Did you enjoy PE at school

[Mimi]

As it is GDs school sports day today it got me thinking back to when I was at school and PE ( as it was called then ) in general.
Was it something you looked forward to or did it generate dread and fear.
I loved all the outdoor sports whatever the weather. I played them all , hockey, rounders , tennis etc. I was in several school teams and played in many tournaments.
On the other hand doing gym indoors was sheer hell I hated every single minute of it and I did my very best to get out of it if possible.
I can sympathise with a lot of children who hate the very idea of these sort of lessons but some sort of physical exercise must be encouraged as there are so many overweight children out there, something that was unusual when I was a child.

[Nanto2girls]

I didn't like PE either. I was in the school netball team which I did enjoy.Didn't like hockey,was always getting hit on my legs with the sticks.
Agree that some form of exercise should be encouraged in schools.

[Grauntie Mag]

I hated it with a passion. I have no ball- eye co-ordination and I am left handed. I did try, but decided hiding in the toilets was a better option. 😁

[Plantaholic]

I enjoyed PE and most sports but I was very mediocre at everything. I now play indoor bowls, swim and loved yoga, had to give it up as I developed a balance problem in my left ear.

[Avo]

I loved it - I was very good at sport and my children followed in my footsteps, both DS played Rugby for Cambridge, one also for East Anglia and he had trials for England (did'nt get in sadly). They were good allrounders, as was I, and still enjoy sports. I only do Pilates now and the only time I run is after little gs !! lol

[Bizzy Lizzy]

I absolutely hated and dreaded all PE lessons in whatever form they took. I was a real tomboy out of school, mostly outside on bike or skates but in school a different story. I can relate to the hockey stick leg bruises Nanto and anything that meant going out in the cold was abhorrent to me. Inside on the climbing frames or jumping over the dreaded horse was also fraught with difficulties and risk of serious injury and, to round the whole wonderful experience off, we were made to take a cold shower at the end in a communal area with no privacy. For a very private only child it could not have been worse.

[Nana]

Bizzy, you didn't go to RC school did you? I loved sports...was Captain in different teams etc, very athletic & swam like a fish. The event that sticks with me to this day was that I was made to shower in the only cubicle Without the door. At home to see someone naked was an absolute nono. I was very body shy. When I'd undressed the teacher said that everyone should look at me & used me as an example. I wasn't special so didn't deserve any special treatment. Still upsets me remembering it.

[Gemini]

HATED it, I can't say this strongly enough!!!! My OH loved it

Mamar*, that's awful xx

[Oma]

I cant tell you how many times I was sent out because I refused to do PE I did like netball but I wasn't the shape to do sport hated outdoor sports couldn't run to save my life hated the gym the damn horse or the bars and then there was the rings and that rope to climb I was too fat to hold my own weight , When we were 15 we had this teacher who wanted us to prance around the gym being fairy`s in our t-shirts and big navy blue knickers , well almost all of the class refused and sat down she made us sit there for two hours right through lunch till we did it well no one was going to do it ,she kept saying you wont get out of hear till you do , eventually another teacher came in and sent us all to the head teacher so about 28 of us trudged off and stood outside his office , he got no answers off us so we ended up getting 100 lines each that no one did . I was always a good girl but I drew the line there The boys were all out side the gym looking through the windows egging us on (including Brian ) Yet come home and we skipped for hours skated played catch etc till we dropped then as we got older Danced all night to someone`s record player so we got plenty exercise

[ZIZI]

when I was first at secondary school I was on the netball team as I was taller than the then average 11 year old and I was good at it. Unfortunately that is the last time in my whole life I have been considered tall as I stopped growing at five foot and a half an inch in the second year. I played hockey and was very good at it. I wasn't at all concerned about the hockey sticks bashing me as I did a fair bit of that myself. I was a good goalie (we all took turns in goal) and I was a quick little whippet down the field. I trialled for the England Schoolgirl team at WEMBLEY but I didn't get on,to be fair the girl who got in was better than me but I cried for weeks. I didn't like tennis much as I always missed the ball however in my twenties and thirties I did play squash averagely.

I was a good hurdles runner, javelin thrower and quite good at high jump! Rubbish at long jump and distance running. Hated the gym. I hated when we were in first and second year and we had to just wear those horrid big knickers and relieved when we got to third year when we could wear shorts and fourth year when we could wear sports skirts which we made in needlework. I was complete rubbish at needlework and cheated by taking it to my gran who lived down the road and was an expert seamstress! I got in trouble for that when I confessed when they were going to give me a prize for how neatly it was made! AND for my (eventual) honesty I got a telling off and lines.

[Shemadee]

Hated P.E. with a vengeance. My brothers were all sporty in different ways and even now two of them are involved as referees/umpires. We had to do the showering naked as well. Thinking back it was madness and we were quite convinced that the P.E. teachers were perverted (though I don't think we knew the actual word). When you think that nudity or exposing your body was completely banned it does seem odd that so many PE teachers used to force this on us. Some girls would try and wrap their towels around them which just singled them out and drew the attention of the teachers. I wonder what the thinking was behind all this - something they were taught in their training colleges perhaps? I wonder if the boys had to do the same? Never thought to ask.

[Elisi]

Hated every moment! Wearing silly knickers and the only sport I liked was tennis or running.

[mamma-mia]

I used to like PE at school. Was good at most sports, but have never played tennis or hockey. I played badminton and rounders for the school, and was in the top three for long jump and hurdles. We were made to have showers too, some of rhe cubicles had shower curtains and it was a race to see who could get these. And to add insult to injury ,we were given the tiniest of towels to get dry. They covered nothing. Oh yes and the navy blue knickers

[Libra Gran]

Detested PE the only thing I did enjoy was netball probably because it was played in summer. Hockey was the thing I hated most prancing around a freezing cold pitch,while the games teacher was wrapped up to the nines.Bully off-I don't think so.

[Glammanana]

I enjoyed Netball and was Captain of the team one term we won the inter schools tournament and had our picture in the local rag all sporting big gold medallions I liked the swimming gala's we had but we never went swimming on a regular basis with the school you had to be picked to join the team and I only got picked once.
Indoor gym was hated by most of us girls all that jumping over those awful horse thingy's and trying to climb up ropes not very ladylike imo.