Before Liability by GJ

The summer of 1943 is clear to me. I had just turned 16, was going to be a junior at Wheaton, Illinois H.S., and I was worried about the war. (Brother Scotty was soldier in Europe, things were not going well there, and "the war effort" was in full swing.)

Because we lived only a couple of blocks from the city swimming pool, that seemed a logical place to hang out. There soon arose an informal "gang" of us at the pool first thing in the morning and often until closing in the evening. Some of that time was napping on the deck. (When the concrete is hot, you splash pool water on it until it forms a puddle which you can lie down in.) The rest of the time was "fun and games." One that we spent a LOT of time in was "corner tag." The rules demanded that you could never walk around any of the four corners. You had to go into the water at every corner. This meant that if you were being chased by the guy who was "it," he had to go into every corner behind you, which slowed him down enough to even the odds pretty well.

Furthermore, once you placed a foot on any step of a diving-board ladder, you had to go all the way off the board...diving or jumping, either way. There was a one-meter board, which was the riskiest, because there were only ten or twelve feet between you (on the end) and "it" one step away from his end. There was also a three-meter board that gave you lots of time to jump or dive just as soon as "it" put his foot on lowest step.

Now, there was one little catch. No more than one of us at a time could be anywhere on any board. Some of us were three-meter "hogs" and liked to stand out on edge and rest a little. This forced others to bypass us for one-meter, or keep running to the next corner. Most of the time, there were boys inbetween all corners, one on each board, and he who was "it" scrambling to catch up to nearest victim. (Usually six or seven of us.) When an extra person joined in, it really got hectic, and we needed more naps!

A bottle of Royal Crown Cola and a Powerhouse Candy Bar (both the largest on the market...as Coke was in a very small bottle, then) for lunch and we were ready to begin another game. I learned to love diving so much, that when I was in the Navy, a year later, I used to dive off the conning tower, about 35+ feet. That can be quite a thrill. Often I could see under the ship and wonder if I should try to swim under to the other side. Fortunately, I was never so foolish. If I failed, I'd be quite dead.

Today, of course, no public pool would permit our games. Much too risky, liability-wise.