When attending community events of any kind in Davidson, from the Davidson Farmer’s Market to Concerts on the Green, do you ever look around you and ask, “Who are all these people?”  Years ago, this was the time of year when the town held its Newcomers Picnic and new residents were introduced on the steps of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church.  What fond memories your correspondent has of Gene and Joy McIver speaking a few words of welcome as we were recognized having moved to Davidson just two months earlier.  We all knew each other then.

Now, one has to work hard just to get to know a fraction of newcomers.  So, corralled with 355 others on The Green this past Saturday (to help set a world record for most people bouncing paddle balls), I “corralled” three different families to tell me about themselves:  the Hermans, Doutts and Johnsons.  There are also a few personal notes about paddle-balling.

Steve Langley was the King of Paddle Ball

PADDLE BALL PANDEMONIUM

If you missed it, you missed a really Big Show!  Steve Langley, The Paddle Ball King, organized a Paddle Ball record attempt on The Green in Davidson last Saturday morning.  He needed 250 people to bounce little rubber balls attached by elastic to a paddle for 30 seconds to secure a place in the Guinness Book of Records.  Young and old, big and small, 356 people gathered in the orange corral and at the whistle made those paddle balls zing.  There were experts and there were beginners.  “Make the elastic short,” we were advised.  “Keep the elastic taut,”  “Very little wrist motion.”  What foolishness!  What fun!  So why not interview a few of the best?

Imported talent from Pittsburgh were Stephen Doutt and his mom, Kathy

MEET THE DOUTTS

No doubt about it, the Doutts were good!  Coming from a town near Pittsburgh, Pa., for the juggling festival, they were old hands when it came to coordination.  Mom Kathy Doutt has juggled for 30 years and prefers clubs.  Her son, Stephen, took up juggling just three years ago and now at age 16, can out-juggle mom.  Stephen’s favorite is the diabolo – a whirling spool tossed on a string tied between two sticks held in your hands.  This mother-son duo could keep their paddle balls going for much longer than 30 seconds and probably do most of the tricks outlined in the “30 Paddle Ball Tricks” booklet available to all participants.

Bob and Jo Herman showed their skill

 PADDLING WITH THE HERMANS

Enjoying making that little ball hit the paddle were Bob and Jo Herman.  They moved to Davidson seven years ago from Herndon, Va., and live in the New Neighborhood.  Bob worked as a manager with the CIA for 35 years and Jo spent 18 years with the agency in Human Resources.  They have two grown children:  Daughter Barbara lives in Chicago and son Bob lives in south Charlotte with his wife and two children.

Wanting to be closer to their grandchildren, the Hermans looked in the Charlotte area for retirement and settled on Davidson because of the small town atmosphere.  They enjoy going to the UMCA, golfing, playing mah-jongg, biking and traveling … when not practicing paddle ball.

We are glad to know the Hermans and welcome them to town – even if they have been in our midst for seven years!

Judy Johnson knew the history of paddle ball

JUDY KNOWS HER FLI-BACK

Judy Johnson has lived in Hudson Place for the past 15 years.  She grew up in Winston-Salem,  where Fli-Backs (a brand of paddle ball) were a staple in her spring Easter basket. She lived in High Point for 15 years when he late husband, Marvin, was working as a personal trust officer in a bank before they moved with sons, Drake (29) and Spencer (25) to Davidson.  On The Green last weekend, Judy was not only showing her skill at what we used to call a “Fli-Back,” but also educating those around her about the origin of the paddle toy.

She had heard the story about employees of Tomlinson Furniture in High Point who used scrap wood, rubber bands and small rubber balls to create the Fli-Back decades ago.  A quick computer search found the following History of the Fli-Back by James E. Gibson, III, grandson of the founder of Fli-back:

“My grandfather, James Emery Gibson, started the Fliback Company in 1931.  It came about when my grandfather was suffering through the depression and trying to find something else to supplement his income.  My dad’s oldest sister, Josephine, came home with a toy given away at an ice cream store which was a primitive version of a paddleball.  My grandfather thought that this was an item he could easily manufacture and that it had good play value and could be sold cheap. 

The original Fli-Back paddle ball - now a collector's item!

The end result was that he ended up making millions of them and diversified into other simple toys.  By the 1950s the Fliback Company was selling worldwide and employed several hundred workers.  The company was sold in 1972 to Ohio Art and later to the Hedstrom Company which ceased manufacturing any toys under the Fliback brand name sometime in the 1980s.

The paddleballs given out on The Green last Saturday were “Paddleball Uno” molded plastic and made in China.  No surprise there – but if you want an original Fli-Back wood paddle ball with the bucking bronco cowboy on the front, go to E-bay and bid on one.  A few were seen for $18-$25 each.  It is time to check the attic and see if you have a collector’s Fli-Back in an old trunk.  Let us know if you find one. What a great trip down memory lane and an education about the original paddle balls – thanks to Judy Johnson.

Brenda Barger shows off her paddle ball skills

BRENDA IS BACK – Fli-Back, that is!

A Fli-Back (now the proper term is Paddle Ball) valued at $12 was too good an opportunity to pass up.  While working for the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., your columnist spent many a lunchtime out on the patio practicing Fli-back for office competition.  We went through a lot of the old 99 cent paddles and used many a government stapler to re-attach the elastic after too vigorous a battle.  A great way to work off stress.

Was it easy to get back in the swing of Fli-back?  Not exactly.  When the official whistle blew to paddle continuously for 30 seconds, I bombed.  Could not get the wrist motion just right until the 30 seconds were up.  But luckily for me and the 355 others, we were given four more chances to get it “right” for the allotted time.  And once at home with no “Guinness Book” pressure, my skill became awesome in front of my family.  My old DOD friends would be proud of me!

AND IN SUMMARY…

Events like Saturday’s Paddle Ball Record Attempt are what makes small town Davidson special.  A sense of fellowship among young and old with a common goal:  learn a new skill or hone an old one.  Hats off to Davidsonian Bill Giduz who has been organizing the Hurricane Hugo Juggling Fest for all these years (Hugo blew in ’89) and to Steve Langley, who lives just down the road in Huntersville, and never tires of entertaining with a combination of comedy and juggling – and elevating the Paddle Ball to Performance Art!  Watch a 4-minute video of the record, produced by DavidsonNews.net.

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Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.