Fly Fishing, Bowling and Lots of Swim Tests

NC State’s Department of Health and Exercise Studies turns 100 this year. Whether you called it P.E. or gym, it’s a department that touches every student who walks the bricks of NC State’s campus. Over the years, the curriculum has expanded from mandatory swimming tests to a host of electives that include bowling, badminton, hip hop and yoga. We asked readers of NC State magazine to send us their memories of P.E. classes. Here are some of the responses we received.

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I remember P.E. 100 as one of the most valuable required classes that I took at NC State. It established a “lifetime skill” related to my overall health that I continue to benefit from 45 years later! — Dennis Wood ’80

I began my journey in the summer of 1972 on a hot August day excited to meet my professors and make new friends. All freshmen were expected to take introductory P.E., and we had to demonstrate the ability to swim. I had heard that you could not graduate unless you could master this skill. I fortunately passed this test and was quickly shuttled to the next evaluation, where we were instructed to do as many pull-ups as we could. When it was my turn, I proudly completed a total of 17! I surprised even myself, treating it as a competition against the performances of those who preceded me. When I noticed that my other friends were “struggling” to complete five or fewer pull-ups, they told me the instructors were using the test as a benchmark for improvement expected during the semester. In order to simply get a C, at semester’s end, I had to far surpass this accomplishment (demonstrating that I made exceptional strides in my athletic growth). On this day, I learned a valuable lesson, as well as a new word from my fellow classmates, the art of “sand-bagging!” — Deane F. Tolman Jr. ’76

We were required to take a minimum of four P.E. classes to graduate. That was almost unheard of, but I think it should still be required. I took P.E. 100, with that college-issued shirt, which I wish I still had. Then I signed up for volleyball, step aerobics, bowling, golf, and the best class ever — downhill skiing (over Christmas break with a trip to Boone, N.C.) I even audited running my senior year to stay in shape. — Leigh Ann Marks ’98, ’99 MR

P.E. courses were a fun way to spend time with friends with majors very different than mine. I would never have signed up for weight training, but a close friend (and former suitemate) talked me into it. I also lucked out and got into a bowling course with my boyfriend at the dearly missed bowling alley on Hillsborough Street. However, my strongest memory is fitness walking. My older friends warned me against taking a P.E. class for a grade, but I figured it would be an easy A. Boy, was I wrong! I am still embarrassed to admit that I made only a B in fitness walking. — Bianca Bradford Howard ’95

I was scheduled to take P.E. 100 right after lunchtime my first semester on campus. I was naïve enough to think that we would not do much the first day of class, so I had a big lunch. I was surprised when the instructor told us that we were running a timed mile-and-a-half immediately after handing out the syllabus. Naturally, my time was poor. I was lucky, though. Part of the grade was showing improvement over the semester. — Kenneth M. Berry ’89

I loved all my P.E. classes. I took archery, roller skating, golf, dance and bowling. My most memorable day took place in bowling class at Western Lanes on Hillsborough Street. Class was going fine until . . . I was approaching the lane with my ball, went down into position, and heard a rip! I had ripped my jeans all the way down the back seam. Mortified! And, oh yes, people saw it. I got over the humiliation and finished the semester, but I will never forget that sound of threads tearing apart as I released my ball. — Annette Cheney ’09

I took canoeing, tennis and aerobics and body conditioning. My memories of canoeing were placing the canoes in the Carmichael Gym pool and having to paddle around for practice. I had been a lifelong summer camp kid, so canoeing came naturally to me. The water aerobics class that shared the pool with us was unfazed by our presence. We took our end-of-course trip to a nearby lake, and that was so much fun. Tennis I was not my best choice, as it was an 8 a.m. class. As a freshman, that was rough to get to in the morning, and I now advise students going to college to not take a P.E. class first thing in the morning. Aerobics and body conditioning was just for kicks and grins, and definitely not strenuous. I took that course with a friend, and his intent was to “find a girl” in the course, however he was not successful with that endeavor. — Jennifer Boggs ’12

