Some of my clearest and most vivid memories are from my summers in the recreation program at the town park in the heart of North Collins. I was still very Young, I believe I was about seven or eight. It was the last day of camp and the whole camp was going to play a big game of capture the flag on the east side of camp, (which is the highest elevated place in the park). There was this one kid that was older than most of the campers there and everyone loved him. He was nuts! On the box ball court he would put huge cones over his arms and sometimes he would even last five or six rounds! His name was Xavier, and when he donned the cones he became “Professor X”. That was his nickname around the camp. So anyway, the whole camp headed up to the east part of the town park and the teams were chosen. The captains were professor X and Ian Loretto, (Who was another big goofy kid).

Professor X chose me for his team and I was ecstatic. Both teams took their respective sides and we all got ready to go. X suddenly told me to get on his shoulders. Of course I listened to him because he was the captain. So up I went onto the hulking kids shoulders. The whistle was sounded and X charged forward. I pointed forward with a grin as if I was leading the charge. I remember trying to be cool and not laugh. He sprinted over the enemy line along with four or five others. We all bounded towards the opposing team’s flag and kids were jumping out of the way as to not get plowed over by X. Ian managed to tag professor X in the shin when he was fifteen feet from the safe zone and the flag. This was where it got cool.

X bended over and I tumble off of him and dive for the safe zone. I narrowly dodged Ian and his lackeys. I turned back to see nobody on our side was even getting close to where X and I were; Ian’s team’s defence was too strong. I knew if I made a run for it I wouldn’t make it back with the flag. So I did the only thing that made sense to me at the time. I ran from the safe zone and tagged X. We both jogged back to our side to continue the game. I remember him giving me a wink before tagging Ian who had tried the jump into the safe zone. We were a force to be reckoned with and there was no way anybody was getting past us. The rest of the game was a breeze and after two or three charges at the enemy flag it was delivered to our side and the game had ended.