Sports day shock

[Mrslarge24]

My children have recently had their sports days.
I have one very sporty child, and one that gets very anxious about anything sport-related and dreads sports day! Much like myself as a kid.
One sports day was for y3&y4, the other was for Y5 & y6.
I was amazed at the lack of general fitness in so many of the kids.
They had to do a "long-distance run" which was about 200m. A huge amount of them couldn't run it all and some didn't even make it half way before walking and panting.
My non-sporty one managed it fine, because although he doesn't enjoy much sport we do go for long walks, he plays in the garden alot and loves swimming with us so has a basic fitness level. Much like myself, I'm no fitness fanatic!
AIBU to think this is shocking to see children of this age not be able to run/jog 200m?!
i guess it's computers/iPads etc but at what point does a parent start to feel ashamed to have let their children get so unfit?!
Made me feel quite sad 😢

Yes, quite

My DD is in Y2, there are overweight kids in her class, they are fat, their parents are fat. These parents have jobs, are not on the breadline, live in houses that they own (mortgage). They’re living unhealthy live styles and allow their children to too.
I took my (not overweight) DD to McDonald’s with her overweight friend. They were allowed a happy meal, which my DD would get ordinarily (we go to McDonald’s approx once every 2 months) DD’s overweight friend asked for a milkshake and a McFlurry. I said no, she said she’s always allowed both when she goes with her parents. Yes, this is anecdotal but is indicative of some parents who don’t care or realise the harm they’re inflicting on their children.

Everyone can’t be a champion at sport but a child should be able to run assuming no health issues preventing it.
As parents we have to find some activities that kids will do because they enjoy it such as dance, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, football, cricket, basket ball etc and send them for that.

I've two grandchildren that fly like the wind and one that falls over his feet although he's in the swimming academy. They're all cycling in the evenings now the weather has finally improved.

But we live in a quiet area with miles of bike tracks, RSPB do a junior run around the wetlands every weekend. Their school has lots of land with climbing frames etc. I think it is easier for us to entertain kids outdoors.

DD has been selected to represent her primary school at the Mini London Marathon several times. I’ve noticed the same cohort of children are chosen every year. Her school is also 3 form entry so a large number of kids never get a chance to compete. The PE teacher who runs the selection process has made it clear she will only choose children she thinks will finish within a certain time. This means kids like DS, who in contrast to his sister isn’t sporty or ‘good’ at running but would love to take part and experience the fun of running past Buckingham Palace, getting a medal etc, will never get the opportunity to do so. It’s such a shame.

At my daughters Sports Day one child stood at the back and refused to even take part.

A lot of children are just ferried from place to place in cars as it’s ‘easier’ and you only need to see the amount of cars outside schools to know they likely aren’t walking anywhere.

We have a car but choose regular activities based on walking distance.

No yanbu. I was wondering myself when my own son (the unsporty one) came home a few weeks ago and said he'd come first in the heats for the 200 and 400 metres. Which did make me wonder about the rest of the kids.

I was an unfit child at the end of primary in the 1980s, so I don't think it's necessarily all screen related. Then I started running at a club and found myself at the front of the pack and not the back, but I was able to have that out of school opportunity and a lot of kids dont for many reasons. I think if you're not active in primary it gets harder in secondary so the opportunity to instill fitness is lost. I thought two sessions of PE a week was compulsory in primary? If schools are not providing this I find that very concerning. A bit of exercise everyday would be better.

Actually yes, if the reason the child
isn't hitting maths and English targets is due to lack of parental involvement and help at home then yes, I do think those parents should be ashamed.

I can’t believe anyone is defending this. I am no runner and I loathed sports day but even I could run 200m. You don’t have to
win it

I remember watching sports day and a reception child was sat down, poor thing was that huge he had to roll over to stand up. He couldn't run and didn't even get to the end of the egg and spoon race

I don't know... I can't run after a back op but I've never been able to do any form of distance
As a child/teen I ran 100m for the local harriers but whinged at anything over that
Currently I do netball, 30-60 min spin classes and lift weights but I can't run
If you want me to sprint 100m then I'll beat most people but run 200m.. no
I've never been able to do 5k despite many many attempts at couch to 5k

It’s not about not being good at running though. I’m not good at running, I disliked sports day as a child and my parents were obese and died young.

