.  Do  not bring lawyers.\u201d<\/div>\n
And  so  we met and an arrangement was made.  A verbal arrangement.  No lawyers. A hand  shake.  I did not win completely but did  get my $12,000 back<\/div>\n
which was  needed for a planned trip to see our son and family in England.   I agreed that the meter reading at the farm must be correct.  Hydro One agreed<\/div>\n
that they were guilty of not reading the meter for years and just making up electric charges which I had  paid  regularly.\u201d<\/div>\n
That\u2019s a  long story.  Fighting big corporations is not easy.  Winning is  almost impossible.  We made a  kind of 50\/50 deal regarding back payments.<\/div>\n
One thing I do remember clearly.  That executive was earning $650,000 that year.  Public information.  I  was receiving my teachers pension of around <\/div>\n
$3,000 a  month.  A  case of David and Goliath.  Exhausting but the public support for my  case was  exhilarating.  Mostly so.  There are still some people<\/div>\n
who say \u201cAlan, you didn\u2019t pay your bills I  notice in the newspaper.’<\/div>\n

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Eventually the pile of  documents in this fight measured  3\u201d thick.  Not easy.  Thankfully my dad\u2019s<\/div>\n
schooling in the use  of swear  words were particularly useful.<\/div>\n

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SOME S.O.B. STOLE MY NEW BOOTS<\/div>\n

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In the 1920\u2019s there was a  cheap  hotel at the corner  of Roncesvales and Queen Street.<\/div>\n
Dad told Eric snd  I a wonderful story that ended  with him flopping one of the hotel rooms.<\/div>\n
\u201cI was coming back  to Ontario from a Harvest Excursion in Saskatchewan.  The whole<\/div>\n
goddamn summer I had been pitching sheaves onto hay  wagons or into the mouths<\/div>\n
of  threshing machines.  Loved the work really.  Stayed in a flop house \u2014 maybe a whore house as well \u2014<\/div>\n
in Moosejaw at times.  Late in fall when  weather turned  cold and  snow was sweeping the prairies I<\/div>\n
decided to come home on the train.  Played  a bit of  poker.  Train was full of gjuys like me.<\/div>\n
Eventually I fell asleep in my seat.  Took off  my boots. When I woke  up my boots were gone. New  boots<\/div>\n
bought from Harvest money.  We pulled into the Parkdale Staton and  I was barefoot.<\/div>\n
I had to run through the snow and  slush all the way  to Roncesvales where I booked in<\/div>\n
for the night.  Bitch  of a  run.”<\/div>\n

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DRIFTER SET IT ON FIRE\u2026MAYBE BECAUSE HE WAS HUNGRY<\/div>\n

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Sunnyside railway staton in 1920\u2019s with a steam train passing through.  The staton<\/div>\n
was at the foot of  Roncesvales Avenue.  Classy brick station that overlooked the old<\/div>\n
Sunnyside Amusement Park which had a  special walkway over the train tracks.  <\/div>\n
After the station was demolished the site seemed  barren.  it needed another station<\/div>\n
and Gary Duncan along with Librarian Rita \u2014\u2014 of the Parkdale Library came up with the<\/div>\n
bright idea moving the old Parkdale Railway Station to this site.  They raised a  pile<\/div>\n
of money and got a  moving  company with hydraulic  jacks to lift the Parkdale wooden<\/div>\n
station then move it along King Street on quiet Sunday  morning.  Quite an event as<\/div>\n
many  electricity lines  had to be lifted and  the Street closed.  But the job was a success<\/div>\n
and for a short time the Parkdale Station sat where the Sunnyside Station once sat.<\/div>\n
Short time?  yes, very short.  Someone set the station on fire one Saturday or Sunday evening.<\/div>\n
Apparently a drifter had gained access  through a boarded up window and he  was<\/div>\n
roasting a dog in the old station.  The roasting fire got out of hand and in no time the<\/div>\n
whole staton was ablaze.  Was that true?  Not sure.  The dog roasting story passed through<\/div>\n
a  number of hands before it got to me.<\/div>\n

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OBSOLETE 19TH CENTRY SCHOONERS BURNED FOR ENTERTAINMENT<\/div>\n

