Posted on 08/24/2002 9:21:59 AM PDT by hsmomx3
A dangerous game of "blackout" involving seventh- and eighth-graders at J.O. Combs Elementary School near Queen Creek prompted a visit to the school Thursday from the Pinal County Sheriff's Department and Rural/Metro paramedics.
At least seven students in the K-8 school of 400 have been involved in the activity, during which a child is choked to the point of passing out. After a parent brought it to the attention of administrators, meetings with students took place Thursday and a letter went home to parents. "The children, of course, think it is all in fun," wrote Jan Langer, superintendent of the one-school Combs district. "However, as adults we recognize there could be deadly consequences to such actions." Sheriff's Deputy Bill Langan said he spoke with the seven boys who had been identified by administrators as participants. "We discussed what (blackout) was," Langan said. "They (said they) would breathe real fast and hyperventilate, and then be choked by two others. It didn't seem to me that they weren't at least partially willing to go through it. I don't know if it was for an initiation or what. One of the kids even said, 'We didn't think there was any harm in it.' "I asked them to help put the word out that this could turn out to be a tragic little playground stunt." Langan said he was unaware of such an activity until being summoned to Combs by Greg Milbrandt, the school's dean of students. "It was a new thing to me," Langan said. Paramedics spoke to all of the school's seventh- and eighth-graders later in the day about the medical hazards involved, Langer said in her letter to parents.
Reach the reporter at doug.carroll@arizonarepublic.com or at (602) 444-7945.
This is probably an isolated incident, with a small group of kids, in just one school.
That said, I'm so glad my kids are homeschooled. Today they're off with Dad for a P.L.I.N.K. day (Please Leave It NRA Klean) to pick up trash in the national forests, eat lunch, and shoot firearms. The values of today's "yutes" don't hold much appeal for them and I like it that way.
Yep, did that (stupid) thing too some 28 years ago. The effect thankfully was temporary, almost like a buzz. But like you said, after a week, we were bored with it. Thank God none of us were hurt, or worse.
I recall a classmate doing that (also 30+ years ago) at a 9th grade party I attended.
I remember thinking that he was a little weird.
Interestingly, he later became a liberal vegetarian and a journalist.
His name was Adam Clymer, wasn't it?
Same here except closer to 40 years ago.
After a week everyone was bored with it.Precisely. My experience exactly. It amused us for about, say, ten minutes.
LOL!
No. I haven't seen him in ages.
However, a Google search just helped me discover where he's working as a staff-writer/reporter.
It's not one of the big national major-metro newspapers, but still a recognizable paper in a well-known mid-sized American city.
As I remember him from high-school/college, he was a good friend.
A little strange, perhaps, but a decent guy that I DO consider to be an old friend.
For that reason, I don't see any constructive purpose to linking my anecdote to his current activities.
My lips are sealed.
And I thought lighting farts was bad......
LOL!!!
Yeah, I suppose that's the simple explanation.
But then I have the advantage of knowing more about his background.
I suppose it's pertinent to mention that the probable reason this incident remains in my memory is that, of the 40 or so kids who were at this party, I was the one considered physically large enough to properly administer the bear-hug. I truely thought it was weird and didn't want to do it, but eventually succumbed to peer pressure (a trait that I do NOT exhibit on this forum, BTW!) Anyway, after he had recovered, everybody wanted to "see it again". But I at least had the good sense to insist that once was enough. Needless to say, they did do it again with smaller guys doing the squeezing, but the results (to ALL our good fortune) weren't quite as dramatic.
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