By: Sydney Treuer
There is no better time to learn about your fellow AmeriCorps members than during stretch circle. At other times of day you might ask your hitch mates how they’re doing, if they slept well, or how they feel about taking an early lunch. Boring! At stretch circle you are expected—no, required!—to pose more stimulating queries.
Every morning, before we begin building steps or retaining walls, before we ask our bodies to swing giant hammers or dig trenches, we take a few minutes to limber up. A good stretch circle begins with a good question. Each crew member has a chance to choose a stretch and answer the question. In the interest of preserving the fine tradition of stretch circle, here are a few of my favorite questions
– You’re headed into battle against a legion of Orcs, what tool do you choose as your weapon?
– If you could replace your hands with any animal paw, what paw would you choose?
– You have a magic bottle. It can hold infinite amounts of any three liquids. The liquids will not mix, and will retain their temperatures. What three liquids will you put in your magic bottle?
– If you got to spend a whole day with James Sims what would you do?
– What sound do you find oddly pleasing?
– What’s your favorite apocalypse scenario?
– Would you rather be a dragon or a dragon rider?
– What’s the name of the made-for-TV movie about your life?
– Which Disney princess do you identify with most keenly?
– If you had to lose one sense and gain superhuman powers in another, which sense would you want to lose and which would you want to improve?
– I hope that future SCA Mass AmeriCorps members will continue to push the stretch circle questions envelope. Remember, there are no wrong answers!