It was the fall of ’58 and I was one of about 6,000 students at NC State — an eager freshman enrolled in P.E. at old Carmichael Gym. Not too big at 5’8” and 155 pounds, but a pretty good athlete, having captained my high school football team. The previous P.E. activities had not been a great challenge. I had selected boxing primarily because I had never done it before. It looked pretty simple to me — put on the gloves and punch the other guy! The first couple of sessions we practiced technique and strategy and punched the bag a bit. This is not as easy as it looks, I thought. The big day arrived and we paired up to go a round. I was encouraged when my opponent showed up at 5’6” and less than 130 pounds. A real flyweight. But unfortunately, a Golden Gloves flyweight champion. He knew all the tactics and most important was boxing fit. After 30 seconds I could hardly lift my gloves and I was pummeled. We did become friends and he helped me get through the remaining sessions with some success. — Lynn Mike Perry ’62, ’64 MS

My junior year, I signed up for the fishing P.E. class. One requirement was to actually go on a fishing outing away from campus. So at the crack of dawn one morning, one of my baseball teammates and I headed over to Lake Jordan to “catch our limit.” Both of us had fished many, many times before, so this wasn’t anything new to us. Well. . . what was challenging was trying to catch something. . . . anything. Neither one of us had so much as a nibble over a couple of hours. We both had some late morning classes and baseball practice that afternoon, so we started to pack up and head back to campus. As I was reeling in my line, I hooked a huge wad of trashed fishing line that someone had carelessly cut and tossed into the water. Once I got my hook and mangled bunch of fishing line back to shore, I began to pull the fishing line off of my hook by hand and, as I did, I felt some tugging and flopping on the end of the submerged line. Lo and behold. . . . there was a pretty decent bass hooked on the trashed line. — Jeff “Flounder” Teague ’89

My fondest memories included some of the P.E. coaches who graciously let me and a handful of other guys in when they arrived at 6 a.m. for an early morning workout. Another classmate and I along with a handful of other guys became very good friends during that time and got to know those coaches well also. We really appreciated their “customer service” at the time! This was in the oldest portion of Carmichael Gym and about the time the first “new section” (now old) was built. Wow, how much has changed with the facilities since that time! — Dr. Patrick Sustar ’87, ’89 DVM

The call for P.E. memories came out just as we were with a few college friends for a wedding, and we were talking all about the P.E. classes we took because of the four-course requirement at the time. The story my husband and I recollected was that he and one of his Phi Delt brothers had signed up for spring semester social dance class attempting to meet new girls (both had just gone through recent break-ups). I had also signed up for the same class but had started dating my husband just before the semester started. We had no idea we were in the same class – that pretty much killed his original intent. Twenty years of marriage later. . . I really wish we had cell phone cameras to capture us learning everything from shag to fox trot. — Robyn Reynolds Jones ’99 and Doug Jones ’01

I remember my first P.E. experience when I entered as a freshman in 1960. I was skinny and not very strong, and I waited my turn in dread as we lined up to do all the sit-ups, push-ups and chin-ups as we could with no chance to recover from the muscle strain or the embarrassment of failing. After we were exhausted from that, we were literally thrown into a swimming pool and told to swim to the other end. As I desperately tried to make my worn-out body glide across the pool, one foot cramped and then the other but somehow I made it. I had at least shown that I could swim without drowning. We also had to take a written “health” test that was sprinkled with questions about sex, and in a discussion with fellow orientation week survivors, I learned that if we had been smart we would have deliberately failed both the swimming test and the health test, which would have automatically enrolled us in what was known as the “sex class” and a rather easy set of swimming lessons. Later, friends told me of all the fun stuff they were seeing in the “health” class or how much fun it was to go swimming. I was stuck taking P.E. a couple of times a week, learning useful life skills such as speed skating and speed ball, a variation on soccer in which I suffered a broken nose that put me in the infirmary for a week. And to top it all off, my journey to the infirmary for a broken nose resulted in an unexcused absence from my freshman engineering graphics class, which meant that I ended up with a B. — James F. Marchman III ’64, ’69 PHD

