Mr. Ellwanger
Something compelled me to go to Dakotamart, instead of Walmart. I needed water for the studio and it’s 5 bucks more at Dakotamart. Why ya gotta be so expensive Dakotamart?
As I was walking in I saw a man walking towards me. Then I heard him. The voice I will never forget. The voice I will always recognize. The voice of a coach. The voice of a friend. I heard it, “Hey Fry Baby!” Then I recognized him. Obviously a huge smile came over my face. It was Mr. Ellwanger. I can’t call him anything else. His first name is Bill, but he will always be Mr. Ellwanger to me. You know how important people and influence people leave a mark on you and that’s just the way it is? That’s why I can’t call him anything other than Mr. Ellwanger.
Most of us had nicknames during gymnastics. My maiden name was Friman and Fry Baby became my nickname and just stuck. He can’t call me anything else. Similarly, anytime I see him around, that is how he always addresses me.
Mr. Ellwanger was one of my junior high gymnastics coaches. I didn’t like him very much at first. Obviously this is an issue for me. It was the same time as the beginning of my friendship with Mary. I didn’t like her much at first either. If you missed that one, you can read it here: https://peggielarsen.com/my-first-best-friend/
I first came in contact with Mr. Ellwanger during gymnastics. Typical coach attire he wore. You know, the stretchy down to mid thigh polyester shorts, usually light gray or tan in color. Then the topper, the polo shirt with the school name or something similar. Always green. Always Pierre colors. The finishing touch, the crew socks and tennis shoes. I believe Adidas were pretty popular back then. I just recently purchased a pair of those Adidas originals. Awesome shoes.
Something about him just ticked me off and rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know what it was about him. He was just trying to be a good coach and I feel like an ass, because I was kind of a dick to him. I’m not sure what or when it changed, but he became one of my most favorite people. I truly treasure knowing him. I truly treasure the influence of Mr. Ellwanger.
It seems so strange to see a teacher that when you were in school seemed like they had to be so much older than you. But, in fact, we were closer in age than we were far apart in age. How weird. I pondered that on my way home. He said he is retiring after this year. He has been teaching and coaching forever. Lucky kids. As I was pondering this revelation, I came to the conclusion that he can’t be THAT much older than I am. WTF? How could that be possible? No wonder we got along so great. See, Mr. Ellwanger was the kind of person that totally befriended Mary and me. He let us go to his house when we needed to get away from things. When we were stressed with the teenage angst that so often happens to teens, he let us go and just hang out with his cat. Ellwanger was a huge Yankees fan. His cat was named Thurman, after Thuman Munson, the great catcher for the Yankees. I’m not a Yankees fan. I was a fan of his cat though. He was a cool cat and he liked to hang out with us.
He lived in a trailer house behind Jake’s. We were lucky back then. We were lucky that he cared enough to keep track of us. We were lucky that he cared enough about what we were going through. We were lucky that he cared enough to give us a place to think things through and to work out our problems. We were lucky we had Mr. Ellwanger.
In our lives, if we are lucky, we get the privilege of having the influence of great coaches and teachers. They help mold us. They help define us. They help nurture us. They help us.
As we chatted for a few minutes and I was heading in to get that damn expensive water, I noticed that Mr. Ellwanger had on the coolest glasses. They were stylish and sharp looking. I wish I would have told him.
Photo Credit: South Dakota Historical Society