8th Grade

Some of what I remember about my 8th Grade year.

I was very uncomfortable taking showers due to my "late bloom" and some how was also a part of the "de-pantsing" (both victim and victimizing) and also grabbed the backside of a girl only to be severely embarrassed that if you get aggressive enough with your butt grab you end up grabbing more than just butt.

Kids were starting fires in the plastic garbage cans that were inside the pebble stone concrete shell that held the garbage can in various places on campus outside of the buildings.  I am proud to say that although I am known for being a piro I never did start a fire but my worst moment in 8th grade was when I thought I was doing something good and when asked by my old soccer coach and at the time Head Janitor for the school Ramon, who was starting the fire he asked me, I turned them in because they were the type of guys that I didn't really like anyways because they were the supposed "cool guys" that I thought were jack-asses.  It turns out that those that I turned in started turning each other in for a lesser punishment and Gabe Power, who was definitely cool but not an ass, ended up being one of the names reported and he was kicked off the Wrestling team because of it.  Yeah, he still brings that up every now and again. :) 

I also had my run in with learning how to get the soda machine to give away free sodas that year and remember getting detention for having someone boost me up to the windows that looked into the girls locker room.  I couldn't see anything because it's the kind of glass that you can't see through and we knew that. Our purpose was to have the girls see the shape of a head at the window and freak them out.  Well we were successful as Katie Holland saw my head and threw her softball glove at the window and shattered it, upon which I got detention as did she which was awesome. We also ditched wrestling practice and put wigs on and dresses and tons of makeup and went to girls basketball try-outs.  That was funny but we got in trouble for that.  Not to mention my Wrestling coach was also my Math teacher and a stickler for behavior reports and suspended me from wrestling against Gilbert Jr. High for a minor infraction not to mention kicking me off the team for not being able to decide whether I was going to go to State or go with the team to Regionals since for some dumb reason that year they were scheduled the same day.  After being kicked off the team I would walk/run to Gilbert High Old Gym and practice with the little big guys.  That was when I learned my father aspired to be a private eye as he taped every conversation he had with the assistant principle and my coach regarding the matter. I know he had fun with them.

It was the first year I held hands with a girl for real.  That relationship lasted I believe 3 days before I got a note that said "I don't want to go out anymore"...her name was Devery Day...that Bi*@#! Laugh....just kidding.  Although others considered me popular (received 5 awards that year in the year book - Funniest, Class Clown etc. etc.) I did not hang out with the popular crowd because I did not feel cool.  Instead I played wall ball in morning before school started and during lunch rather than hang out in the main area where all the other kids were...we did pull a crowd of kids closer to the end of the year.  The game involved throwing the racquet ball at the backside of the person that messed up...when you got a good hit on them it hurt bad.

Yep - 8th grade was awesome.