The Skitching Affair - "YCTTBOOTB"

Skitching was a game my dad and his friends played immediately after a heavy snow. In fact, it could only be played when the streets were covered with snow. skitching was judged based on speed, distance, and style; to win you had to go fast, far, and you had to skitch with flair. The “starting gate” for skitching was a street corner, either at a stop light or stop sign. The equipment necessary were sturdy shoes, thick gloves, a car with a protruding bumper, and an unsuspecting driver. The way the game was played was like this; when a car pulled up to a stop light or stop sign, the competitor stealthily walked behind the car, crouched down in a squat position, grabbed the bumper firmly, leaned back slightly, and then held on for dear life. As you can tell, skitching is very similar to water skiing with a few exceptions. It was similar because in both cases you are being pulled by a powerful machine, in both cases the faster and farther you go the more fun you have; on the other hand, they're different because if you lose your grip while water skiing you don’t get run over by the boat behind you. This is exactly what happened one day when my dad and a few of his friends were spending their afternoon engaged in a competitive game of skitching.This one particular snowy afternoon when school let out early my dad and his friends were hanging out on the corner of 232nd Street and Kingsbridge Avenue. One of their classmates, a boy named Wesley Otero, was hanging out with my dad and his friends that day; Weslie wasn’t one of their close friends, just someone who occasionally hung around with them when he had nothing else to do. He had never skitched before but he was interested in doing anything new and exciting. My dad explained the game to him and before he knew it Wesley was at the starting gate about to take off behind a 1974 black Nova but unfortunately for Wesley he was wearing a dark blue Parka coat which blended in with the car, in other words, you couldn’t see him very clearly behind the Nova – especially with the heavy snow comining down. Wesley started down Kingsbridge Avenue with good form; his feet were shoulder width apart, his knees were bent at a 45 degree angle, he leaned back, both arms fully extended, and most importantly he had a firm grip. The car began to drive down the hill but then another vehicle, a Sanitation Truck with a snow plow which was shoveling snow and spreading salt, pulled directly behind the Nova – apparently he didn't see Wesley. When the Nova past 233rd Street – disaster struck – the car drove over a sewer cover which was not covered with snow and Wesley’s feet came out from under him. With his feet coming to an abrupt halt and his hands still gripping the bumper he was drug behind the car for a few feet and when he let go he began tumbling down the street. The Sanitation Truck driver must have finally noticed him and he slammed on the breaks but he couldn’t stop before the snow plow ran into Wesley but luckily instead of running him over him or chopping him in half - it actually scooped him up like a clump of snow. He came away from this whole skitching experience with a few bumps, bruises, and some cuts – and his life. Wesley was never seen skitching ever again; as a matter of fact this was the last time anyone in the neighborhood participated in skitching...at least for that winter.