Evil sports #2
Cross country running...

Luckily for us, our school is situated at the very edge of town, and backs on to an area of wood. This meant that when in the outdoor section of our PE calendar we occasionally got sent off for cross country running around a loop specified in the woods (and patrolled by whichever of the PE teachers pulled the short straw and wasn't allowed to doss about back at the changing rooms).

Initially not the worst of activities for PE, as you could quite happily walk most of it and still make it back home in time to get changed and not miss lunch. So essentially a walk in the woods with your mates.

This changes somewhat predictably when you add in British weather - what was a nice few mile walk turns into sheer hell in driving horizontal sleet, soaking through the puny lightweight PE kit in seconds, and leaving you at the mercy of the bigger kids who had the main aim of getting you as wet, cold and muddy as possible by throwing you bodily into every patch of mud and puddles they could find.
Getting back to the changing room did have the benefit/hell of being forced into the showers after - lots of bodily unsure barely teenage boys having to shower in one room, and then the predictable chaos on realising that only a certain number in the class actually bothered to take a towel with them (and indeed spare underwear, there were quite a few going commando that afternoon).
(442, Fri 20 Apr 2012, 17:13, Reply)