Michael Shane Riddle Interview

From: Michael Shane Riddle (mi) Medium: Digital Video Date: Sunday, May 15, 2011 Place: Home of Michael Riddle 311 N Norton, Marion Indiana, 46952 Collected By: Logan Riddle (lo) Years Attended: 1984-1987

Lo: Michael, what was high school like for you?

Mi: Uhm, it was fun. I enjoyed it. It was ah a lot different from junior high school. So it was like ah the next step to entering a new world it seemed like. It was fun.

Lo: During the time at MHS, did you play sports? If so, which ones?

Mi: Ah, football.

Lo: Tell me a little bit about football. What position did you play?

Mi: I played defensive line and special teams. But football back then wasn’t a real big sport for Marion. Ah, cause that was during the what they called “Purple Reign” era, which was basketball and so basketball got all the hype. But ah, football was still enjoyable.

Lo: How long were practices? And how many days a week did you practice?

Mi: Uhm, if we won we practiced five days a week. But if we lost we had to practice on Saturday. Uhm, generally two hours in the evening after school.

Lo: Who was the coach at the time?

Mi: Mark Surface. I’m not even sure if, I know he is not coaching anymore. I think he retired. Uhm, I’m not even sure if he is still in the community or not.

Lo: Uhm, how big was the team at the time?

Mi: Ahh, I really don’t. . a standard team. I mean there was probably thirty-five kids maybe.

Lo: And were you on varsity and for how many years?

Mi: Ah, varsity two years. Junior varsity a year.

Lo: Okay, uhm. What did you do for fun during high school?

Mi: Ah, hang out with friends. Cruise. Back then we were able to like cruise the park or cruise the mall. Ah, cruising the mall was big. Hm, that’s were all the teenagers from the county just basically drove their cars in a circle around the mall. Hm, I don’t even think they allow the kids to do that anymore. So it was one of the weekend past times was cruising or hanging out with friends.

Lo: What was one of the most important experiences at Marion High School?

Mi: Hm, I met some really good life long friends. That I still am in touch with today.

Lo: Who are those people?

Mi: Hm, Mark Cornet, which is ah really good friend of mine. Actually I believe he is your god father. Hm, Shane Ford, Mike Dancer. Just a group of kids I didn’t know as far as elementary school and I met them when I was in high school and ah we still communicate today.

Lo: When did you graduate and how many kids were in your class?

Mi: I graduated in 1987 and I believe there was 486 in my graduating class.

Lo: Ah, what was most difficult about high school?

Mi: Uhm, I don’t really know. I don’t know that I can pin point something that was the most difficult. Uhm, I can’t really pin point anything that was difficult about it.

Lo: Ah, what did you do after high school?

Mi: Ah, I went in the military.

Lo: And how long were you in the military?

Mi: Two years. And then ah, I got out of the military and went to work for my ah father’s business. In ah, which is trucking and ah I’ve been in transportation ever since.

Lo: What is Marion like from back then compared to how it is today?

Mi: Hm, smaller. Ah, its been a lot of industry close. A lot of the factories have closed. Hm, even back then as a teenager it seemed like there. . You would hear teenagers complain there is nothing to do there is nothing to do. Ah and now it seems like it’s even, there is even less for teenagers to do in Marion. Ah, we were allowed to cruise the park or cruise downtown around the square. But now it just seems like there is not a whole lot as far as anything for the teenagers to do. Ah, and everything is costly ya know. You go to the movie, you are looking at twenty dollars. Back then you could go to the movie for like ten bucks and have popcorn. Now days it would cost twenty dollars to take a girl to a movie of something. We had a lot of house parties back then. Hm, we’d catch someone’s parents out of town, we’d have a big house party. Ah, in the summer time a lot of bonfires. Lot of road trips. Ah, we spent a lot of time up by the Reservoir. Hm, my family originally was from Kentucky and then my best friend Mark, his family was. So ah, in the summer time we spent a lot driving back and forth to Kentucky just to ah, we had a group of friends down there and ah that was a big past time for us. Was to ah going on road trips.

Lo: Hm, during the time of your years at high school were there any great like, did any of your sports go to state or. . Have big victories?

Mi: Yeah, basketball. Football, we did make it to semi state my senior year. Hm, but basketball that was during the “Purple Reign” era. And hm, that’s when Marion won state three years in a row. Which would be ‘85, ‘86, and ‘87. So hm, back then basketball was a pretty big hype around. I mean just Marion’s known for basketball. Hm, mainly because of those years. Which ah back then, there was ah, we had ah, Jay Edwards and Lynn Jones and Kyle Persinger, Eric Uher, Derek Keys. Which all went on to play for division one schools. Hm, Marion basketball program was really forcible back then. Ah, it doesn’t seem to be as big as it use to be. When we would go, when we had a high school basketball game, it would be sold, you couldn’t just walk in and buy a ticket ah, for any seat in the house. Everything was sold out hm in advance. And when they introduced, it was like going to a NBA game. You know the lights came, turned, the lights were off. The spotlight was on the player getting introduced. Ah, and some visiting schools didn’t know how to take that because basketball was so big in Marion. Hm, but ah I’ve been to a few games now with the kids and hm you just walk up and buy a seat and hm sit pretty much anywhere you want in the whole arena and ah it just kinda dumb founded the way that is now to where back then you couldn’t walk in and get a seat. You couldn’t walk in and buy a ticket and go sit down. You ah you had to have a tickets in advance. Hm, for tournament tickets we would camp out just to get the tickets. You would have to camp out for like, the night before if you wanted tickets for the tournament. Hm, that’s how big basketball was then.

Lo: Hm, what do you think the greatest change that has happened to Marion from how it changed from when it was when you were there to now?

Mi: Hm, I don’t know. I don’t know that a great change but I know we didn’t like I’ve taken hm, you know Logan or Shane that needed lunch money or something that I’ve taken out there. I can’t remember a time when I was in high school to be greeted by a police officer at the front door. To go at that little table when you go into school. Which we didn’t have those kind of worries back then. I mean yeah you might have had your disagreements or your typical fist fight with kids but that was about the extent of it would be a fist fight. Hm, I just don’t remember seeing any cops or anything like that patrolling the school or we didn’t, I mean I’m sure the violence was there somewhere but it was not advertised like that.

Lo: Hm, when you attended school was there any certain type of dress code you had to wear?

Mi: No, no. Didn’t have any dress code.

Lo: Hm to top it off, what do you think, how do you think high school effected your life?

Mi: Hm.

Lo: What did you learn like the greatest thing if you could pass something on to your kids, what would you tell them about high school?

Mi: Ah, you need the education. Hm, just ah I think one of the most important things I got out of high school was ah I came out with a really good group of friends. And hm, I got along with the teachers fairly well. My ah, I use to go play basketball at Mr. Crouch’s house. I think he is retired now. He use to be a physiology teacher. Hm, its just a good learning experience.

Lo: Back then, were you allowed to hang out with your teachers outside of school? To were as of now, we are not allowed to do that.

Mi: Hm, I don’t know that anybody said that you could or your couldn’t. Ah, I know Mr. Crouch use to invite me and a couple other guys. We would go over and play basketball with ah him and some of the guys from his church. Ah, at his house we’d go play basketball. But outside of that, ah I mean you know I seen a few occasional teachers at the private high school parties that would either drink or smoke pot or something. But that was just kind of on the down low. So ah, you just its not like they’d knowingly hang out anyway.

Lo: Alright, well thank you for your time.

Mi: You’re welcome.