Sports day!!!

[autumngirl714]

At my child’s school, Sports Day is split into two parts. Part 1 is great—an obstacle course where everyone takes part in their team colours, and each team earns points. But Part 2 is where I feel a bit torn. It’s competitive racing and field events, but only the best from each team colour get picked—fastest runners, longest jumpers, etc. The rest of the kids just sit and watch.

Every year, the same sporty kids get chosen, and my daughter —who tries really hard but isn’t the fastest—never gets picked. She's started to really dread Sports Day now and feels like no matter how much effort she puts in, it’s not enough. It’s heartbreaking to watch.

I do understand the argument that this gives athletic kids a chance to shine, and I don’t want to take that away—but I can’t help but feel it’s unfair and disheartening for the rest. Wouldn’t it be better to include more children in Part 2, or offer additional fun races so that everyone gets a turn?

Just been to sports day today where the same girl got picked to do every single competitive race meaning nobody else got chance. She gets picked every single year which is great for her, but not fair on others.

What do you think? Aibu?

I have twin boys who are 10.
they have different abilities and one is a super star when it comes to P.E and not academic at all.
one has ADHD and has limited recognisable skills when it comes to to ANYTHING and I love my boys but recognise they have different skills - not only between the two of them but also with their peers.T1 (eldest twin) is okay academically but excels with sports and come Sports day and district sports (he is selected for) he feels like he is achieving. Which he is! It’s his strength!
There is zero recognition for these sporting achievements.
this is is his strength.
’They ‘ concentrate on those that are all
rounders’ not those that are gifted in non curricular activities

Oh, and those that ARE academic get allowances to ‘Include them’
Thise that are non- academic but are sporty do not get the same ‘inclusion’.

I do agree with you to some extent. Feels like each house should pick the best eg 4 or 5 runners for the running races, and choose which of them does each one. Even in the olympics there isn’t just one competitor from each country! If the aim is to encourage the sportiest to shine and develop, they should be trying to encourage the best few ones, not the best single one.

Back in my day, that would have been seen as a bonus - no lessons and just spending the day chatting to your friends while the sporty ones run about and do their thing.

@MagpiePi this is what I told my daughters enjoy having a morning off 😂 But it's not all that fun when you're desperate to be joining in and just watching the same people every year get selected.

Its the most fair way to do it. I hated competitive sport day it put me off off sport for life but competitive people shouldn't go without to protect sensitive kids and sensitive kids should not be forced to compete. Not every one is good at everything and that's ok

Why can't they simply do heats to decide who gets to race on the day?

They could consider limiting it to 1 or 2 events per child. This way more children get a chance to compete. You never know who will shine on the day. My DC play several musical instruments to a higher standard then their peers but isnt given every single solo in the concert - they are given 1, and other children get their chance to perform. No one questions that.

People get very blinkered by sport. Children don't perform consistently, they change and grow. The kid who seems quick in pe can often be beaten by someone else another day.

There is zero recognition for these sporting achievements.
this is is his strength.
’They ‘ concentrate on those that are all
rounders’ not those that are gifted in non curricular activities

Its the opposite in many schools. In ours its the sporty kids constantly recognised in the newsletter. Music for example gets zero acknowledgement unless its the school choir because thats one particular teacher's pet project.

I thought it odd that it was called sports day and all being relay races.

I grew up in the States and it was Field Day and more like Olympics Track and Field and you were competing against other schools

It was also optional.

All concerts that I've been to they've all played musical instruments/sung together. No solos or anything like that

Yes lots of schools do very few solos. Ours limit solos only to the oldest year group.

There's also a strong focus on whats "accessible to all" - choirs, recorder groups and the "class instrument" where the whole class learn something like ukelele. I think they really go out of their way to avoid celebrating the children who's parents are able to afford individual music lessons, which is very dismissive of the hard work many of those kids put in to learn and practise.

IwasDueANameChange · Today 08:54

Why can't they simply do heats to decide who gets to race on the day?

But the OP's daughter still wouldn't get through the heats and would still feel it wasn't fair.

It will be a bonus to some kids.

For my kid who can't run due to a disability, he'd love to be able to join in.

I haven’t been to a primary sports day in over 15 years, but DD’s had some more ‘field event’ types of thing. Throwing bean bags etc. There’s a lot more to athletics than running.

Move to Wales. Lots of opportunities with school, county and national Eisteddfod. Music, drama, art and writing are properly celebrated. And at many of these parents can watch. DD’s primary had everyone sing a solo and do a recitation in front of an audience. Nobody seemed traumatised by the competition (helped that the teacher was an expert musician and kept changing the key of the accompaniment to match wherever the singer wandered to…).

I absolutely agree that there is more to athletics than running.

The bean bag thing they had at DS’s Sports Day was to balance it on head and to run without it falling off.

That's what life is like though, better to learn from an early age.
We're you always included in everything OP?

It is likely the sporty kids feel equally disillusioned sitting at the back of the nativity or bottom of the spelling test. Not saying all sporty kids are only good at sport but no children are good at everything and there are so many different types of activities that take part in schools so they all get a chance to shine.

Wtf is wrong with these replies it’s a school sports day not the olympics.
It should be a bit of fun where everyone gets to join in and celebrate sport.
I’m sure the school has plenty of extracurricular activities where pupils get the opportunity to compete.
Also, the winners get to ‘shine’ by ummm… winning 🤦🏼‍♀️ No one is trying to take that away from them.
Imagine if when kids turn up to the school disco only the ‘best’ dancers were selected to dance and all the other kids just stood & watched.

@Deathinvegas exactly! A lot of the replies have honestly shocked me... but it is MN so I should've known better!

How about having a good old back in the day.Fun Sporty Events Day? No winners or prizes Just jollification and a good old belly laugh.

We used to love events like the Egg and Spoon and Sack Race. And the the lads couldn't get enough of the Tug of War.
Ho Heave O.

Probably banned now by the Elf and Safety Police .

Long live the 3 legged race

,😻

I'm 54 and my sports day were competitive. My Mum talks of winning races at sports day. How 'back in the day' are you talking?
Your day sounds more like village fete fun where all ages and both sexes 'race' together and no one takes it too seriously. The 'winner' wears their ribbon with pride but knows it's light hearted.

Non-competitive school sports days are more common now than 'back in the day' I think.

I am 70 and lived through the so called Swinging Sixties and was a Mod. So lwould be talking about my time at primary school. 1960 to 1966.

The games and races l mentionef were commonplace at all Primary Schools on Sportsdays throughout the UK

I think my post was really making a point about having fun and things being much simpler back in the day.

Of course kids are competetive. And want to win the 100 yard dash etc And always have done and always will. That's life l'm afraid.

But Parents did not hover around their children like helicopters rhe way they do now. A huge source of the competetive spirit in children l

Watch excerpts from Motherland

You win some.You lose some .

If you really wsnt to send up tradational English Village customs and jaunts. I suggest you watch recordings of the Annual Gloucester Cheese Rolling Race

Which attracts idiots from all.over the world and must fill up the local NHS hospital A and E big.time.

This race dates back hundred of years io Old England.When pleasures were obviously really simple..

People always entertained themselves witn competetive activities and akways will. But some just do it for fun

But Parents did not hover around their children like helicopters rhe way they do now. A huge source of the competetive spirit in children

I think this is partly (mainly?) why it's all become so problematic.