The Life of a Dolphin

The Historical Happenings group was lucky enough to interview an alumni of The Dolphins, a non-competitive women's synchronized swimming club. Below is a Q&A interview with Christy Phipps who was on The Dolphins squad from 1970 through 1974 and now is the nurse and health teacher at Boone High School.

Q: Hi, Christy! Our first question for you today is how did you get into The Dolphins?

A: In order to get into The Dolphins, you have to audition. The club used to be open to girls in seventh through twelfth grade. When auditioning, you had to do two skills test such as swimming the whole length of the pool underwater and show your technique for dives, ballet legs, and anything else that you thought would get you on the squad.

Q: What the responsibilities and how physically demanding was being in The Dolphins?

A: We would have a set schedule for practices, so that was nice to keep organized and one of the really neat responsibilities was making our own scenery and backdrop for The Dolphins Show that took place during the winter months. Another fun aspect was designing our own costumes for The Dolphins Show! Each grade made their own different outfits, so it was neat to see what grade people were in.

Q: How neat! You were all like fashion designers! So now can you tell me a little about how The Dolphins was organized? Did you have a president? Also, what kind of dances and strokes did you do?

A: The Dolphins had an elected president and other officers in the club. We also had an advisor that decided what kind of dances to preform and whatnot. Advisors were always a lot of fun, but they also had a lot of responsibility to uphold, too. As far as the dances go, there was really a variety. Something that was really neat was our eight-woman linkage. This linkage was where eight of us girls would link together in a circle--in the water--and one of us would let go, swim a full circle underwater, and come back up and then the next girl would go. It was a very fun routine!

Q: We noticed that The Dolphins have not been around for a long time. Why is this?

A: Since competitive girls' swimming was not available back then, this is why this club was formed. In 1978, girls' swimming was formed and soon after the club dissolved.

That concludes the interview about The Dolphins. Please enjoy the photo of Christy (top left) and the other Dolphins in 1974! Thanks for reading!

A Designer Downtown Boone

Kids these days love walking in Downtown Boone in search of a nice place to eat, deposit money into a bank, or even find the right suit for a special occasion. Since Downtown Boone is only about a two-block walk, students have always the time to enjoy a nice stroll during a Midwestern afternoon. While the photo of Downtown Boone may not look like Boone at all today, this is a picture from the late 1930s or early 1940s that shows the thriving and designer Downtown Boone. An advertisement for Coca-Cole soda can be seen on the left. Many other stores can be seen also. Boone used to be a mecca for the modern shopper; a downtown full of boutiques, restaurants and cafés, home improvement stores, banks, law offices, and much more. Students--along with people of all ages--would go to the jewel that Downtown Boone is and enjoy the afternoon and the entertaining evenings that would come about.

Boone High Wrestling

Here's a picture of the 1966 wrestling team. This was the very first wrestling team that BHS ever had, so even though they never got to compete, it was a major stepping stone in our history!

Prom 1956

Singing, Speaking, and Piano Tunes: Boone High School's Talent Show of 1970

Did you know for many years Boone High School used to have a Talent Show each spring? This photo was taken from BHS's 1970 yearbook. As you can see, many are involved with many different competitions like giving a speach, playing the piano, and signing--individually or in a choir. I wonder who won first prize?

Class of 1918

Below here is a photograph of the class of 1918. There are 47 Seniors in this picture and 2012's graduating class consists of 158 students. Boone High's enrollment has bloomed significantly!

The Auditorium

The old auditorium, as many of you know is located in what is now the Library. This is a picture of some students gathered in the auditorium. You can see the old balcony as well around the top of the room. The floor is at a slant so that everyone could see the stage.