to think non competitive sports day is ridiculous and a waste of time

[PanicMode]

I went to a prep school where every child's strength was encouraged - whether one's strength was academic, sporting, musical, art, drama etc, it was found and nurtured.

My children's (state) school does non competitive sports day, which I think is ridiculous and in addition is unfair on those children that excel at sport - when do they get to shine or have their potential realised? (This is not because my children are fantastic at sport btw - they really aren't!).

(And for those who are going to say if you don't like it, move to the private sector - if you'd like to pay my four sets of fees, then I'd be eternally grateful )

[slushy06]

I wonder what people think of the way our sports day was done.

We had 20 different events three teams. For about a month before our p.e teacher watched us doing different events and then picked for us we had one single and one group each, but our teacher matched everyone up so each race the children competing were fairly equal and competing in a sport that they were better at.

For groups for e.g baton race you had 1 good 2medium and 1 who wasn't as good but they were only competing against someone of a similar skill level. Parents had a choice of seeing the whole day or going at specified time when their dc was competing. Just wondered if this was a good compromise between the two camps.

[MorrisZapp]

How can it not be competition riven, to apply for a job along with lots of other people, then to have strangers decide if you are the ideal candidate?

You are competing for the job.

[frogetyfrog]

Medals and cups are handed out for academic success in our primarly school and (slightly later I will accept but probably just as humiliating) exam success or non success will be discussed amonst peer groups. A lot of clapping and praising goes on there.

Sticker charts in schools (and head teachers awards) always reward the good children. The active, lively, 'naughtly' children could well be the ones who can run fast or love sport - their chance to shine.

I love competitive sports day - thank god our head teacher saw sense and reintroduced it.

[LollipopViolet]

We had competitive sports days. TBH I found them upsetting and humiliating. I won one 2nd place sticker in all my years of primary school. I hate sport even now. However, I found I had a bit of a knack for creative writing and all through school that was my way of shining. Now I make films and that's how I shine. We did do, in secondary school, a team sports day, with various groups doing different sports and points being awarded for certain distances eg: shotput, 10 points for x feet, 5 for y 2 for z, which was great because even if you weren't amazing, you could still help the team.

Riven, I am appalled at what that man said about your DD! I hope someone pulled him up on it! Grrr.

[Heifer]

I have to admit to being really happy with DDs competitive sports day.

From nursery (3 or 4) all the way through infants every girl competes in 3 races.

Every class practice (a lot) and are seeded so that each class has 3 groups of 7, quickest 7 go in 1 race, then the next 7 etc.

They stay in these groups for all 3 races.

1st race, is a straight sprint.
2nd race, is something with balance so depending on age, nursery and reception was golf and spoon race, yr 1 was ball on bat etc etc
Then 3rd race was more endurance/ shuttle type.

So basically it catered for all types of children in a way as the quickest didn't necessary have the best balance or could skip.

Ribbon prizes for 1-3rd, well done to everyone else.
Parents are invited to come along and shout

There are a few teams in the nursery age group, but just told that they didn't come 1st 2nd or 3rd so can't have a ribbon.

I really wouldn't be happy with non competitive sports day. Sport is an important part of our life and think children need to learn how to be competitive in a controlled manner.

[minipie]

I don't think there is any harm in children learning that they are not good at everything.

However, I think kids will learn who is and who isn't good at sport quite easily through their sports lessons. No need to devote an entire competitive day to singling out those who are particularly good/bad.

The same is NOT done with regard to other subjects. There is no compulsory competitive maths day, or art day, or "just being a nice friendly kid" day. I am not sure why sport is elevated in this way.

So, YABU. Either we should do away with competitive sports days, or we should introduce competitive everything else days.

[SlackSally]

I agree with Reality. My worst memories of school are of cross country running. I always came last or somewhere close. With all the girls who had finished ages ago making bitchy comments and laughing.

There is no equivalent in the classroom. Even if, e.g. the class does a spelling test, they don't all have to read out their scores to one another, it's up to them to do so if they wish.

The ritual humiliation of children has been taken out of the classroom: no more dunces cap, no more physical punishments etc, so I don't really understand why it needs to carry on on the sports field.

[frogetyfrog]

Actually our school does have compulsory maths week (!) and art week where children do competitions and finished work is put on display for parents to look at. The best is put on the website.

[lovechoc]

it should teach children about what a competition is all about - taking part but also about winning and losing (the realities of life, let's face it!).

[domesticsluttery]

Sports Day is still competitive here (thank goodness) but the under 11s football tournaments now have to be non-competitive, which is ridiculous.

I was useless at sport at school, but was good at other things. I knew that when the Eisteddfod came round I would always win for reciting My eldest is very good at sport but the other two aren't, but that is just life! I can guarantee that DS2 and DD will come last in most of their races (they are both very small for their age), but I'll still go and cheer them on!

[PanicMode]

Minipie - my daughter came home yesterday with a certificate for being "Star of the Week" - which is presented very publically at assembly and it said "for being a kind and considerate girl". So, yes, they do reward things other than academic or musical success.

