My Kind of Team!

I really enjoyed this story I found:

(API) Man of Many Letters,  August 13, 2018

Like for many a young man, sports were an important and life affirming aspect of a well-rounded high school experience.  

"I earned myself five different varsity letters back in my day." quipped Ernest Baskin, 88, as he looked at an old photograph of him wearing his varsity jacket from high school.

Like millions of students across the nation to this day, a significant right of passage in high school is to have the opportunity to earn a varsity letter in some sport or avocation.  Most of the varsity letters kids earn these days revolve around sports like football, or basketball.  Still other varsity letters commonly are awarded to youngsters who cheer or play in their high school band.  

But, back in Ernest's day, there was additional diversity in varsity letters that could be earned, many of which could not be seen in this current age.  

"I earned me my letters in football, baseball, band, bailing, and pipe smoking." 

Bailing?!?  Pipe smoking?!?!?!?!

Yes, while not seen today, back in the rural south, it was not uncommon to have team "sports" for some genuinely interesting pursuits that could not exist today.  Ernest, was a vital member of the many teams listed above in his time as a member of the Tompkinsville Trojans High School student body.  His effort on the bailing team, where he earned his letter in his junior year, was as you may expect, a "hay raising" experience.  The Thompkinsville team, along with rivals bailers from high schools in Paducha, Raywick, and  Muldraugh would compete weekly through the Fall in timed races to produce as many full-sized bails of hay as possible.  

"I remember us winning the league my senior year, where's we got ourselves to making 83 bails by the last inning." Ernest recalled wistfully, "We damn near broke every record that year!"

But, it is perhaps the pipe smoking letter that is the most unique letter Ernest earned.  Kentucky, of course, is one of the Southern states where tobacco was king for a lot of years.  And,  in smaller towns like Tomkinsville and Paducha, where agriculture, especially of tobacco, was each town's claim to fame and economic stability, it seems it was only natural to those town's school boards of the day to create competitive pipe smoking teams. Ernest said there were four different high schools in his region who competed with pipe smoking teams.

"I recall how nerved up I'd get before a meet, as I was captain of our team, and it was important for me to lead the other fellows along, " he recalled, "I had to make sure we had enough matches, and pipe cleaners for competition as well."

On competition day, the nervous lads would be on one side of a long table facing their rivals (especially worrisome were the matches against the Paducha Panthers).  At the umpire’s command, they would open their pouches,  pipes in hand, matches on the table before them and begin to fill and light their pipes.  Back in the day, there were no female pipe smokers allowed on the team, but there were a few young ladies who took a shining to these sportsmen and would cheer them on.

"Mary Ellen was my girl back then, and she'd always come to the meets to cheer me on."

(the story continues below)

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I believe I would have truly excelled on that team!

You can read more of the story and see some really great pictures HERE.

PipeTobacco