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PE did you love it or loathe it??

(120 Posts)
Babs03 Wed 12-Feb-25 20:45:11

I was the nerdy child who couldn't catch a ball to save my life, so I dreaded PE. The picking of teams - nobody picked me so the PE teacher usually forced a side to take me, the screaming in my face to run or catch or do both, and the humiliation at being so very, very bad at something.
I usually got my mum to write a note.

JamesandJon33 Thu 13-Feb-25 08:44:42

We had to shower after games. Six cold, stone clad cubicles next to the changing room. The PE teacher, Miss Alcock ( honestly) would run her hand down your back to check it was wet.

Granmarderby10 Thu 13-Feb-25 08:44:50

This obsession that some schools had with making pupils showers was rather “pervy”.

Cossy Thu 13-Feb-25 08:47:08

I liked Netball and Rounders and loathed hockey and cross country

Witzend Thu 13-Feb-25 09:03:27

Loathed it. Sadistic PE teachers and having to brave freezing hockey/lacrosse pitches in winter, in just those stupid little skirts. Changing rooms always stinking of BO from those girls (usually the ones who liked PE) who didn’t use deodorant.

Couldn’t wait to get to 6th form and be allowed to drop it. The favourite option then was sloping off to the 6th form common room (actually Upper 6th only) for a coffee and an illicit fag. 😂

Luckygirl3 Thu 13-Feb-25 09:19:07

I loathed it with every fibre of my being: very short-sighted, non-competitive by nature, poor balance. It was torture and put me off school.

Grannynannywanny Thu 13-Feb-25 09:39:48

I loathed and dreaded it. Not helped by the very unpleasant PE teacher. One morning she left the gym mid lesson to take a phone call and told us all to sit on the floor in complete silence till her return.

During her absence a few girls were bold enough to have a whispered chat. When the teacher returned she demanded to know who had spoken during her absence .

Nobody owned up so she told us all to line up along the wall with hands outstretched. Then made her way along the line and belted forty odd 13 year old girls. A cruel and sadistic teacher and sadly not the only one in our school.

Margiknot Thu 13-Feb-25 09:40:41

I enjoyed country dancing at primary school. At senior school, there were lots of different sports to try- we even had an outdoor unheated swimming pool ( freezing). I discovered I was hopeless at tennis. I quite liked hockey but rarely lasted a game - the combination of running about and cold air set off my asthma so I was sent in - with a ( hockey hating volunteer) class mate to keep an eye on eye on me.

vintage1950 Thu 13-Feb-25 09:41:37

Loathed it. Had an undiagnosed sight problem then (which was later corrected with glasses), so couldn't hit the ball. The showers were entirely communal, no cubicles. We refused to go in them. The games mistress couldn't see the problem! Flappergirl, you were so brave!

NotSpaghetti Thu 13-Feb-25 09:45:02

I never saw the point of ball games - kicking, chasing, catching, whacking with implements... I was quite good at volleyball, OK at rounders and good at long jump. I suppose I was an "ordinary" middle of the road girl in PE.

I loved trampoline and gymnastics was OK.

On the whole though it was all a pointless waste of time to me except trampoline (which was an after school activity anyway).

Some children just don't get it.

Sea swimming and horse riding I could have done all day.

Redhead56 Thu 13-Feb-25 09:53:12

Our PE teachers were horrible they made us do PE in our navy knickers it was humiliating especially in our teens. I was quite shy and I didn’t like indoor PE the gym horse or rope climbing especially.
I didn’t mind outdoor sports high/long jump running rounders etc. We took a coach to a different college for Lacrosse I never saw the logic in it because our school had adequate sports grounds.

rosie1959 Thu 13-Feb-25 10:01:39

Never particularly keen on sports although for some reason I was fair at the high jump even though I am small. Remember we did cross country once stopped for a quick smoke and went back a bit too early nearly got picked for the cross-country team.
Swimming was my thing was pretty good at this and swam for our local swimming club. Got my own back on giving those who took the mucky on the sports field a good ducking !
Was quite telling back in the 60s at primary school when we started school swimming lessons there was only two of us that could swim. Thankfully that has now changed

mum2three Thu 13-Feb-25 10:14:01

I wear glasses and hated playing netball as I was afraid the ball would land on my face and smash them.
I was quite good at hockey and rounders.
The worst thing about sports was being part of a team and not wanting to let the others down. I was always last to be picked so I knew I wasn't really wanted.

