It Still Happens


by Charles W. Fowler <cfowler@idt.net>

For those who donÕt think the paddle is being applied to kids in school today it is. Two years ago I was in 11th grade in a northern Florida high school. Four of us hung out together because we had all moved to this school within the last year or so. We were all in the same gym class and hated this dork of a coach who was big enough but out of shape. The other kids all seemed to be afraid of him and didnt give him any lip.

One day we were outside doing track stuff and he got pissed because there was a lot of hackin around. So he tells the whole class that it has to run laps ten times. The four of us were standing together and as we started running I said lets duck behind the scoreboard and wait til everybody comes around on the last lap. We were sure the coach wasnt watching and hid behind the scoreboard laughing at all the dorks wearing themselves out running around the track.

It worked and we joined in with everybody else on lap 10 pretending to be out of breath at the finish like everybody else. Gym was about to be over when coach says that he wants to see the following four guys after they shower and wearing only their underwear. Yep, the four of us. We showered together and Jimmy says he hears the coach is allowed to paddle you in this school. I thought he was crazy cause I hadnt been paddled ever in Illinois, just spanked once or twice as a kid at home.

We dry off and go to our lockers and put on our boxers except for Paul who still wears jockey shorts. It seemed like a long walk to coachÕs office and the other guys are whistling at us and saying stuff like Youre not gonna be sitting down for a while. We get into the office and hes going through his files but I see right away this big paddle ball paddle sittin on his desk with a lot of holes drilled in it. He slams the file drawer shut and turns to us and starts cursing us out about not running the laps and that he isnÕt gonna take that _s_h_i_t_ from anybody. I start to feel very uneasy about whats coming next.

He says he could call our parents and have us suspended from school but the principal allows him to solve problems his own way. He picks up the paddle and says he is going to give us ONLY 5 swats this time but he better never see us screwing around again. He drags this chair by his desk to the middle of the office and calls Matt by his last name and tells him to get over by the chair. Then he tells him to lean over the back of the chair and grab the seat of the chair. Matt doesnt say nothing but he looks scared as _s_h_i_t_. He bends over the chair and his butt with only these green plaid Joe Boxers is sticking up in the air. Coach tells him if he takes his hands off the seat before the last swat he will start counting all over. All of a sudden IÕm feeling like my legs arenÕt gonna hold me up any more.

Coach puts his left hand on MattÕs back just above his boxers and raises his right hand with the paddle in it til its almost above his head. Then SWAT and the paddle hits MattÕs butt real hard and his head goes up in the air but coaches pushing his back down. Matt lets out an OW--NO but coachs hand is already going back up in the air. SWAT then SWAT. All of a sudden Matt is crying and screamin PLEASE STOP I WONT DO IT AGAIN. SWAT and SWAT and Matt jumps up in the air and starts rubbin his ass through the boxers and turns around and hes crying and his face is red.

Im thinking about running out the door but hed get me unless I tried running home in my underwear. He calls out Pauls last name and tells him to get over the chair. Pauls holding his hands over his butt when hes walking up to the chair and I hear him sobbin and coach hasnt even done anything. His hands on Pauls back and Paul is saying PLEASE DONT COACH IT WAS ERICS IDEA. Thanks a lot Paul Im thinking. SWAT and then SWAT again and Paul is screaming loud so they must have heard it in the lockers. He starts to pull his hand off the chair to reach back and coach just pushes harder on his back. SWAT AYEEEEE SWAT AYEEEEE SWAT and Pauls in tears sobbing away. He quickly stands up and starts rubbing the back of his jockey shorts like hes puttin out a fire. Hes dancing around and bawling his eyes out. Coach tells him to shut up or he will get some more.

The bell rings for changing classes and coach yells out my name. I could hardly walk to the chair and he grabs my arm and pushes my neck over the back of the chair and I grab the seat. My legs are shaking inside these Chicago Red Sox boxers Im wearing. Coach puts his heavy hand right on the waistband and it feels like a couple hundred pounds are on top of me. The first SWAT and I swear I saw flashes of red lights and my head popped up. I think I said UH. Id never felt as much pain in my life and my eyes started to fill with tears. I said something like PLEASE and IM SORRY but the next four came in rapid succession SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT. My body was jerking all over, I was crying so loud I was sure everybody in the girls locker room probably could hear. I started to get up but coach didnÕt lift his hand from my back. He says SO IT WAS YOUR IDEA? and WHACK that paddle hit my ass like theres no tomorrow. Well that did it. I was screaming like my little brother, jumpin around, rubbin my backside and looking at Matt and Paul who were still drying their tears.

He grabbed Jimmys arm to pull him over to the chair and Jimmy pulls back and falls on the floor pulling away from coach and says NO COACH PLEASE YOU CANT DO THIS IM GONNA TELL. This was not the right thing for Jimmy to say. Through my tears I see coach pull Jimmy up in the air and hold his huge arms around him while he turns the chair around. I CANT DO THIS EH hes shouting and suddenly Jimmy is right over coachs lap with coach bending his arms up his back. WE WILL SEE IF I CAN DO THIS says coach and all of a sudden hes pulling the waistband of JimmyÕs blue striped boxers down over his ass and then down to his knees. Jimmy is bare assed right over coachs lap and Jimmy is kicking and yelling. Then Coachs arm brings that paddle down SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT. Jimmy is screaming, kicking and crying and Coach gives him 3 more SWAT SWAT and the hardest SWAT IÕve ever seen. He lets Jimmy up who is crying his eyes out and pulling up his boxers. Coach asks us if we are every gonna ditch laps again and we quickly say no. He tells us to get dressed and get to our next class and if we dont get there on time and are sent back for a pass well get some more of the same.

We race to our lockers and throw on our clothes and shoes and run as fast as we could to class. I was really sure people would see I had been crying and was wiping my eyes as I ran to my next class. Just as I entered the door to English the bell rang and everybody else was already in their seat. My ass was still hurting and so I eased into the chair very slowly when this girl behind me asks me in a real loud voice if I like the Chicago Red Sox so much that I wear their boxers--I had tucked my T shirt into my boxers instead of my pants and everything was showing. I pulled the T shirt out and decided my face couldnt get any redder than it already was.

So when I hear my professors tell us that schools have stopped using a paddle I know they havent been to Florida schools.


Other stories byCharles W. Fowler