First Practice
I could hardly wait for tonight’s first practice with the Canton Bull Dogs! So, I scrambled up some eggs. I lit with matches from the matchbox my small gas stove to cook in my iron black skillet and had a piece of toast with marmalade spread on it. I cracked open a quart bottle of milk to have with my breakfast. I just had four quarts dropped off by the milk man in the metal crate. Had a fresh block of ice for the icebox to keep everything cold. There is nothing better in my mind’s eye than a cold glass of milk, or quart bottle if you’re a single man. We all know a good breakfast stick to your ribs and stays with you all day. Later, if you still feel it on your ribs just give yourself a good pop in the chest and should get it moving again. Ha! I sat at my small kitchen table and chewed on my marmalade toast and as I chewed you would hear an occasional whistle come out while I was chewing. It always through my buddies for a loop! We often wondered if I swallowed a canary! Just a crazy little habit I don’t believe I even realized I do. I stabbed my fork in the hot scrambled eggs and they hit the spot just right. I knew you couldn’t count on lunch on time at the fire house and I would need something to sustain him through such a full day. I pulled out my bible and read through Psalm 23 which became my life chapter. Not that firefighting and football was the shadow of death in my mind. I simply liked the fact I wasn’t going through this day alone by any stretch of the imagination. I loved the fact that he was going to be doing my two favorite things in life. You could see it brought out the very best in me. The challenges in each truly bring adventure to me as I start this new day in my life!
To the men that fight fires together it clearly isn’t a job! Fire fighting is a calling! The call is made by your heart and mind in concert. Even on a slow day, you have peace for a moment and time stands literally still. Still as a lake which appears to be like glass and your reflection is shown clear as a bell. Time has a way of repeating itself, yet a day like today will be a memory that last forever. We pretty much just tended to the fire truck and making sure the mechanics were all in place and each hose and sprayer were exactly where they should be.
This truck is an American La France Metropolitan Fire Engine. It had a model 150-PWT Pump with Tank. This truck saw service from date of purchase (1929) until around late 1950's early 1960's. It weighed at eleven thousand three hundred pounds. The engine size was eight hundred and fifty-five cubic inches. The truck had six cylinder engines, one hundred and thirty horsepower. Duel ignition System with a magneto distributor. The pump was a waterous seven hundred and fifty gallons per minute pump. It had a tank that held one hundred and fifty gallons of water. The fire truck held two ladders which were twenty-six foot and twenty-eight foot respectively. We had a single spot light dead center on the front of the truck which you could reach from the seats. One was on the back of the truck dead center. We needed those lights at nigh to visually see what we were doing. We had a tool box that held everything we would possibly need.
The fire truck had a big-old shiny silver bell that hung down, right by the driver. Like he didn’t have enough to do! The water tank had a pump which took to gentleman to work during the fire. We had brass brazen nozzles and clay pipe nozzles. Axes to knock the doors down that were locked. We had hoses that would stretch out for blocks, to go around the house if needed. To say in a nutshell, we had our hands full almost every day. Enough work to choke a chicken and then some. We minded our P’s and our Q’s and kept busy. There is nothing mundane about any part of the call. When fire fighting is a call, for each fireman than it matters that everything works on the fire truck so we can fulfill our call and save lives. You have to be transparent enough with each man that we can know what the other man needs. Give and take you know. I think that is what I admire the most about the job is the fine balance to compliment and be successful in our triumphs. Fire fighting takes a patience I didn’t even realize was a part of this Pennsylvania Dutch tempered man. For a moment when I am one with my crew my best will shine through to save the lives and fight the fires! I took out the old rag from my pocket and shinned up the hood of the fire truck and stood back to admire the extra care we took today to make sure we were ready.
We were ready, ready to call it a day at the fire house and head out to the practice fields where the Canton Bulldogs knocked helmets and tried to out block run each other one more time. I looked at Sam and grabbed him around the scruff of his neck and gave him a tight squeeze. I knew it would be a small window where we would enjoy fire fighting and football. I said, “Let’s go bro and see if our team mates are ready to stop the offence and hold them to very little yardage.” We jumped on our bikes and made our way over to the practice field just behind the stadium to mix it up with Bulldogs one more time.
We rolled into the gravel parking area and skidded to a stop just in front of the coaches’ car. Sam just missed putting a scratch in his model T Ford and I thought Coach was going to tear our heads off. Coach Guy Chamberlin hollered out, “Stroup’s get you’re no good tails off the dang bikes and run two laps around the field, now!” We both knew we had a relatively good day and were ready to play football. So, we put in our two laps and fell into line with the rest of the Canton Bulldogs to get ready for the team picture before practice. I made sure I had my leather helmet on and got myself in the front row. Who knows when the last time we do this will be.
So, our photographer Jake the snake set us up as a team just by the fence and the scoreboard. We had eight guys in the first two rows and the coaches and managers had seven in the back row. My brother Sam was sporting his dapper hat in the back row he was our manager. I was the fourth man in on the right with my helmet on. I heard one of the guys holler out that Charlie needs the helmet to hold his brains in! Maybe there is some truth to that. I will use those brains out Witt that son of a gun. Just a couple more smart remarks from him and he was about to remember me all night right across his ribs. Jake set up in front of us baking up to get everyone in his frame of his Rolleiflex Camera and winds the film for a few more shots. I was saving myself for a nice black box camera to capture the moments of my life someday.
