Holidays are a cherished 'obstacle'

CELINA - Those who were lucky enough to have had physical education teacher Deb Smith Squire from 1983-2007 at Coldwater Elementary School very likely recall the magic of her annual Christmas obstacle course that melded the holiday spirt with exercise.

Under Squire's supervision, children each year helped construct a series of holiday-themed obstacle courses, which they then got to play through in the run-up to Christmas vacation. The centerpiece of the gymnasium was a chimney into which children attempted to throw Christmas presents.

"We decorated two weeks, and we played in it for two weeks because we started the day after Thanksgiving," Squire recounted to the newspaper.

Prior to setup, Squire sent a note home with the elementary students.

"We'd ask parents for any of the extra Christmas decorations that they didn't want and socks," she said.

The socks were used as snowballs with which students would pummel one another between two forts, Squire said.

Squire, who retired in 2007, in recent years has revived elements of the cherished course for her 15 grandchildren.

"This is their Christmas present. Most kids get gifts and presents. My grandkids got an (obstacle course)," she said.

Many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren visited Squire for the holidays a week after Christmas at her Celina home. They began working on their version of the Christmas obstacle course: A makeshift slide took them down the basement steps and into a series of interconnected cardboard boxes, including some that had held refrigerators. It resembled a super-deluxe version of a child's fort made with cardboard boxes. It was covered with a lot of duct tape, which Squire called an essential component.

"They put lights in (the boxes). We have paint and wrapping paper and chalk," Squire said. "They hung pictures in them and put roofs in them. They had skylights. And each kid had their own room, and they were connected and that's what became the maze. And then we put one tunnel between one or another."

The 12 children, including a neighbor, with ages ranging from 16 months to 17 years spent almost an entire week playing in the holiday wonderland that filled up most of Squire's basement.

"In fact I wouldn't let them come down until they'd eaten their breakfast," she said of the children's enthusiastic embrace of the obstacle course.

Though Squire has plenty of bedrooms, some of the kids were reluctant to leave the intertwined boxes as night descended and decided to make their bed inside.

"They played until they dropped," she said.

Squire said she enjoyed watching the children of varying ages playing with such abandon and excitement.

"It's the pure joy of childhood, and they played together really well," she said. "There weren't a lot of boundaries and rules. They just had to play safe, and imagination was in full gear because they did create this."

The kids immersed themselves in the kind of physical activity that Squire said is crucial for overall development. Vigorous exercise, play and a desire for adventures all form the light that has guided Squire for most of her life.

At age 11 she joined the Celina summer swim team and found what would be an abiding source of joy - and part of her career.

"It was what it took to make me feel confident to go ahead and play other sports and do other things," Squire said of swimming.

She went on to play track, volleyball and basketball at Celina High School, from which she graduated in 1970.

"Feeling successful," she replied when asked what drew her to sports. "People were very encouraging. My name kept coming up in the paper. That was fun."

At Bowling Green, Squire studied physical and health education and was a walk-on athlete, making both the swimming and gymnastics teams.

Looking back over her 30 year career in education, Squire touched upon the importance of consistent exercise and physical activity.

"We now know that emotions and movement are totally, absolutely connected. That plays right into all the academics," she said about a well-rounded education.

After retiring, Squire kept her passions alive.

"What I wanted to do was when I retired (was to) become a ranger and work in any of the national parks because they accept public servants," she said.

Though she didn't become a ranger, she found herself spending months almost every year at Glacier National Park in Montana.

"I think it's a dream a lot of us have but never get to do it," she said about packing up the car and taking off on an adventure. "I really want to experience something new every day."