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 Sunnyside beach between Roncesvales and  the Humber River was a great attraction during the early 20rh century.  A massive cement breaakwall  had been<\/div>\n
built creating a  kind of long lagoon that still exists.  Today swimmers are serviced  by Sunnyside Swimming Pool with its art deco  pavilion but in the<\/div>\n
early years the beach itself  was  one of the best swimming places  in  Toronto.  Note the old schooner anchored  off the beach.  Lake Ontario had a lot<\/div>\n
of obsolete schooners around  1900 and  even in the 1930\u2019s.  Some were used as stonehookers to lever up slabs of sedimentary rock  to use as foundations<\/div>\n
for the fancy buildings being constructed in the city.  The slabs of stone bashed up the schooners rather badly.  Eventually they were barely capable of floating.<\/div>\n
Some were hauled down  to Sunnyside Beach  to be used a summer spectacles.  The wrecks were filled with straw laced with kerosene then healed  out through<\/div>\n
the break walls to deep  water and set alight.   They burned so bright that they obscured the summer moon.  Entertainment for Torontonians on summer evenings.  I wonder  if the hulls  of these  wrecks<\/div>\n
can still be seen by divers swimming out from Sunnyside beach.   Mom and dad were there I think\u2026watcher as  history burned.<\/div>\n

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HIGH PARK CURLING CLUB \u2014 CURLING IN A  STORM ON GRENADIER POND<\/div>\n

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\u201cHey  Marjorie, here is whole collage of  pictures of the High Park Curling club.  Cost $10,500 for three lots of land  when South Roncesvales was being  developed.<\/div>\n
The High Park ruling club  remains one the iconic curling  clubs in Canada.   A   stunning place.   <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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CURLING ON  GRENADIER POND:  RUSSIAN ARMY FIELD CAP AND BUFFALO COAT<\/div>\n

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\u201cRemember when we celebrated  the High Park Curling Club centennial by clearing some of the ice on Grenadier pond and  had  curling<\/div>\n
teams  from across Ontario try to curl there.  I  say \u2018try\u2019 because it was  almost impossible\u2026snow, cracks in the ice,  ridges,  footprints, alcohol, buffalo coats<\/div>\n
\u2026all got in the way.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat hat are you wearing?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s  a Russian Army field  hat that Kevin gave me when he was teaching in Slovakia\u2026complete with hammer and cycle.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd the coat?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAn ancien buffalo coat we bought at a  farm sale\u2026made in the 1880\u2019s when the great herds of buffalo were being systematically<\/div>\n
slaughtered across western Canada.  Buffalo skin coats were cheap.  Most farmer had  one.  And  a  few have survived which also<\/div>\n
applies to the buffalo.\u201d<\/div>\n

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I  think Al White should get credit for the success of this daredevil adventure.  And  lots  of others. This picture gives a good indicatIon of what conditions on the ice were really like.  A snowstorm developed<\/div>\n
making throwing stones extremely difficult.  We had  a solution.  Mike  Dent, second from left in the  group picture was stretched across the snow covered ice and  then pulled down<\/div>\n
the length of the sheet.  He became a kind  of Human  Zamboni.   The organizer of our team was  Brad Schneller, pictured on the right.  The skip was  a famous curler,  from Hamilton, who<\/div>\n
I seem to remember brought a hollow handled curling broom filled with a good  shot of scotch.   Never got a taste so  that could be just my imagination at work.<\/div>\n

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SNAILS AS BIG AS OUR FISTS<\/div>\n

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Grenadier Pond in late  fall.   Lots of memories here as well.  Around 1948 or 1949, Eric  and  I  discovered the rather neglected swamps and duck ponds on the eastern  side<\/div>\n
of High Park contained  some very interesting  life forms.  Huge Japanese snails\u2026some almost a big as our fists.    We decided  to catch a few and did so.   I seem  to think<\/div>\n
we sold them for 25 cents each to a local pet story in what is now Bloor West Village.  I feel  guilty about that.<\/div>\n

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DEEP WATER  SEARCH FOR CANNONS BENEATH GRENADIER POND<\/div>\n

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Much  later in life our family had a well orchestrated Grenadier Pond  adventure.   At the time I was creating documentary radio programs  for CBC Radio Noon with host<\/div>\n
Christopher Thomas and producer Mike Smee. <\/div>\n

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 \u201cLet\u2019s  do  a  program  on the legend of Grenadier Pond, Christopher.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLegend?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAccording to the legend a number of British  Grenadiers fled westward when the American invaded Fort Your in the War of 1812.  Winter time so the pond<\/div>\n
was frozen but not thick enough to hold the British  cannons\u2026the ice broke and down they  went cannons  and  soldiers.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you think the legend is based  on fact, Alan?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, but it makes a  good  story and  would make a great radio program.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll clear the idea with the powers that be here at CBC and arrange for a rowboat.  We can  do<\/div>\n
the program  from the centre of Grenadier pond.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s make it really dramatic.   I can get our sons, Kevin and Andrew, as divers.  Kevin with snorkel and mask\u2026Andrew<\/div>\n
with a proper diving  suit and air tank.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cOK, Boys, we are a search crew\u2026sort of amateur archaeologists.\u201d<\/div>\n
“Looking for?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRumour has it that a bunch of soldiers drowned  here \u2026 went down  with their cannons when the ice split a hundred years ago.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSkeletons below,  Dad?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI doubt it but maybe we can find the snout of an old cannon or a rifle or a buckle.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cKevin, your job is to find the best spot to dive\u2026and Andrew you go down and see if you can find a cannon.\u201d<\/div>\n

