I attended parochial schools most of my life and when I graduated from St Regis in the 8th grade my father recommended Rockhurst High School for the next step. Attending Catholic schools it was held in high regard as one of the best options in the city. My father loved them for their unparalleled success in sports, most notably football. He set me up for the entrance exam which was grueling and thorough. At the time I was told less than 10% of applicants were asked back. Looking back that is most likely a marketing angle to help increase the perception of exclusivity. None the less I received high marks and my fate was set.
Having played football throughout middle school I was excited to sign up and soon found myself sweating through two a day practices. Although there were 3+ hours between them my family found it too challenging to pick me up. As such I would kill the time between practice at the Ward Parkway mall to the North. I quickly made a name for myself as an effective long snapper which allowed me to sit in with varsity games where I would be called up for those rare occasions where punting was necessary.
In my tenure with the team we took 1st place in our conference 2 years and were finalist another. My sophomore year we went undefeated. Today was the first HS football game of the year and my alma mater was playing my children's school RayPec. Having not physically been on campus in nearly 2 decades I decided to stop by and pickup some swag to show my support. (None of my kids play football so I don't feel bad rooting against their team just this one time.)
The store is only open very limited hours including a half hour just after school lets out. Immediately upon entering I was reminded that a year after I left reconstruction began on the building and it was wildly different than I remembered. I purchased a couple of shirts, shorts, a magnet for my van and a mask then wondered around the ample facilities. The halls were lined with awards and I encountered only a few students milling about. I made my way to the office to make my presence known but found it unguarded and after about 30 minutes the only staff member I saw complemented me on my Zambezi Zinger shirt and made no inquiry as to my presence.
8/27/2021
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