I took gym under Sally Van Metre [Almakinders]. She knew my father, Abie Harris, because he was the university architect. My father was an avid runner, and he was really good. Sally decided to put me in the “A group,“ which dictated what you needed to do to excel in her class. I told her it was a mistake, but she insisted that as the daughter of Abie, a champion runner, I must be in shape. As I predicted, I was nowhere near the level where I could earn a grade that met my academic goals. I made a C in gym, and although I aced my other classes, I ended up with a 3.20, just shy of a 3.25 required for the Dean’s List. It still haunts me to this day. Fast forward many years. My son (a fourth generation Wolfpacker) began at NC State in 2018. He wanted to get P.E. out of the way, and he chose swimming. He was an accomplished swimmer, and he told me his teacher was a tall woman with short silver hair, “Sally something.” My father (who still goes to the gym at 89) had told me that Sally Van Meter was still teaching. I warned my son that Sally was awesome and was also not going to hand out an A for average times. I still have nightmares about running on that track and “sucking wind” the entire semester. I loved Sally, but I always regretted that C. Sally, you are the teacher of two generations of the Harris family; however, running was not my calling, and to this day, I really loathe it. But we adore you, and it’s a fun story to tell. Sally is a legend. — E. Wren Harris Rehm ’84

I took golf, badminton, archery and basketball. Archery was interesting as we were at the far end of the intramural field and we had to aim the arrow at a small wall of hay bales. The arrows went over the hay bales onto the street, but nobody was hurt. Golf was fun but you also had to keep the ball on the field. What I thoroughly enjoyed was playing pickup basketball in the afternoons at the gym. This will keep you in shape. Handball was new to me and we would go play handball in the afternoons. This will also give you a great workout. I met many new people playing sports. — David Craig ’79

During freshmen orientation we had to take a P.E. test that put everyone in one of three levels. The first group took very basic classes, the second played soccer and the third level got electives. I was happy to get electives. The test in Thompson Gym was a variety of graded events, such as standing jumps and push-ups, ending with a nude swim the length of the pool. We dropped clothes and lined up on one end and jumped. — Bill Watson ’59

My P.E. memory is of my final pool dive in a scuba class in 1972. We had to swim an obstacle course on the bottom of the pool. Our masks were blacked out and the class assistants played havoc with our gear as we tried to make our way around the course. I was basically blind, my air tank was off and my regulator was gone. However, they messed with the wrong girl! I had been an underwater swimmer almost since birth, so I calmly made my way through the course by feel and made an A. — Marian Youorski ’73

One semester I had badminton. I did very well, defeating my fellow classmates in singles and with a doubles partner. I proudly told our instructor that I was ready to beat him even though I had heard that he was skilled at the game. He agreed to play me, and the class watched as I only scored one point in two games. I learned a good lesson that day. — David Haworth ’58

I took gymnastics and karate at NC State and loved it! I learned so much from the instructors. I didn’t have a background in either area, so I learned something new, and it gave me an outlet to relax and have fun, since I typically took 18 to 21 hours a semester. The P.E. classes were definitely a highlight for me. — LaTonya Johnson ’00

Back in the day you had to take four semesters of P.E. I had Ms. Smaltz for P.E. 100. She was always moving, and she impressed me so much that I took every course she taught. I remember her to this day and even sent a note to her children when she passed. (They responded that if they had gotten my note sooner, they would have read it at her funeral). How many people who are not athletic at all — and majored in math — remember their P.E. teacher? She was positive, fair, motivating, graded you on effort and improvement and just made the experiences from walking laps to golf bearable. Then came the one semester that she wasn’t teaching anything I hadn’t already taken. I had to take volleyball and bowling and, without giving details of the teachers, will tell you that I made one of only two C’s that I made at NC State. I left volleyball with bruises up and down my arms. Even though bowling was with a lot of football players, the grade was based only on your scores, so I was delighted to be back with Ms. Smaltz my last semester. On a side note, I made a little side money refereeing and working at a few intramural events. Good times overall. — Sue Garriss ’77, ’78 MED

