Freddogg Off The Chain

His name was Dexter, he was Afro American when they were still black, he virtually never spoke, and all his friends just called him “Shock Waves.”
This 1983 movie about a sunken German Submarine whose zombie crew walked out of the Atlantic wearing big assed sunglasses was shown repeatedly on the early days of the Movie Channel which you could get illegally by wedging a butter knife behind your channel changer and getting the dial to stop between channels 10 and 11.
Dexter wore the big dark glasses all the time earning his nickname. Dexter spent all day in Special Education classes where teachers paid 50 grand a year to remediate him gave him grades like 23 for English and 17 for Math.
But Dexter wasn’t stupid, everyone else was. I knew the glasses were symbols of his hiding and I also knew he was the fastest person in the school. I had him “Indvudualized Educationally Planned” past the eligibility Nazis claiming it was part of his socialization. Dexter loved me I could tell by the way he looked at me through the glasses.
The first day of practice I gave Dexter and the sprinters a workout to be conducted by Coach Tom Hickman who had survived five combat campaigns in World War Two had won the Silver Star and had actually killed Germans. But Shock Waves was the ultimate challenge for this great man other teachers just called Reverend because of his ministry in helping kids especially black kids.
I warned Hickman that Dexter wasn’t about workouts and not to take it personally. The workout consisted of two sets of three times 200 meters walking the 200 meter interval.
Dexter ran the first 200 and blew everyone away. “That’s it Dexter, way to go Dexter, ”Hickman said.
The next one Dexter ran half and walked the other half. “Confound you Dexter, c’mon Dexter, you can do it Dexter.”
The next time Dexter walked the entire 200 meters. “Confound you Dexter, c’mon Dexter, you can do it.”
Then Dexter busted another, then walked another, then refused to walk or run the last one and all the while it was “way to go Dexter, confound you Dexter, you can do it Dexter “ from Hickman.
Finally, the no talking Dexter turned to his teammates and spoke, ”I know one damned thing! I gotta change my freaking name!”

Peace Coach Freddogg

Note: Actually Dexter's first sentence at practice contained stronger language but this is American where first amendment priviledges are best used carefully and selectively.