A Good Time?

A good time? 

During the summer of 1972 that was the question on the lips of many of the kids from the local Stairs at Oxgangs Avenue and Oxgangs Street. 

In June, Paul Forbes, my brother Iain and I visited a pawnbroker’s shop in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh’s Old Town with the express purpose of buying a stopwatch. It cost me a fiver (£5). 

Esther Blades; Iain Hoffmann; Ali Douglas; Ruth Blades 
Alison Blades; ‘Boo-Boo’ Hanlon; and Eileen Hogg 

I had decided the latest wheeze for the school summer holidays would be to organise athletics competitions. Throughout that summer we used to attract around thirty of our pals as active participants. Supplementing the stopwatch was a measuring tape which I had managed to borrow from Bill Walker at Meadowbank Sports Centre and a little notebook and pen. 

'Can we borrow a tape measure please Mr Walker?!'

Within the notebook there was an individual section for each participant to record their best times and their best jumps. 

The Four Blocks

The events consisted of: Fence (Hoffmann garden) to Lamppost (outside No 8 Oxgangs Avenue) a pure short sprint: Bus Stop (outside No 2 Oxgangs Avenue) to Lam post (outside No 8 Oxgangs Avenue) - the classic sprint distance; Once Around The Two Blocks - a lap (or loop) of Stairs Nos 6 and 8 Oxgangs Avenue i.e. three short bursts and two longer bursts with four left (right angles) turns; and finally the classic distance of Once Around The Four Blocks (the Stair's equivalent of one lap of an athletics track.) We were quite happy to accommodate other requests too e.g. twice or thrice around the four blocks for the more energetic. 

We also used to put on long jump and triple jump competitions too. These were held on the grass strip across from The Stair on the other side of Oxgangs Avenue beside the bus stop. These events could easily last for a couple of hours and more. For the locals queuing up for the number 5 or number 16 buses they brought some light entertainment.

Initially to help make everyone involved, a relatively short distance would be marked out. I knew everyone could make the distance, even those as young as Esther Blades. Each participant would have three attempts at each set distance to enable them to advance to the next round and distance. The distances would be increased incrementally, but gradually. This meant that everyone was involved for a long time. For those who were younger it would take a big effort to progress. If you were older or quite athletic you could show off or fool around in the early rounds. It also served as a good warm- up.

As the distance became more challenging everyone was very supportive, encouraging their pals to make a big effort to try to reach the distance and progress to the next round. If a younger child made it past the marker, a big cheer went up. If you didn't make the mark, there was a groan and commiseration and encouragement that you'd make it the next time.

Because everyone was so involved from the start even once you were eliminated everyone tended to stay on to see how the event progressed; to see who would eventually leap the furthest and how far each person actually jumped. Also, if you were knocked out you might become a judge or set the marker distances. And although it was a competition, ultimately everyone won and lost because you would usually set a personal best but we all failed eventually at some stage to reach the marker.

Similarly by running and timing each of the set distances those were mainly done individually so each person was competing against themselves trying to improve one's personal best. And if you were competitive you could compare your times against your peers.

I kept the original notebook for decades stored away in my grandmother's attic until she died, when it became lost. It may still be amongst my own papers but I don't think so. I was always tempted to take my sons Atticus and d’Artagnan out to Oxgangs Avenue to see how they might compare to our generation's times. They would certainly have been game.

d’Artagnan and Atticus racing and being timed 
(Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh) 

When we visited the National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh I always had to time the boys on a lap of the Charles Jencks Garden.

Comment from Cuban Keith: I remember witnessing with envy the way you guys set up a wee athletic competition around your blocks.