From Rock To Gymnastics

When Fran was playing guitar and attempting to sound like the Beatles with his buds, a friend came around and asked him if he would like to go and join the gymnastic team.

Fran had never done this before. Roland joined up too. The boys did different kinds of things on the team, but they both enjoyed it. They played basketball, volley ball, and did gymnastics at Turner Hall in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
On the Fourth of July the gymnastic team members, girls and boys, would take all their equipment to the city park and have a demonstration for the citizens in the afternoon. Then the people would have the fireworks in the evening.
They would have the parallel bars, horse, horizontal bars, side horse, jumping horse, high bar, uneven bars for the girls, the boys did the even bars. They did cartwheels, tumbling, back flips and lots of different things to entertain the folks that came to watch.

Marie was the biggest fan. She went armed with her 8mm camera and took movies of her boys and the people. She showed movies on her projector for her family. I think she really enjoyed those performances, she talks about those times frequently. She wishes so that she had those movies once again so she could relive the “old times.”
Fran and Roland were part of the gymnastic team for about two or three years. I look at Fran’s physique now and think, “no way.”

Top Row: Fran 2nd from the left,  Roland 3rd from the right
Note: At one of the practices Fran's spotter had looked away and wasn't there to catch him. He hurt his shoulder, but it did not stop him from doing gymnastics.