I recently wrote a blog about how many concussions I suffered as a child growing up in Burnaby.
As it turns out, I forgot one.
I blacked out when I smacked my head against a cement post after being body checked during a game of ball hockey.
The game was played in a covered area at Parkcrest Elementary and this incident was brought home to me when I visited my 1970s’ stomping grounds on Wednesday.
Education Minister Rob Fleming was at Parkcrest announcing $28 million to complete seismic upgrades at this school and Seaforth Elementary (great news, by the way).
I went to the announcement mainly to see my old school, but I didn’t expect the experience to feel so emotional.
But it was. I spent a lot of weekends in that covered area playing hockey and other sports. The neighbourhood kids (I wouldn’t quite call them friends – more frenemies united by sport) weren’t supposed to be there because the courtyard of the school was locked, but we went anyways. We’d climb a fence to get onto the roof, then drag our equipment over to a wall that made it easy to climb down.
That gave us access to a rectangular covered area next to the library.
It was perfect. The dimensions felt like an actual rink and the side wall was great for banking balls as you did your dekes.
The downside was a series of deadly cement pillars on side that punished you if you forgot about them. They provided a painful reminder of the importance of spatial awareness. I injured body part more than once on these beasts.
Returning this week brought back all those memories. It felt really weird, but I recalled some really good times. Nothing like an afternoon day of ball hockey on a crisp fall day – even if you’d occasionally slap into a hunk of concrete.
What was weird was literally looking at that exact stone pillar that rocked my world.
The area is different today. It’s so much nicer. The stark cement walls have all been painted with lovely murals. (SCROLL THROUGH THE PHOTOS TO SEE MORE.) Even those damn pillars have had butterflies and flowers painted on them, although I’m sure they are just as painful for a kid flying into them at top speed.
This wasn’t my first time back at Parkcrest. I voted in the gym in 2018, but this was my first time in the back area. I saw the steep hill that we used to slide down if it snowed or rained enough to get nice and muddy.
School wasn’t great for me. I was shy and yet loudly attention-seeking all at the same time, and not terribly popular. My emotions got wounded easily, which is something akin to pouring buckets of blood into the water for sharks.
But I’ve made peace with those days and prefer to remember those good times. I was pretty good at sports, so this was my main connection to other kids. It was an ego boost to not get picked last.
Returning to Parkcrest and being able to smile about it was a sign that maybe, just maybe, I’ve reached a good point in my life.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