Coach Chamberlin gave a loud shout to line up in our offense and defense squads a get ready for the scrimmage. We all took off for the twenty yard line to line up and start our scrimmage. I always lined up dead center on the defense I was the nose guard. No wise cracks, that means I’m going to shoot up the alley and try to put a hurt on our quarterback or our running back. Our running back Jim Thorpe was amazing. He was as big as life in our day! Jake was still trying to get photographs of him running from the sidelines to sell to the national papers. Some say Jim was born without a birth certificate somewhere near the town of Prague, Oklahoma. His real name at birth was Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe. Jim had a twin brother named; you guessed it Charlie who died of pneumonia. Charlie and Jim went to school together in Stroud, Oklahoma. Jim went to college at Carlisle and is known for his big upset over Harvard where he had four field goals and a touchdown. He was quite a placekicker too. Rumor had it Jim was getting paid Two Hundred and fifty dollars a game. So, that will motivate him to break my tackle in practice. He ran track and was in the Olympics and he was the fastest man I ever saw on offense or defense and was impossible to catch once he broke away. Game after game it seemed like that is all he did, he would break away. Not one guy in the place was willing to challenge him with that, or they would face a serious stiff arm. All I know was when he ran by you and he would, it was lights out and no chance to catch him! The only chance I had was to somehow disrupt the play enough I could tackle him before he kicked it into gear. All I know is I wore scars from his cleats brushing my forearms as he lifted out of my grasp. Oh yes, Coach Guy Chamberlin giving me nothing but an earful for not making the tackle.
I loved to tackle who ever I could. I was born to tackle. Weather it was football or fishing. Ha! I lined up again and I could hear Sam yelling, “Come on Charlie put a hit on him!” Sam knew I wouldn’t put up with the guff and eventually would have my way or no way! I buried my knuckles in the field and set to make one more run at it and get to the quarterback this time. John Brailler was no easy catch no matter what fly rod you used. He seemed to step out of the pocket and avoid tackles at will. This time I felt the confidence to get to him. John yelled, “Hike!” I made my way past the left guard and right tackle and dove for John backing up and my weight and his footing brought him to the ground! Sam was careful to just turn away and keep his mouth shut. Otherwise Chamberlin would send him running again. I caught Sam eye and gave him a smile and a wink! Some of greatest moments were on the practice field. Believe it or not there is reward for the moments when your heart is beating and your play is executed to perfection to win a single down.
Coach Guy Chamberlin knew we lost a lot of practice time from the photo shoot but we managed to run about thirty plays. My success was beginning to dwindle by the end of the night. I swore John promised the guard and tackle steaks after the practice at the café at the corner of Sixth and Pearl Way. I got into both of their faces and said it is impossible to stop a burning fire! They saw the anger in my eyes as I broke through one more time and even Coach Guy hollered out, “Nice play Stroup!” “That’s a great practice Bulldog’s! Let’s call it a night!” Coach Chamberlin exclaimed! He grabbed his clipboard and headed to the side lines to talk to his coaches and he gave Sam a nudge on his head and a pat on the back! “Get the gear in the bag Sam and let’s get home for supper!” Coach exclaimed!
I met Sam by the bikes and we were trying to beat twilight and get home for supper and some shut eye. You can’t make the great moments I lived today happen. Sam I came to the road where he hangs a left and I keep going straight to my simple apartment I call home. I hollered out, “See you tomorrow Sam!” I pedaled as quickly as I could and pulled up to the side of the apartment and leaned my bike there. I went in the door and slapped on the wall switch and made my way to the icebox to grab some supper. I had a quick PB & J and some cold milk and it was lights out when I hit the pillow.
I kept thinking to myself how quick Jim Thorpe was and what a talented man he was. His speed and agility and strength to break tackles were amazing and ticked me off. I was glad to call him one of my teammates! It was a tossup though for me between fire fighting call and playing football. I believe I leaned toward the call to be a fireman though and save lives. Football put a different smile on my face and hunger in my heart. I believe that for Jim Thorpe sports was his call. Sometimes to totally different calls can find a common place and respect for one another in the moments we call life. So may that common place change us for one more day!
I grabbed my bible and kicked back in my bed and turned to John 3:16. For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever believes in Him will not parish but have everlasting life. I lay on my back and the bible hit face down on my barrel chest. I could see my breathing move the Bible up and down. All of the sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. I lived as complete a life as anyone could hope for today! Even then it falls short and I fall short of God’s Grace! He gave up something I haven’t had yet. His Son! My mind turned on that for the moment I realized I couldn’t sacrifice my only son to cover the sins of the world. But, God did that for me! I prayed to God and thanked for a great sacrifice and asked Him to change my heart to be more like Christ who died for me! I can live a different life that will maybe change future generations to make a difference for Christ. Then it hit me the children, grandchildren and the great grandchildren were all in front of me! Just as great as today was for me, even greater days lay ahead! Tears filled my Pennsylvania Dutch eyes and I was over whelmed with His ever present love. I moved my Bible from My chest to the bed stand and an amazing thing happened to me. The words blazed through my heart and my mind and brought peace to my thirsting soul. God gave me the call to fight fires, the strength to play football and heart and mind to discern his unsearchable scriptures and apply them to this full life I live! I am truly thankful He gave His Son for me to have an unbelievable future in Heaven with Him someday! Amen! I went fast asleep to awaken to another full and complete day tomorrow with a new light in my life.
