Turning Points
Life is a journey. It has a beginning and it has an end. All along its path are events, places
and people who are turning points. Here, I relate some of these turning points in my own
journey. Hopefully, the stories will illuminate and maybe entertain some of those who care
enough to read.
Life is a journey. It has a beginning and it has an end. All along its path are events, places
and people who are turning points. Here, I relate some of these turning points in my own
journey. Hopefully, the stories will illuminate and maybe entertain some of those who care
enough to read.
| Hoops July 7, 2006 |
The unpainted building behind our house had three
sections; a coal house, an outhouse before we got indoor
plumbing, and a storage shed. Later, the outhouse was
sort of re-modeled and became the radio shack when
Hugh Louis and I got involved in ham radio and
electronics. On the coal house we mounted a basketball
board. That became the center of our sports activity as we
played basketball in all types of weather.
sections; a coal house, an outhouse before we got indoor
plumbing, and a storage shed. Later, the outhouse was
sort of re-modeled and became the radio shack when
Hugh Louis and I got involved in ham radio and
electronics. On the coal house we mounted a basketball
board. That became the center of our sports activity as we
played basketball in all types of weather.
When it was damp from rain, we played with a ball black as the coal dust that covered the ground.
Of course, there was no net on the hoop but that didn't crimp our style in the least. Many times, a
shot would go over the roof of the coal shed and that meant a trip around the shed and down the
hill to retrieve the ball.
When the new high school was completed partly with the labor of kids like myself for 15 cents an
hour, the school formed basketball teams for grade school and high school. I played on the grade
school team and later, on the high school varsity team. We had cheer leaders and uniforms and
even lettered jackets. It was exciting to go to play out of town teams as far as 30 miles away. Our
win-loss record was not very good and my own play was allowed not for any talent but only
because there was no competition to be on the team.
Hugh Louis had been attending St. Joseph High School over in Bardstown but when the new gym
was built, he transferred to St. Catherines and played on the high school basket ball team. He
played forward. Joe Boone, Johnny Hagen, Freddy and Donnie Beam and guys like that made up
a great team. Bobbie also played on the team in the following years.
My glasses were a constant problem in basketball as they seemed to be always taped together
from a previous accident on the court. There was no such thing as contact lenses back then.
Our team was coached by Father Hardesty, who served as assistant pastor in his day job. His
coaching style mainly was yelling at us from the sidelines when we made mistakes. At the time, I
thought that was a little over the top. But seeing basketball coaches on TV today, I think maybe
Father Hardesty was a pacesetter in that regard.
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| And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV) |
| Copyright © 2005 leoshoemaker.com |
Photo courtesy of T. Cecil, Mayor of
New Haven
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