Man, hearing some of these names sure get the old memory going....
I was at RMA on Ned/Tony's team from 1993-1995. At the time I graduated I had pretty much drank the Kool-Aid, but over the last 12 years I have come to realize that whatever successes I have had in my life are "in spite of" rather than "because of" my experience there.
Even if you look past the bizzaro scream at the floor nonsense, the way they treated kids with serious issues was way screwed up. I was in more than one rap where some young teen girl was made to recount her sexual history in graphic detail. Looking back on it, you see how wrong it was and how it was certainly on the seedy side (You really, really like young girls stories don't ya? [insert Male AND/OR Female Counselor's name here]).
The worst part is that they build up this idea of "Idealistic" living in your mind full well knowing that at some point you are going back to a world in which reality trumps any sort of "Camelot" crap.
I shudder when I think of how they guilted me into thinking that anything that was could even remotely be considered "out of agreement" could ruin my last bit of time there. Hell, I was even afraid to hang out with a girl I liked quite a bit b/c she was being too affectionate. Looking back on it, what in the world was wrong with that? Nothing, but they had succeeded in screwing up my value system so much that I only valued what the school taught was good or what made it most easy/possible for them to control 200 teenagers. Unbelievable.
And yes, plenty of people where having sex. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them but I happen to remember a certain incident involving 5 dudes, the student store and a wheel barrow....
Those were the days.
It is interesting to see where all the old staff have gone. In fact, Ned doesn't live far from me now - over in Augusta, GA. Every once in a while I consider making the drive over there to greet him at his office. Do you think he could stop shaking long enough to shake my hand?
Probably not.
And Ned, your wife wanted me to bang her so bad in 95 it made her loopy. But I was a student so she married you. Second place ain't bad I guess.