I wonder if the English football team had non-competitive sports days - they certainly didn't seem to get the hang of the idea of football - ie score goals to beat the other team.

[BoffinMum]

I have always wondered why they don't teach athletics properly and then get the children to compete against their own best times? That way there's some point to it other than genetic advantage.

[BoffinMum]

PS I am the world's unlikely sprinter (seriously) but at school I won a silver medal AAA in a 200m race with my head of PE taking this approach. All the class were cheering me on and rooting for me, and it was a very special moment.

[GrungeBlobPrimpants]

I love non-competitive sports Because my dc's and I are not in the least sporty and I recall the bitter pain of coming last every friggin' time, in public, on sports day.

One of my friends raves about her kids uber-competitive prep school and sports day and I think "thank god I'm not paying an arm and a leg for that then"

Seriously though, most schools do a mix of team activities and races nowadays, don't they? Then you get best of both worlds.

[minipie]

Panic

I do see that (and well done to your DD). And of course there are prizes for other subjects too.

But it's not quite the same as lining all the children up and telling them who is Best Star of the Week, who is 2nd Best Star of the Week... etc... all the way to the Last and Worst Star of the Week.

Which is what happens at sports day.

Can't they just give prizes for being "good at running" or "good at football"?

[5Foot5]

I too think non-competitive sports day is a silly idea but I disagree with the suggestion that this could be characterised as state v private thing.

DD and all my sisters' kids go to state schools and have always had competitive sports days - all the way from pre-school.

[minipie]

To summarize:

I have no problem with children being singled out and praised, publicly or otherwise, for being Good at something.

The issue with sports day is that it not only singles out those who are Good at sport but also (as a side effect) publicly identifies those who are Bad at sport.

Other sorts of prizes/awards don't do that.

[ShellingPeas]

Our school has, IMO, sorted it quite well.

KS1 has only team events, competing for your house colours - so it's how many children complete an obstacle course in a certain time, or how many times a team rolls a hoola hoop, or bean bag throwing type of thing. No individual competition at all.

KS2 has team events, and then individual events too. But only children who want to compete in the individual events have to do it. So if you're really crap at running or throwing or skipping or whatever, you can opt out if you want to.

No one, to my knowledge, is singled out as 'bad' at sport, the winning house is always incredibly proud, and the other children have had a great time running about for an afternoon.

[southeastastra]

i like them to be competitive, where else can a great runner 'show off' we have art displays, music displays, dance display et etc

though i did spent two hours watching my son sitting on his arse with the others who didn't want to do anything, so complete waste of my time.

and at three hours long, do they not think parents work?

[cath476]

Our school has a none-competitive day for the infants and the juniors have a competitive day. The little ones find it very difficult to lose and even the none-competitive day had a few tears. Key stage 2 are split into mixed ability, mixed age 'houses' who compete for points. There are lots of different races which aren't purely about athletic prowess (funny obstacle races which involve dressing up for example). Everyone had a fantastic time, lots of cheering (no boos allowed) and the winning house got to run lap of honour with their trophy.

[frogetyfrog]

Actually in our school they do read out their spelling test results in front of the whole class, and their maths test results each week.

I think that in a lot of schools there is actually a lot of competitiveness and rewarding for academic success.

[2shoes]

yanbu
I was crap at sport, but sports day never worried me.
kids need to learn that they will not always win

[Snobear4000]

I agree competitive sports should never have been removed from schools by nu-labour.

I also (it may seem contradictory) feel strongly that sports which are individual and not necessarily competitive should be encouraged.

I for one was not athletic, was often picked last, and had a best friend who got about in a wheelchair. I ended up preferring physical activities that were solo in nature, such as swimming, skiing, surfing. I would enjoy playing tennis or badminton very badly, one-on-one with an equally shite friend. I think these sorts of things should be encouraged so that disabled or non-sporty children still can have proper fun in a physical way. Lord knows all children in the UK need more exercise.

HOWEVER...

The competitive nature of athletic and team sports drives children to practice harder, put in the hours and really do their very best. The children I grew up with who had the opportunity gained self-confidence, fitness and skills that they otherwise would not have.

My disabled friend suffered no indignity watching the school rugby and cricket teams achieving, as he regularly embarrassed other students with his huge talents academically and musically.

We need competitive sports to allow the best young athletes in the UK shine, not just the public school poshos. It's always been an embarrassment, the gross over-representation of public school educated athletes in Team GB, a situation exacerbated by PC policies of the last government. Bring back competitive sport, I say.

[coffeefestival]

YABU. How much would the nation's health improve if so many people weren't put off sport when young, by always "failing" at it in comparison with others?

"The competitive nature of athletic and team sports drives children to practice harder, put in the hours and really do their very best."

Sorry Snobear but I don't think that is always the case. I think many give up on sport even at a young age because they're nowhere near being able to compete with the sportier people at school. And many are then unlikely to do anything sporty in the future.