One of the biggest events in the calendar for primary schools is sports day. There is nothing like it. The children spend weeks practising their races, dances and all the ceremony which is part of the day. The previous day sees hundreds of mothers (or granny if mum is not around) turning up at the school to secure their patch for viewing the races. All of this decided by lottery and as your number is called, you can race to a place already marked with white lines to grab your spot. This year we were No 149 in the pecking order but we had still had a great view. The day begins at 6.30 with fire crackers loud enough to wake the whole neighbourhood being set off to tell everyone that sports day is on. Even before that time, many mothers will have been up preparing the feast which is needed for the sports day lunch. This is no ham sandwich and potato chips job. Everything begins with due ceremony - speeches, lots of bowing, communal team cheering and the obligatory warm-up exercises. From start to finish it lasts over five hours. There are individual races, team races, energetic dances, fun events and even a tug of war for parents. This year we had one boy in the white team and one in the red so we were going to end up with one winner and one loser. The sun shone, the boys won their individual events and the lunch was great. And as always it is an opportunity for us to be visible and chat to all the parents, grandparents and others who gather for this event of the year. Roll on next year.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sports Day
One of the biggest events in the calendar for primary schools is sports day. There is nothing like it. The children spend weeks practising their races, dances and all the ceremony which is part of the day. The previous day sees hundreds of mothers (or granny if mum is not around) turning up at the school to secure their patch for viewing the races. All of this decided by lottery and as your number is called, you can race to a place already marked with white lines to grab your spot. This year we were No 149 in the pecking order but we had still had a great view. The day begins at 6.30 with fire crackers loud enough to wake the whole neighbourhood being set off to tell everyone that sports day is on. Even before that time, many mothers will have been up preparing the feast which is needed for the sports day lunch. This is no ham sandwich and potato chips job. Everything begins with due ceremony - speeches, lots of bowing, communal team cheering and the obligatory warm-up exercises. From start to finish it lasts over five hours. There are individual races, team races, energetic dances, fun events and even a tug of war for parents. This year we had one boy in the white team and one in the red so we were going to end up with one winner and one loser. The sun shone, the boys won their individual events and the lunch was great. And as always it is an opportunity for us to be visible and chat to all the parents, grandparents and others who gather for this event of the year. Roll on next year.
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