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It was quite a good radio program I thought.   Thought that until Andrew surfaced after a  long time beneath our row boat.<\/div>\n

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\u201cFind  anything, Andrew?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot a thing Dad, I shoved my whole arm deep in the mud\u2026right up  to my shoulder\u2026felt nothing but old twigs and guck.\u201d<\/div>\n

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Obviously the radio program was sort of silly\u2026fun but silly.  When Andrew spoke I got a chill and realized it was also dangerous.<\/div>\n
What if he got his hand stuck?<\/div>\n

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So much for time travelling.  The memories flowed  through my head on January 17 as we enjoyed the fellowship of new friends and one ex student.<\/div>\n
The time between 1945 and 2018 may seem  long to some readers.  But to me it was only yesterday.  Credit for triggering these thoughts must go<\/div>\n
to the  High  Park \/ Parkdale Rotary Club whose photo collages decorate the walls of the High Park Pavillion dining room.  I belonged to that club for<\/div>\n
several  years and was impressed  by the public spirit of these men and women.  A small club that has had a deep and  glorious effect on the <\/div>\n
High Park community.  And of course credit to Marjorie and  Carl, Lucy, Marlyn, Gerry\u2026so many others.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A  lifetime in High Park\u2026today on the left\u2026yesterday  on the right. \u201cHe\u2019s not heavy, he\u2019s my brother”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
January  17, 2019<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
BATTLE ON HIGH PARK FOOTBALL FIELD<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
One other High Park story comes to mind.  A little bizarre.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
High Park has a large area cleared for sports\u2026a baseball field and a football field\u2026even tennis courts.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
About 1965 or 1970, Sam Markou and I were coaching  the Junior Football team at Parkdale Collegiate and we<\/div>\n
arranged an exhibition game against an east Toronto football  team.   Our site was the football field at the north<\/div>\n
end  of High Park.  Everything seemed to be going well in the first half of the fame  except our quarterback John<\/div>\n
Wolowiec got hid hard a couple of times.  Hitting each other is just a natural part of the game of football.  That;s<\/div>\n
why we had all that gear\u2026helmet, shoulder pads, knee pads, padded pants and  jock  straps.   What Sam and I did<\/div>\n
not know  was that John Wolowiec\u2019s  mother did not know about John playing  football. Apparently he had a slight<\/div>\n
brain concussion in some other sport years earlier.   Some  of the boys were aware of that fact. Sam and  I were<\/div>\n
totally unaware as  John never said  a  word to us.  To get the guys  up for the game we gave them a pep talk<\/div>\n
that involved  real macho lingo.  \u201cWant you to go out there and hit them hard, boys.   Show them that Parkdale <\/div>\n
boys have guts.  No cry baby stuff\u2026etc. etc.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The game deteriorated after John got knocked down a  couple of times.  Our boys were really playing rough\u2026hitting hard <\/div>\n
on the line\u2026bursting through to get the other quarter back\u2026tackling as if in physical combat.  Seemed like <\/div>\n
good football to Sam and I.   Told the boys that at the half  time.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Then the other teams bus pulled up and the whole opposition team  began to board the bus.  The game was  only<\/div>\n
half over. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Sam asked the other coach.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t play teams like yours\u2026we play teams with moral principles.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
As  they loaded our boys formed a kind of gauntlet.  Very embarrassing.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happened boys”<\/div>\n
\u201cThey hit Wolowiec too much\u2026just getting even.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Later Sam and  I were given hell by John\u2019s mother who blamed us for recruiting him.<\/div>\n
John was a great quarterback.  Too bad about he concussion.  We never knew.<\/div>\n
Maybe we  were not the best football coaches the  world had ever seen.   High Park memories\u2026lots  of them\u2026<\/div>\n
this football experience was not one of  our best memories.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
january 17, 2019<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HIGH PARK\u2026PART OF  OUR LIVES (Thanks to Carl Kirk and the Roncesvales 50\u2019, 60\u2019s 70\u2019s Crowd, Jan.  17, 2019) also Thanks to the Parkdale \/ High Park Rotary Club for Memory boards) alan skeoch Below are a whole  series of memories centred around High  Park.   If  you decide to read  them I hope you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}