all fun and games

Last year, owing to the financial constraints of the school budget, sports day was really only for the lower school. Years 7 and 8 were taken to a small local venue for an afternoon of activity and it was all rather low key and disappointing.

This year we returned to the full-fat excitement of the big sports stadium we usually use. The cycle there was a half-hour of uphill struggle (literally). I don't know what gradient it was but it felt almost perpendicular, and I got to the stadium limp and sweaty.

Enthusiasm ran high amongst staff and students, who turned up wearing their house colours, some with 'face paint' (water colour applied really thickly). They had made posters for each house, and had perfected chants of disdain about their adversaries. Mathew, Mark, Luke and John were dissed in turn, (don't know what Jesus was making of all this), as cheers/jeers were delivered, and then the events began.

The participants had either chosen their event or had been press-ganged into it. The blind student I support was allocated to the javelin competition. 'Whose idea was that?' I was asked by the alarmed adult-in-charge. Actually she did well, and was the most relaxed I've seen her in a while. We sat on the grass afterward and watched/listened to the relay races, tall pitted against short, leopards against hippos. Very exciting.

The star of the day was an athletic year 10 with that particular posture and walk demonstrated by the muscular runner. Her muscularity is extraordinary, and matched by her ego 'n' attitude, a diva-in-the-making. I've had run-ins with her before, astonished by her arrogance and disregard for others. Now I get it. She is a goddess. She had a lovely time parading her ease on the track before us all, and we had a great time watching her wipe the floor with the other runners.

Afterwards I cycled home again, downhill all the way this time - it took about ten minutes! Lovely end to a great day out.