Ever look back on your own personal high school experience and compare it to that of contemporary high school students? Personally, I try to look back on those days as seldom as possible. My response when queried about attending my own 10 year high school reunion was “uhh…don’t you think the scars are still a little fresh?”
But seriously, it’s a whole new ball game out there. While we lonely gen Y kids were excited by ICQ and dial up modems, while we were stoked on Degrassi Jr. High and the Smashing Pumpkins, students today contend with Facebook and auto-tune. Modern students take pictures of each other doing stupid things and post them online for the world to see…we had dirty notes and spit balls. I digress. What I’m getting at here is that the world has expanded to include many opportunities. Not least of which is competitive high school sailing. What the WHAT? You mean we don’t all have to try out for basketball or get snubbed by the AAA girls (insert field sport) team? That’s right. Local kids, kids who might not otherwise have the slightest inclination to go out and compete, are signing up on mass for high school sailing. This is old news to you folks in the US, and possibly some of our European friends, but trust me when I say it’s a big deal here in Canada (truthfully, most things that you folks have figured out are a big deal in Canada…again, I digress).
So while I have whole heartedly embraced turning 30, there is one thing, just one thing, that would entice me to go back and revisit my high school days. That one thing would be the opportunity to slap on my Hootie the owl jersey, dust off my black and gold pom poms, and head out on the water to sail for my school. It also wouldn’t hurt to know that some club would be handing me a vessel to drive when I’m not even old enough for my learner’s permit.
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