The Ramp

Last week Tuesday I made my weekly trip to Stoughton for book club. As I arrived, I saw some "tweens" riding in the parking lot on their bikes. I suppose the age range ran from about 10 to 13, and consisted of both boys and girls. Being about 6:15 pm, dark was starting to set in. I went in the building, and was about to head to the room when I heard some thumping. I went back to the door and saw the ramp, near the light of the outdoor on building fixture placed it near the entrance to the building.

The "tweens" were taking turns riding their bike up the small black ramp and then allowing the wheels to hit the pavement on the other side. This was the thump, thump, thump I had heard at somewhat regular intervals. I was rather amused watching them from the door. the boys tended to go much faster over the ramp, and the girls much slower. One girl was going so slow, I thought she would never get over the ramp. It caused a back up in the line. It also brought back memories. 

Evel K about to hit the land ramp, his take off ramp
to the left. I now know why my jump failed--
I did not have a landing ramp.
Source: Google Images, Sports Illustrated

When I was about that age, some of my siblings and friends would gather up varied lumber pieces and build a ramp on the downslope of our circular driveway. Evel Knievel was a popular stunt performer and showman, at the time, and he used a motorcycle to jump over varied things. I suppose we were channeling our inner Evel Knievel when we decided to place old pedal cars and tractors after the ramp we had constructed. I decided that I would go down the hill and over the ramp first, confident in my ability to clear the pedal cars and make a smooth landing. 

Going down the hill, I recall going up the ramp, and nothing else until I woke up as my dad was carrying me into the doctors office. I figured I did not make it over the cars. At least my bike was not heavily damaged. I recall it being my gold Schwinn American, a two-speed bike with chrome fenders. My twin brother, showing the difference in view of the two of us, opted for a Schwinn Sting-Ray with the banana seat. He has always been flashier in his tastes than I. Maybe I was presaging the later nickname some of my siblings gave me--grandma. 

Did that event cause me to become more cautious in life? If it did it did not have a real long-lasting effect--because, as I have been told by the wife, I am still somewhat injury prone. Jumping over the ramp, I have to say, was not the last dumb decision I made. Being older, a dumb decision today seem to have a greater effect on the body. 

As for the kids outside that door, when the next member of the book club was arriving, I heard one of the boys say "Hi, Grandma."  It was her grandson, and I found out he had just bought a new bike. He had out grown his old one and had been using his mother's bike, but she put a quick end to his use of her bike. Maybe she him go over a ramp. I cannot really blame her, as I doubt bikes are as well made today as was my Schwinn American. When the woman's sister-in-law arrived for book club she asked if Calvin had said hi to her, and she said yes, and then commented how nice he is still at the age he would acknowledge and adult. 

What this made me think of his how over 50 years later kids still do some of the same things. They could have been at home playing on their cellphones (yes, they have cellphones in Stoughton), or watching television, or here is a novel idea, even doing homework. But on this uneventful evening here they were riding bikes over a ramp. I hope next time they bring a bigger ramp and put pedal cars after the ramp to jump over.