It’s 200m. That’s 0.12 of a mile. It’s the type of distance you run as a matter of course, regularly as an adult when you need to get the bus, when your toddler bolts, when you need to get a wiggle on at work or on the stairs. Or as a when you are crossing the field to get to your friends at the very start of playtime, when you are catching a frisbee, running after a football. It’s a normal part of life you don’t have to be a runner to do in the same way you don’t have to be a walker to walk to the corner shop.

I HATED PE as a child as it was treated like practice for the athletes and punishment for the rest. So when we went running we'd just run around the field, which meant those who had enough athletic experience to pace themselves got a good workout, and those who didn't went puce after 5 minutes and walked the rest of the way.

Now I actually enjoy running - it took until I was an adult to learn that a) it's still worth doing if you're slow and b) the first few minutes of a run always feel a bit crap and there are ways to pace yourself so you last.

Good school PE should set kids up for a lifetime of enjoying movement in various forms, not make them feel crap. Which, to bring it back to OP's point, it doesn't sound like these kids are getting. Either they're not fit enough to run 200m or, more likely, they don't know how to pace or push themselves so just run full pelt until they can't. Yes parents should do something too, but crap PE is such a missed opportunity.

That does not sound good!

I'm a swimming teacher of 20 years - fitness has declined massively over the past decade.
It isn't particularly the swimming itself, affluent area so the kids have weekly lessons as standard, it's the things like climbing out of the pool with no steps, treading water etc the things that 20 years ago all kids could do regardless of finances because they were out all day playing. It's the core strength that's disappearing.
Climbing out of the pool out of your depth is in the KS2 curriculum - I have to spend several lessons on it as so many kids don't have the strength.
I no longer teach 3 year olds as Swim England guidelines on ratios haven't changed over the years, despite a massive decline in core strength so it simply isn't safe imo. Some children, even with umpteen floatation aids will topple forward in to the water as they can't hold their body up. Some can't climb out the steps, again due to lack of strength. and need to be lifted out.
Round my way, everyone is extracurriculumed up to the eyeballs, I was too, until I realised the gym class I was paying £10 a hour for, actually resulted in 6 mins on the apparatus, 54 mins waiting their turn; whilst the (free) park afterwards was non stop monkey bars. Parents are kidding themselves their kids are getting an hour of exercise at extra curricular but they're invariably not. My kids learnt more and got more exercise hurtling their way around soft play for hours.

There’s definitely an argument that Maths and English are the school’s responsibility (I don’t completely agree with it, but can understand it) but seriously? You’re saying basic fitness is the school’s responsibility not the parents?!

I have a DD in year 2 also, and it’s not uncommon for me to get her a McFlurry and/or milkshake with her happy meal. I even get her two happy meals sometimes! She’s is tall and as skinny as a rake though, so surely it must be partly genetic. She is pretty fit however, she does two sports clubs and we go to the park for an hour almost every day.

It may not be "rocket science" but some children just aren't naturally sporty! I was shit at sport - I was more academic. My kids weren't good at it either - DH played rugby until he had an injury mid-teens and had to give it up.

I compensated in other ways - all three children are competent swimmers, the girls did ballet and they did other active hobbies. But they couldn't run to save their lives and neither could I! Everyone has their different talents, so don't be so dismissive!

That’s fine for a child of normal weight. It isn’t okay for an overweight child.

This is shocking.
200m should be doable by any child, excluding disabilities of course.
I am extremely unfit, but could run 800m odd if chased pushed

I never pay much attention at sports day (what with being so unfit and sport averse myself) but the boy I care for is doing his on Tuesday so I'll be looking out this time.

we just had our primary school sports day and it was the same. its sad

I’m a teacher and would be genuinely shocked if any of the children at my school (barring physical disabilities) would struggle to run 200m.. we have previously done the daily mile etc and our government (Scotland) mandates 2hrs of quality PE a week..

None of the sports I mentioned have to be competitive so it doesn’t matter if you’re rubbish. You’re only competing against yourself.
And I stand by the assertion that it’s unbelievable that an able bodied child cannot run 200m.

I’m really surprised tbh our school does the daily mile and kids run loops around school field on the track every day. The teachers all walk it though!

I thought most schools did something similar?

So many excuses on here.

‘Not enough PE at school, teacher keeps cancelling, lunchtime sports club has stopped, poverty/cost of living’….

Walking, running, local park are all free and available to child and parent.

Stop blaming schools and be a parent.