No, I am not referring to Stan Lee’s ” Spiderman” introduced in comic books in 1952. ” Spider ” as he became known was a first grader and classmate of mine in 1947.
His Christian name was Carey, last name to remain anonymous. It was about the third grade when ” Spider ” began to hone his skills that lead to his nickname. At recess there was always a mad dash to the monkey bars and swing sets on the school playground. Attempting to muscle through twelve monkey bars was a feat for most of us——-until ” Spider ” made his presence. Tarzan would have been proud. He would swing three bars in succession, dismount to perfect landing, ( not a Simone Biles ) followed by two cartwheels and a forward somersault. From the third grade until graduation Carey was lovingly called Spider.
Carey was a ” tall drink of water ” with a lanky body build. Even though he was not blessed with the athletic skills the coaching staff expected, his comfort zone was hanging out with the ” jocks”. It would have been simple for Carey to get discouraged not making any of the athletic teams, but this was ” Spider “.
Spider’s pursuits were somewhat far fetched back in those days, but in hind site today he would be considered a visionary. He became enthralled with T.V wrestling to the extent of constructing his on ring, inviting all comers to take him on. He would gladly show you the techniques for an arm bar, body slam, or full Nelson. Need I remind you the WWE is one of the highest grossing events in the world. Spider’s second pursuit was to pitch on the high school baseball team. He did not have a blazing fast ball or anything close to a curve ball, but he did have his famous ” butterfly pitch “. The coaches loved Spider and agreed for him to try out for the team. Being the personality he was, the pitch was announced by Spider. Having failed miserably with any other pitches, he said with confidence, ” now I will throw my butterfly pitch”. With a slow deliberate wind up, he released the baseball arching it like a rainbow only to have in land on home plate. You guessed it, like a butterfly. Ironically two major league pitchers, Hoyt Wilhem and Phil Niekro made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame throwing a knuckleball ( the butterfly pitch ).
Our small high school would have assembly every Friday morning. The faculty always struggled for a program to ” soothe the savage beast” or student body. To everyone’s surprise, Spider volunteered for the assembly program. As the curtain rose, there was Spider in jeans and a tee shirt with the famous wrestler of the day Verne Gagne ( Google it young folks ) emblazed on the front. For twenty minutes Spider put on a performance that would make a seasoned gymnast wide eyed. He finished his routine with a slight wave, receiving a standing ovation.
There is an old adage, ” if you love something, let it go if it returns, it was yours to begin with”. After sixty-two years the memory of Spider returned.
Be safe
Joe's Bakers Dozen 