I had a class in P.E. called squash, a combination of handball and racquetball. The class had a basketball player who was sure he would win the class championship. Unfortunately for him, he ran up against an athlete from eastern North Carolina who consistently beat him both in class and afterwards in unscheduled bouts after hours. I was in the ’72 class and he was a varsity starter on the basketball team. — Jack R. Hayes ’74

I took four P.E. classes — golf, bowling, one I can’t recall, and of course, P.E. 100. I took everything for credit only — or so I thought. I worked my tail off in P.E. 100, but due to my weightlifting abilities, I was only able to pull a B in the course. Credit only, no problem. Until I got my grade card, and I saw that the B had wiped out my perfect 4.0. I immediately composed a letter and sent it to the coach and begged him to change it back to credit only. He did not just write me back. He actually called me on the phone and was very encouraging. He said he remembered me and that I always did everything that was asked of me during the class, and because of that, he was glad to change me to credit only. I subsequently went on to graduate with two degrees and a 4.0 average and was on the stage at graduation. Thanks, Coach! — Steve Humphrey ’95

My most memorable P.E. class was badminton. I thought, how hard could it be? But little did I realize my professor was some kind of national champion. Our final was a skills test. We had to place the birdie on certain spots on the court, serve under a string placed strategically about a foot above the net. I had to work very hard to get my B in the class. No more prejudgment from me. Badminton is tough! — Darlene Harper Rappa ’79

As a freshman we had to run a six-minute mile on the track behind Reynolds Coliseum. I had Ms. Smaltz as my first golf teacher. She was the best at encouraging us. I love golf today, thanks to her! — Donna Overman ’78

In 1969, swimming was required of all students. I had heard the stories of having wet hair in the winter from swimming and trudging across campus to class. So, my brilliant young mind, plus the girly-girl in me, told me to go to summer school and get that requirement out of the way. During orientation all incoming students were given a swim test which determined which level you would be put in — beginner, intermediate or advanced. You had to dive or jump in the pool and swim across it. I was assigned the intermediate swimming level. Fine. Or so I thought. I had math class first and then left Dabney for Carmichael. Our instructor was none other than the new swim coach, Don Easterling. I was one of two female students in the class of about 20. We learned the strokes, we dove from the sides of the pool and from the boards and jumped off the platforms. (I was smart enough not to dive off those platforms although that’s what Coach wanted.) We swam and swam and swam some more. I was a 5’4” thin young thing so there wasn’t a lot of meat on me. For two hours every single day we were put through our paces. I was exhausted. But Coach Easterling lived for and loved competition, so water polo was our real test. To make it fair, I was on one team and the other female student was on the other. Then all of us had at it. The guys would throw the ball to me or the other girl and then attack. Of course, we were dunked, which made us give up the ball. I was pushed down so hard that when I tried to surface, I was getting kicked in the head and body by feet of the guys above me. So I learned to swim sideways to get out from under the fray above. When I surfaced trying to catch my breath, that stupid ball would be right back in front of me and down I would go again. I literally almost drowned that summer — and I lost 11 pounds in the process! I passed that P.E. class. But I have never forgotten that summer. I almost wish I had just taken that swim class like “normal” students and walked into my English class with wet hair! I hope you enjoyed this memory. I now need to go sit down and rest. — Marcia Ann Powell Pitts ’72

