I Was Rubbish At . . .

[Buenchico]

. . . climbing up ropes in the gym at school.

Were you?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-68789522

[retrocop]

I can't recall being required to climb ropes at my schools.

However,when I joined the Police Cadets  at Hendon Police Training School at the age of 17 years we had to perform various physical exercises wth some pretty beastial PTI's who were happy to give us a 'beasting'

40 ft rope climb to the roof of the gym was,at the time, beyond my physical capabilities so I was placed on remedials whilst my fitter friends would be enjoying themselves elsewhere in the evenings (probably in a local hostelry which of course was tabbo.) Within 2 weeks I was scaling those ropes like a monkey. just to escape the remedials and the sadistic PTI's. Incidentally, there was a rumour put about by earlier police cadet intakes that the Gym at Hendon was haunted by a young police cadet who hung himself on those bloody ropes.I never saw him.

[naomi24]

I was good at it.  Not as good as him though.

[Canary42]

It was something I could never master.  I could never grip with my feet/legs sufficiently to take my weight..

[Buenchico]

Retro:

Perhaps you should have gone to sea instead? 😊

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-suffolk-68109638

[Canary42]

My god, that was scary Chris.

[retrocop]

Oh yes. I have been to sea many times as a blue water sailor. I recall having to repair our old Decca radio direction finder aerial on the top of our mast which was damaged in a storm in Biscay. I was hauled up in a bosuns chair by the mainsail halyard and constantly got earholes full of water as the the vessel pitched over and I constantly got ducked in the oggin.

[Arksided]

As a kid yes, haven't tried for years. One time as a youngster we could chose ropes with knots in or without... I had climbed  the without knots many times all the way to the top, one particular time lost grip near the top and slid down like a pole... we had to wear gym shorts... talk about raw.... wow my thighs were on Fire!.

[Ken4155]

Wasn't all that bad at climbing the ropes on the assault course, but as we were always against the clock, and speed was of the essence, i nearly always managed to suffer rope burns on the way down. Not sure the discomfort was worth bettering my previous time by the odd second or two.

[Buenchico]

You've made me wince, Arky!

I'd be no good at sea, Retro, although I've had som pretty scary moments, at the tops of ladders, when working on stage lighting in theatres!

[jno]

today's TV presenters are such wusses.

[Smowball]

Rope burns sound bad enough, but rope burns on the inner thighs?? Ouchhhh!!!

[Barsel]

I've been up and down Blackpool Tower

But I'm not a dope

I went in the lift though

Not on a rope!

[Chipchopper]

I could climb the rope surprisingly well, but it was the coming back down that I couldn't grasp.

That cold gym floor was damn hard from approx 8ft or so.

[1ozzy]

I was rubbish at getting girls of a similar age to play along, when I was young.😞

[10ClarionSt]

Useless on the ropes, so I couldn't show anybody! Chris, a friend of mine was a Button Boy at HMS Ganges. Also my uncle, who died on HMS Glorious in 1940, was also a cadet at Ganges and I have a photo of him climbing the mast. Ropes and me just don't go together. Never did!

[1ozzy]

July 1992 Nicola Howard became the Royal Navy's first and only 'Female Button Boy'. 

How proud must have she felt?

 

[JinnyJoan]

no I was superb - I climbed the rope right up to the ceiling in school gym and teacher was not a happy bunny when I got down.

[davebro3]

No fair - she was wearing a safety rope!

I was a bit of a weakling at school - got stronger when I took up rock climbing in my 20s.

[1ozzy]

But she was a girl that beat the boys, suck it up princess 😏

[Buenchico]

Thanks for all the posts.

10CS:
I was brought up in Ipswich, where the highlight of nearly everyone's year was the big Co-op Fete, which was held in Christchurch Park, right in the centre of town.

One of the attractions was always a dispay of gymnastics by the boys of HMS Ganges (which was only just down the road from Ipswich).  I always prayed that my parents would never consider sending me there!