Cannonball!

You know that scene in Caddyshack when the caddies storm the gates of the swimming pool at the Bushwood Country Club for their 30 minutes per week of open swim? Almost every weekday afternoon at around 3pm you can watch it played out in real life at the community pool in Cambridge, Mass. About a 15 minute walk from the youth center, the Veterans Memorial Wading and Swimming Pool is constantly overrun by the 30 kids attending the Willis Moore Youth Center summer sports camp. While things usually settle down after about 15 minutes, no trip is truly complete without an exhaustive attempt at the perfect cannonball. As someone who is (supposedly) responsible for the kids I used to try to make sure that the other pool users were forewarned, but it's a lot funnier to watch the bystander's expressions the exact moment when he or she realizes their goal of wading in the pool without getting their hair wet is nothing but a pipe dream.

With this in mind, I'd like to present a formal analysis from last Friday's highlight reel showcasing a range of techniques that have been championed thus far:



Exhibit A: The Butt Drop

Maximum radial coverage, effective with more mass.

Exhibit B: The Face Plant

May induce temporary discomfort, but allows for permanent bragging rights

Exhibit C: The 80lb Cannonball

Showing classic form with knees up to one's neck, this method is especially effective in stealth mode

Exhibit D: The Tag Team

Brutally devastating, requires a high degree of coordination and used only in extreme circumstances. Bystanders truly have no defense.

Exhibit E: The Backscratcher

Because somewhere out there it's snowing, and it never hurts to practice!

I'm heading to the doctor in a little over a week for my 6 week checkup. So far things have been progressing very well, and I'm looking forward to graduating to a more intense rehab after getting my clean bill of health. Until then I'll be critiquing the many types of cannonballs performed by the able-bodied. Here's to summer weather and glacier skiing!