I placed out of swimming and was only required to have three P.E. credits. I loved P.E. and took a total of seven courses to offset the brain exercise I was receiving. In the summer of 1979, I chose to stay in Raleigh to take a couple of courses each session to ease my load for senior year and graduate on time in May. I took golf and tennis that summer to stay active and learn something new while working on my academics. My golf instructor was Art Hoch. I found out he was Scott Hoch’s dad, who had just turned pro and was a couple of years older than me. We immediately hit it off — I think he felt sorry for me because I was the only left-hander in the class. I also found out he was a World War II vet who was a few months younger than my dad, who was Army Air Corps during the war, so we had that as a conversation bond. He was a good instructor, even teaching someone on the wrong side of the ball, as he put it, and we had many great conversations that summer session. When we went out to the “final exam” golf outing, he and I rode together in his cart. I shot the best score that day of the class, which was extremely ugly by most standards today! We had some students, two young ladies actually, who had a few ice-cold beverages before play that day and ran their cart into the lake. Mr. Hoch took it all in stride with a stern grin and we parted that day never to see each other again. I understood he retired not long after, and after that summer I could understand why. He was a fine man and left an indelible impression on this avid golfer until this day. — Timothy J. Copeland ’80

I have two memories that I have recalled many times since my graduation. The first one is that in P.E. 100 we had to walk a mile in 20 minutes. In 1971 I was not into exercise as I am today, so that seemed like a really long walk. But I accomplished it. Today at 70 years of age, I easily walk a mile in 12–15 minutes. My other memory is passing the swimming test so I would not have to take swimming, which would have been required if I had failed the swim test. I made sure I was going to pass that test as going to class with wet hair was not something I wanted to do. Classes were tightly scheduled and we walked everywhere, so I was determined to pass the test and I did. We had two years of P.E. with two different classes per semester. Not being very athletic, it was hard to come up with classes that I thought I could do well in. Golf and tennis were definitely not my strong suit, but I did well in modern dance and bowling. — Ann Laton Hayward ’74

I entered NC State in 1976 and like all freshmen, took a P.E. class where we were graded on how much we improved over the semester in strength, speed, etc. Because all my strength was apparently in my lower body, I was put in the “understrength” group. I showed improvement in strength during the semester and ended with an A. I also took skin diving and scuba diving. Back then the university had a swimming requirement for graduation. In scuba class we swam in the pool in Carmichael while a beginning swimming class was also being taught. We used to startle those students by swimming around under them on the bottom of the pool. We also had to learn how to rescue each other, and being one of the few females in the class, I was often picked to be the victim because I had more body fat and more positive buoyancy than my skinny male counterparts. Playing the victim did not help my self-esteem at all! — Joni Amerson ’80, ’91 MED

When I was at NC State 1978–85, we signed up for classes in Reynolds Coliseum with long lines. Of course I needed to get my most important classes first, which left me to pick some unique physical education courses, including bowling, square dancing, orienteering and fencing. But my most noted event in P.E. was when a classmate and I got accused of getting a ride when practicing for 1.5-mile run. I guess the teacher did not know we were experienced runners. — Jaymie Bodenheimer ’85

It was the fall of 1973. I was a freshman taking P.E. 100, a requirement at the time. The first part of the course was a 13-minute run/walk around the track. It was August in Raleigh so it was hard to breathe, especially if you aren’t used to running. The instructor paired everyone up with a buddy and stressed that we were never to leave our running buddy, no matter what. I was paired with a young lady that had asthma. Mid-way through the run my partner started having an asthma attack. Being someone who always follows the rules, I remembered the instructor telling us to never leave our partner. We were on the far side of the track, so I started yelling and waving my arms to get the instructor’s attention. She came over and assisted the lady but the upside was I didn’t have to run anymore that day. I felt bad for my partner, but I have never been so happy to get out of anything in my life! — Kathy Rector ’77

I played men’s soccer for NC State in the late ’70s. Our coaches were two men of great integrity. And they were both P.E. instructors. Max Rhodes was the head coach and Bob Gwyn was assistant head coach. Coach Rhodes often said a few words to lift up the team at the end of a pre-game speech. Then he’d pause and say, “The cream will rise to the top!” At the end of my junior year Coach Rhodes retired. In our last team meeting, he gave a final speech. You could tell what was coming at the end. Coach smiled big and said, “The cream will rise to the top!” But this last time was different. The players all said it with him. Good ending. — Steve Rea ’77

