Hold the line.
You know how you will sometimes read or hear about men in war standing to the last man? They could run or surrender, but they don't? Ever wonder what makes them stand and accept the horrible fate? So did I, until fate called upon me.

Picture the scene, early 2000's, it's a P.E lesson, the boys are 14-15 most too young to have felt a woman's touch, yet we were deemed old enough to risk life and limb. That week we had the trampoline out. An out dated monstrosity, criss crossed elastic strips on a steel frame. A few mats had been thrown around for safty, but our P.E teacher decides that while one person is jumping, the rest of the group surround the trampoline to form a safty barrier. Seemed wise at the time, until it comes the turn of the heavy set boy, who we will call B. B was not just large, but very large, unusualy, he wasn't a soft fat, but had an unusualy solid bulk, like rubber. B is bouncing, and doing pretty well, untill suddenly he lands funny and his next bounce sends him lurching forward.

Straight towards our end of the trampoline. Ever seen 20 stone (280 lb) of human sail towards you through the air? You can almost feel the gravity yanking the bulk down, anticipate the impact and every bone in your body prepairs to shatter. Every fiber of your body screams to move, but you don't. Self presivation beg's you to do somthing, but it's not an option. You have your orders, you're going to hold the line.there were 5 of us in the shadow, but a sense of duty, and more importantly, not wanting too look a coward held us in place. Well, all but one of us. The boy next to me, good lad, his nerves give. "Fuck this!" he cries, jumping back. B lands an inch shy of the edge, we all breath a sign of relief, until the whistle blows. "What the hell are you playing at son?!" demands the teacher, before slapping a detention on the poor boy who's nerve went for a split second. I knew it wasn't fair, we all did. We all wanted to do it, but we didn't.

We held the line.
(Mong goose, Fri 6 Apr 2012, 2:23, 1 reply)

i remember "spotting"
I always hoped for one of the hot girls to fall on me. Never happened though.

I doubted the ability of a kid to prevent serious injury to anyone who flew of the trampoline. I imagine it was just to make people feel safer when it actually did nothing.
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Sun 8 Apr 2012, 8:13, closed)