Ames High School - Spirit Yearbook (Ames, IA)

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Grueling ` Мо one ever likes practice, but it's a necessity in any sport.’ hough the old cliche, humidity like that of a sauna, practice makes perfect , practice opened in late August. didn't hold true for the football squad, that didn't Somehow a hot, muggy August day mean practice was any easier for didn't seem right lugging 15 pounds the players. of equipment around. ' D'wo-a-days | weren't so bad physically, | Football practice, it always seems, commented senior John Hackman. is ushered in on a heat wave, and It's just that we went crazy this year was no exception. With praying for a blizzard. temperatures in the 90's and the | It was not uncommon for players to | lose eight to ten pounds in an | afternoon. “Тһе heat wasn't all that unbearable, lamented Dave Crawford, senior, but the humidity — you felt like a soggy towel. Those were the days when nothing felt better than a cold shower, an ice cold glass of water, and a soft bed. There was one element of practice that has become a virtual tradition for one group of players. That, of course, could be nothing less than pushing the seven man blocking sled. This privilege is strictly reserved for lineman, both offensive and defensive. They seemed to take a special pride in pushing the 1500 pound piece of iron, pads, and springs over the field. Senior Tom Carney thought of it this way, “It’s the highlight of a lineman's practice. I love it so much I have a picture of it pinned up in my room. As the season wore on and the gridders found it hard to win; | practice could have become a real Above: Junior Tom Wandersee has one more long challenge, but a great attitude and look at the refreshing ice chest before going back : . to work during practice. Center: Coach Keith Bai- a desire to win pulled them through | ley is determined to teach his “уаһооз” (Steve the season. Practice always appears Stoecker, Jim Bump and Rick Ewan) something at the bottom of the list in new. | popularity. But as one player | stated, “Мо one ever likes practice, | but it's a necessity in any sport. So, though only a few may admit it, practice is a major part of the school's athletic success story. 24

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мезі ісе: as well as hairlines, recede into dim obscurity. Venerable ivy- shrouded buildings splinter and ` crumble with age until wrecking crews arrive with their cranes and booms to condemn what once stood as a landmark of progress. Progress was inherent in the minds of those who conceived and constructed the first high school in 1881. It was a vast improvement when compared to the former four room clapboard structure used in 1876, which housed a mere 50 pupils. Nonetheless, this was the origin of Ames High today and the class of 100 years ago that we commemorate. Students from these early institutions would recall scarlet cheeked boys made to sit among the % аа girls for punishment, fires built on bleak winter days, and the spinetingling screech of misguided pencils upon writing slates, The class of 1885 contrived the motto, “Not ending, but begun,” an optimistic vision into a hazy future. But it did end in 1910 when the structure was condemned and later bowled over, leaving only rubble in its wake, however the ebullient spirit lived on, residing next in “Old” Central. In 1891, principal M.F. Morgan firmly stated, Make up your mind to what you wish to accomplish .... then submit willingly to the mental drills and discipline of your teachers. The mental drills can be likened to some exercised today, but the discipline paralleled that of the military. There was virtually no flexibility, no bending of rules and no second chances. Zac Dunlap, a 1934 graduate, remembers, “It was the same row, same seat each day of the year. The faculty had absolute control. Each student was expected to meet prescribed standards.” A cigarette in hand doomed prospective athletes as well as alienating the Above Right: A rendezvous at the malt shop is a welcome respite after a full day of classes. Above: A portion of the 1952 cheersquad rallys at a weekly pep assembly. Left: This racy jalopy provided no parking problems in 1943. individual socially. By 1937, the third high school was erected across from “Old” Central. Its recipients produced a new motto, the familiar, “Ames High, Aims Hi , the mainstay and undeclared by-law of our present niche, occupied in 1961. “More permissiveness, numerous distractions in the way of extracurricular options and diversified morals,” comprised the bulk of transition. Past teachers would most likely view our contemporary lifestyle with astonishment, awe and a touch of abhorrance at the radical changes in teaching, curriculum and student behavior. Yes, 1876 was only a beginning, a segment of the past few of us bother to reflect upon, but neither do we credit the first day of our lives with much import. In a sense it was the birth of Ames High as we know it, a model of excellence and opportunity evolved through decades of contribution from faculty and students who looked with zest upon the future and strived for its betterment. 100th Anniversary 23 on

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ЕЁ vr d E ЕЁ o ү r Right: Sweat $ кеа anda Иге Ingram takes a minute. to catc 474 | breat wer Right: Linemen suffer @ of the sled and dummies, but finally get their chance against Valley of Des Moines. Football Practice 25