annodomini Thu 13-Feb-25 10:14:01

Our 'gym' teacher was clueless. She wore what we now call culottes, but was then a divided skirt. We could see, all too clearly, that she wore long knickers under it. I was a bit tubby (well, fat) in my early teens and never had the strength (or motivation) to pull myself up on a rope; half way up the wall bars was far enough and why bother anyway? When Christmas approached she would teach us how to dance in hold, in case we ever managed to find a boy to latch on to. I did enjoy the occasional hockey lesson which taught us nothing, but I got some exercise running after the ball. Eventually I reached the heights of the second XI though I was (audibly) cross not to be its captain!

jusnoneed Thu 13-Feb-25 10:16:44

I enjoyed Hockey (played for the school teams for three years) and Tennis. Hated Gym and athletics, especially cross country.
Always liked swimming although the school didn't have a pool and we had to walk to the local public one for "lessons", which meant about half an hour in the water if you were lucky. Thankfully my Dad taught us to swim in the River Brue! Those were the days when you could happily get into the river water, wouldn't want to now.

westendgirl Thu 13-Feb-25 10:25:38

Loved it ,some bits better than others, but overall to me it was all part of the experience of being at the Grammar school.
We very rarely had classes cancelled because of the weather. Even in the snow we had organised snowball fights and yes we did do it in the 6th form.Although I can remember our Latin teacher offering us Greek lessons if the class was cancelled in the 6th form.

NotSpaghetti Thu 13-Feb-25 10:29:59

Can someone who likes (or liked) ball games please tell me what they like/liked about them.
They seem so pointless to me!

Allira Thu 13-Feb-25 10:33:52

Skill, dexterity, agility, co-orination, quick thinking and of course, team spirit.
Unless it's tennis, badminton etc. No team spirit in singles matches. 😃

As humans have been playing ball games for 3,000 years they must have some appeal!

Allira Thu 13-Feb-25 10:36:02

jusnoneed

I enjoyed Hockey (played for the school teams for three years) and Tennis. Hated Gym and athletics, especially cross country.
Always liked swimming although the school didn't have a pool and we had to walk to the local public one for "lessons", which meant about half an hour in the water if you were lucky. Thankfully my Dad taught us to swim in the River Brue! Those were the days when you could happily get into the river water, wouldn't want to now.

Just seen a video of the local river on our local FB page, I nearly brought up my breakfast again.

Mollygo Thu 13-Feb-25 10:48:31

Swimming, cross country and lacrosse yes.
Anything else no.
Being a tennis failure was quite good though. We were sent to practise against walls. You could have a good squash type game with the other failures.
Showers were embarrassing, whether you were an early developer or not. The group saw it as another opportunity to bully.
I never saw how a cold run through them made you any cleaner.

Athrawes Thu 13-Feb-25 11:08:30

I hated PE in secondary school - until we had a new PE teacher who seemed to understand us. I felt brave enough to want to do a roly poly over a 'horse' as others were doing it but I wanted to do it without being watched by the other girls. When the girls left, the teacher showed me what to do and she was so patient and helpful - and I succeeded! I was so pleased. The teacher's patience was lovely.

Grantanow Thu 13-Feb-25 11:11:13

Managed to opt out of PE and Games for the 7 years I was at school. Wonderful - got the prize for best results at A level but the Head wouldn't make me a prefect: no school spirit, ha ha. And I can't say my health has suffered in any way from ditching PE.

Devorgilla Thu 13-Feb-25 11:12:21

I hated PE. I did extra Latin, which I loved, to get out of it - most of the time. When we got to Sixth Form (years 12-13) we had large lockers I could fit into. I hid in them every PE lesson until PE staff and class had gone to fields. I still got decent reports from PE Staff. They never came looking for me. Most of the students I taught also hated PE.

eazybee Thu 13-Feb-25 11:18:56

I liked PE, as in gymnastics, but I heartily disliked Games.
All that running around after a leather ball of varying size, on a freezing cold field, with (some ) people getting hysterical over winning or losing. Who cares?
Still feel the same.

Babs03 Thu 13-Feb-25 11:20:55

I had nightmares for years about PE and the sadistic teachers as well as the bullies who tended to excel at sport. It put me off any kind of competitive sport or activity for life.
Thankfully my daughters didn’t pick up on this and mainly enjoyed PE with one daughter doing extremely well in a girls footy team.
I sincerely hope that no child is made to take part in competitive sports if they feel awkward and upset about it today. There are lots of ways a child at school can get exercise when taking part in a solo sport like running, swimming, or an hour spent in a school gym. No idea why aerobics is not on the curriculum. Much more enjoyable than people screaming at you to do something with a ball in a team sports activity.

kibera10 Thu 13-Feb-25 11:24:06

Loathed PE but did mostly like swimming, which the same teacher took. Only for swimming we went to an outdoor unheated pool and swimming started immediately after the Easter holidays, and the PE teacher would be there in her coat, hat, scarf and gloves.