My parents still joke that NC State will ask me to hand back my diploma! This is because I didn’t pass the swim test that was a requirement to graduate many years ago. When I entered NC State as a freshman in 1981, my first week taking P.E. 100 was filled with anxiety. All the girls in my class were instructed to show up the next day at Carmichael Gym, where we would change into our swimsuits and wait by the pool for instructions. The teacher told us that we needed to swim 50 yards, across the pool and back. I was relieved that the test would be conducted in the shallow end, but I knew that I couldn’t swim anyway. When the whistle blew, I jumped into the pool, lifted my arms forward, and put my legs against the side to push off. Honestly, I was hoping that it would be a strong enough push to propel me across the water, where I could glide and kick to the other side. But, as gravity started pulling me under, I put my legs down to the bottom and then leaped forward again, pretending that I could swim. I continued all the way across and then back again. My teacher scribbled something on her clipboard and told me that I would have to take beginning swimming as one of my other three required electives in Physical Education before I could graduate. Well, I finished the first semester and signed up for P.E. 231, body mechanics, the second semester. As I continued collecting the requirements for my undergraduate degree, I would choose P.E. 235, beginning karate, and P.E. 251, target archery, to complete the four credits needed for my major. I never did sign up for beginning swimming, and up until the day of graduation, I worried that I would receive a letter notifying me of my missing swim class. I don’t know what year that the swimming requirement was dropped from NC State’s graduation requirements, but I have a feeling it must have been some time before my graduation in 1985, since I never heard anything else about it. Now I’m wondering if NC State will come after me about that P.E. 100 T-shirt that I never turned back to the gym! — Lisa Creech Saleh ’85

I took golf in 1972. My instructor was Art Hoch, whose son later became a PGA golfer. About halfway through the course, Mr. Hoch looked at me and said, “You, without a doubt, have the worst golf swing I have ever seen.” For the final exam, we had to hit five balls from 125 yards with an eight-iron to the putting green on the upper intramural field. The first one I hit was a roller that went about 20 yards. After that, the next four landed softly on the green. I ended up with a B for the course, not too bad for such a terrible golf stroke! — John Price ’75, ’76 MPA

Growing up, two of my greatest passions were the Wolfpack and dance. So, when I was accepted, I looked for every opportunity I could to get involved in dance. During my four years I joined Dancing with Wolves, Dancelife and Sube Ritmo, but that wasn’t enough. I was thrilled to discover that I could take a dance course for one of the required Health and Exercise Studies credits. I decided on HESD 273 (Jazz Dance I) with Peggy Domingue. I had so much fun in this class that I signed up for HESD 280 (Jazz Dance II). These classes were not only an amazing opportunity to get back in a studio and grow as a dancer, they were the best possible way to start my mornings. Peggy is a fantastic instructor who cares about her students but also pushes them to work hard to better themselves. I even took cross training with her to complete my GEP requirements. There are so many incredible Health and Exercise classes to choose from. You could find yourself learning a whole new skill or you could step back into an activity that feels like second nature! — Amelia Cook ’21

During my water safety instructor class, one of our tasks was to monitor new swimmers. I believe that in order to pass the swim course, the students had to make it from one end of the pool to the other. There was one individual who would start out with a casual stroke and then begin to slowly sink. I would scoop him up using the pole hook and he would continue onward toward the end of the pool as if nothing had happened. Never varying his stroke, he continued to slowly sink three more times. Each time I would scoop him up to the surface. The funny thing was he never panicked nor did anything differently, even when underwater. If he only knew the panic this 19-year-old lifeguard felt every time I saw him start to disappear. He was, however, very appreciative of my efforts to keep him from becoming a statistic when he finally emerged from the pool. I sincerely hope he moved to the Sahara, Gobi or Mojave deserts when he graduated, far away from any body of water. — Bruce Randolph “Randy” Bateman ’72