# did anyone ever actually have to climb a rope in gym class **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623 "2010-11-05T20:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/81 "2010-11-06T22:08:25Z")
Junior High, mid 60’s… One of the tests required to get an A in gym was to climb to the top of the rope and then lower yourself down–without using your legs or feet. Arms only. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/82 "2010-11-06T22:13:21Z")
I did - born in '82, lived in the UK at the time. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/83 "2010-11-06T22:18:53Z")
Yes, every year until I graduated high school in 1994. I was really, really good at it in middle school. Even though I was ripped in high school, it was much harder, I think because I simply weighed more - more weight to haul up the rope. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/84 "2010-11-06T22:22:49Z")
Absolutely, 1960-62, Arlington VA. High School. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/85 "2010-11-06T23:28:18Z")
Yes. We had to climb a rope in PE. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/86 "2010-11-07T00:46:10Z")
Early grade school, in the early 70s. I was abysmal at it. Seemed really dangerous to me, because the rope went up quite high. I don’t recall being yelled at/punished/graded down for not being able to. I was jealous of the ones who could. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/87 "2010-11-07T01:02:02Z")
We had two kinds of rope. The real rope and the rope with knots in it so you could rest. I got about 3/4 of the way up on the real (knotless) rope and couldn’t go any more, the coach was like “Fine, just come done.” So I just slide down. It was fun for two seconds till I realized due to sliding down the rope my hand was one big bleeding blister. The coach was like “That was dumb, now you have to clean the blood off the rope.” So I did and then went to the nurse. My mum was a nurse and she looked at it and said, “Well that was dumb, c’mon were you that dumb not to know that’d happen.” So my blistered hand of yesterday probably would’ve been a lawsuit today ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/88 "2010-11-07T01:14:43Z")
We did it at primary school (UK). I still have a sense memory of rope burn from coming down too fast. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/89 "2010-11-07T03:23:57Z")
In high school in the early 80’s, we absolutely had rope-climbing requirements. If I’d ever somehow managed to get to the top, I probably would have thrown myself off. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/90 "2010-11-07T04:28:00Z")
We had the rope. On rainy days, our high school PE class would meet in the gym without dressing down. I remember very well our PE teacher MR “B” who was also the wrestling coach. He would walk around and challenge us to climb the rope. I had tried out for wrestling and did very well in tryouts, but then told him that I didn’t want to wrestle, which made him a bit mad. So I was a special target for his jibes. (At the time, I was working as a lifeguard and swam several miles each day.) I gave in, sat down on the mat, and proceeded to climb to the top using only my arms. I remember looking down at his very red face at the bottom of the rope. When I came down, I handed the end to him. He started up the rope and couldn’t make it to the top without using his legs. Laughter ensued. I was on his poop list from that moment on. BTW, I probably couldn’t get 3 feet up that rope today. Ahhh, youth… ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/91 "2010-11-07T07:30:02Z")
Yep. Without using legs, and in an L-sit position. Believe it or not. ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/92 "2010-11-07T09:19:26Z")
I remember it in elementary school in the late 80’s. I could do the “easy” rope with the knots, but not the regular rope. I HATED that peg board test, my legs were always stronger than my arms. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/93 "2010-11-07T11:48:58Z")
Yes, we had a climbing rope in high school. I could make it about three feet up. We also had a gymnastics rotation. We had to pick three events – uneven parallel bars, vault, floor, and balance beam for the girls. Talk about a harrowing three weeks of gym class. I did fine on the balance beam. I tried to do a penny drop from the uneven parallel bars and landed on my head. One of the elements of the vault was to run up, jump on the spring, then land in a tucked position on top of the horse. I ran up, jumped on the spring, and catapulted myself right over the horse. Of course, I liked the gymnastics rotation far better than the running test. Once a quarter, they took us out onto a track and gave us 12 minutes to run 1 3/4 mile. I got a “D” on that. Ah, the good old days. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/94 "2010-11-07T13:13:22Z")
My husband taught high school PE in the sixties and seventies and never had the kids do it. He was in high school in the fifties and never had to do it, but he remembers watching someone try. I remember seeing a rope at my high school, but never saw anyone on it. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/95 "2010-11-07T14:42:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Yes, we had to. I don’t remember kids who couldn’t make it to the top, but there probably were some. > > Remember that scene in Wayne’s World where Garth says that Heather Lockleer makes him feel like he’s climbing the rope in gym class? I know exactly what he was talking about. I’d sometimes have an involuntary orgasm when climbing. Then the kids at the bottom would ask what was taking me so long. “uh… nothin’!” +1 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/96 "2010-11-08T03:26:26Z")
Is it still done in this day and age? Seems like it would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/97 "2010-11-08T08:50:36Z")
Yep, I remember rope climbing. For one PE rotation we also went canoeing, horse riding, learnt sailing and had a school traithlon. We also did a four day tramp and spread gravel on a track walkway by carring bags of shingle up and down a 30 degree grass slope in the middle of a paddock ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/98 "2010-11-08T08:56:48Z")
I did. You had to climb the fifth knot to pass. The rest of the knots were all spread at the same distance, which was one I could climb fine, but that fifth knot was a knot’s-width higher, leading to my elbows locking. That was one test where those people with locking elbows or short arms got a 4 and the others got a 10. I once managed to climb over that knot by grabbing the rope under it, looping it around my hand so I could use the loop as a handhold - but That Bitch we had for Phys Ed said that was “cheating” and gave me a 4 for the test and an E for attitude for cheating. The last time I saw her, she tried to get all cozy with me. I informed her that maybe she’s old enough to have Alzheimer’s but I’m not, I remember every single bit of her sadism thank you much :mad: ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/99 "2010-11-08T15:33:20Z")
I still have a scar from rope-climbing in first grade (in 1979). I climbed up to the ceiling with no problem, then slid down. I got a nasty rope burn on my shin, from where I had the rope wrapped around my leg. It was seriously gross when it got infected. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623/100 "2010-11-08T15:52:52Z")
We did it elementary through middle school, I don’t think the high school had any ropes. We all thought we were badass because in elementary school the rope was knotted every 2 feet or so and we could all climb like monkeys. No knots in middle school ☹ I’d say only 10% of the class could climb to the top then. I never mastered the foot work, I’d get three good pulls in with arms alone and be completely out of gas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-actually-have-to-climb-a-rope-in-gym-class/559623.md?page=6)