Breaking the Cannon Mold
I don't know that there ever really was a Cannon mold but people (I include myself in the category people) tend to categorize things and other people. I don't know why. Someone should do, or probably has done, a study about that and write a scholarly paper about it. I just want to tell a couple of stories about having to tell other people I was different.
I am not saying that Dave and Karl were exactly the same in High School but they had several things in common. They both played the piano. They were both in Band. They were both on the Swim Team. They were both older than me. So, some people had an idea on what "Cannons" were like.
The first day of Seminary my Sophomore year Bro. Buchanan asked if anyone could play the piano for our opening song. No one said anything. Then some girl said "Todd is a Cannon. All of the Cannon's play piano." I said, "No, Dave and Karl play the piano,but I don't." Bro. Buchanan said "Now Todd, be honest, there is nothing to be embarrassed about playing the piano." I said "I know. Dave and Karl are great piano players but I really don't play at all. I sing." Finally, the same girl that said "All Cannons play the piano" admitted that she could play a few hymns and got up and played for our opening song. I thought there should be more laughter about this in the class but apparently I was the only one that thought it was funny.
I was in the musical "Babes in Arms" also my Sophomore year. We had a live Orchestra for the play which I always thought was pretty cool. But the Drama people and the Orchestra people didn't rehearse together until the last couple of weeks before the performances. I remember being up on stage and Mr. Bird had was leading the Orchestra for the first rehearsal together. I can't remember how this came up but Mr. Bird learned I was a Cannon. He asked if I was Dave and Karl's brother and when I said yes he said "Well, why aren't you down here?" pointing to the Orchestra Pit. I really didn't know what to say so I just said "Because, I am up here." pointing to the stage. He seemed to accept that and we continued with the rehearsal. I had a lot of band friends so I found out later that some of the Orchestra people thought I was saying that being on the stage was better than being in the Orchestra. I never thought that I just meant that I could not do both in the same production. And, to be honest the question kind of took me off guard.
I never had a "moment" in front of a group of people like the ones above about not being a swimmer but I was asked occasionally during High School, especially since Stef was also a Swimmer and Doug was on the Diving team, why I chose to be a runner instead. This one I had an answer for. I told them that we used to all be swimmers in the Summer League but that I started running in 7th grade and spent the summer between 7th and 8th grade running and swimming but that I was EXHAUSTED all summer long. I figured I had better pick one sport, and I was a better runner than I was a swimmer so I chose running. Later I realized that maybe it was not that I was a better runner than a swimmer but that I was better at long distance. I was always better at Cross Country where a short race was a little under 3 miles than Track where the longest race was 2 miles. I remember finding out that Stef was swimming the 500 Freestyle in High School. I wonder if I had tried distance swimming if I would have been better at it.
I always knew that we were all different from each other and I know that I did weird things in High School that probably effected the rest of you to some degree. I would be interested to know how you all saw things or how you were effected by having to be Todd Cannon's sibling.
I am not saying that Dave and Karl were exactly the same in High School but they had several things in common. They both played the piano. They were both in Band. They were both on the Swim Team. They were both older than me. So, some people had an idea on what "Cannons" were like.
The first day of Seminary my Sophomore year Bro. Buchanan asked if anyone could play the piano for our opening song. No one said anything. Then some girl said "Todd is a Cannon. All of the Cannon's play piano." I said, "No, Dave and Karl play the piano,but I don't." Bro. Buchanan said "Now Todd, be honest, there is nothing to be embarrassed about playing the piano." I said "I know. Dave and Karl are great piano players but I really don't play at all. I sing." Finally, the same girl that said "All Cannons play the piano" admitted that she could play a few hymns and got up and played for our opening song. I thought there should be more laughter about this in the class but apparently I was the only one that thought it was funny.
I was in the musical "Babes in Arms" also my Sophomore year. We had a live Orchestra for the play which I always thought was pretty cool. But the Drama people and the Orchestra people didn't rehearse together until the last couple of weeks before the performances. I remember being up on stage and Mr. Bird had was leading the Orchestra for the first rehearsal together. I can't remember how this came up but Mr. Bird learned I was a Cannon. He asked if I was Dave and Karl's brother and when I said yes he said "Well, why aren't you down here?" pointing to the Orchestra Pit. I really didn't know what to say so I just said "Because, I am up here." pointing to the stage. He seemed to accept that and we continued with the rehearsal. I had a lot of band friends so I found out later that some of the Orchestra people thought I was saying that being on the stage was better than being in the Orchestra. I never thought that I just meant that I could not do both in the same production. And, to be honest the question kind of took me off guard.
I never had a "moment" in front of a group of people like the ones above about not being a swimmer but I was asked occasionally during High School, especially since Stef was also a Swimmer and Doug was on the Diving team, why I chose to be a runner instead. This one I had an answer for. I told them that we used to all be swimmers in the Summer League but that I started running in 7th grade and spent the summer between 7th and 8th grade running and swimming but that I was EXHAUSTED all summer long. I figured I had better pick one sport, and I was a better runner than I was a swimmer so I chose running. Later I realized that maybe it was not that I was a better runner than a swimmer but that I was better at long distance. I was always better at Cross Country where a short race was a little under 3 miles than Track where the longest race was 2 miles. I remember finding out that Stef was swimming the 500 Freestyle in High School. I wonder if I had tried distance swimming if I would have been better at it.
I always knew that we were all different from each other and I know that I did weird things in High School that probably effected the rest of you to some degree. I would be interested to know how you all saw things or how you were effected by having to be Todd Cannon's sibling.
Comments
Post a Comment