Daily News writer Tim Dumas gets hit with questions, 'knockout' lesson at Potter Elementary

FRAMINGHAM – The questions came from all directions. From the left; from the right. Even behind me.

Favorite sport? Hockey.

Favorite animal? Cat.

Favorite color? Red. (As in Red Sox).

The inquiries were written out beforehand by fifth-graders at Potter Road Elementary School, home of the Panthers. And during Ms. Odowa’s gym class, they kept coming.

Ever meet LeBron James? Bill Belichick? No. But when asked if I’ve met anyone famous, I had interviews on my phone handy of former Bruins Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. (I did meet Jack Nicklaus, but that interview happened before I had a cell phone).

Therein lies the beauty of my appearance at Potter Road on Friday morning. No other cell phones in sight. Not a single ear bud, either. Twenty students, and I had their undivided attention.

The visit was part of National Reading Month, and I read part of a story about an ultra-marathoner who spends three days in the wilderness after suffering major injuries due to a fall, only to be rescued with the help of her dog.

The students – one wearing a Marcus Smart Celtics T-shirt, another sporting a Messi T - told me their favorite sports. I heard baseball, hockey, soccer, track and jiu-jitsu, to name a few.

The youngsters then threw questions back at me, and some had me on my toes. Favorite movie? Toughie. I went with “Hoosiers.” Got a pick for March Madness? Whoa. Didn’t fill out a bracket so after looking at the ceiling and pondering, I copped out and went with Houston, the top-ranked team in the country.

Speaking of movies, I was asked if I had seen “Remember the Titans,” a film the students had recently watched. Yes, I remember (and watched, several times). What about “Miracle?” Um, yeah. I couldn’t let that one go with a one-word response.

The movie is about the United States men’s hockey team’s shocking gold medal run – including a still-stunning victory over the former Soviet Union - in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Let’s just say I saw the “original” version.

The release of “Miracle” with Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks happened (2004) well before the students were born. I watched on a Friday night in my Natick living room as the actual U.S. team defeated the Russians. I was 11, and just like these kids, in fifth grade.

The students also asked about “The Mighty Ducks” and yes, I saw the first one. How about “Glory Road?” No, but that one came highly recommended. Hey, who said there would be homework?!

I was also asked if I liked the Chiefs or the 49ers, the two NFL teams that played in this year’s Super Bowl. I went with the Chiefs and my response led to a fist pump from the young man who asked.

Maybe the hardest question to answer, however, was, “What was the craziest sporting event you ever attended?” So many to choose from. I covered a high school basketball game in Vermont that ended 149-141 in double overtime. Without a shot clock.

I saw the underdog Montana State University football team shock the University of Colorado.

But I went with the time I acquired a press pass from the Red Sox for a ho-hum Saturday afternoon game in April of 2002 against a team known then as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. And Derek Lowe threw the team’s first no-hitter at Fenway Park in 37 years.

When the Q and A ended, 15 minutes of class time remained. Ms. Odowa informed me that the kids were going to play a game using basketballs called “knockout.” Never heard of it, but since I was in school, why not learn something new?

The students lined up in two rows and shot at the basket, with the player at the front of each line going first. If your shot goes in, you head back to the line, but your opponent goes to the sideline. Simple enough.

When class ended, the students said their thank yous. And as I walked the halls to the exit, a moment from the barrage of questions jumped to the front of my mind. It wasn’t actually a question.

A girl in a navy blue T-shirt with a long ponytail softly spoke after raising her hand. I couldn’t hear what she had said and moved in closer. “I want to be a writer,” she repeated.

Yes! (fist pump).

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached attdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas. 

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Daily News writer hit with questions, 'knockout' at Potter Elementary