Managing school sports day?

[Hullabalooo]

First one this year with DC. Haven't done it since the 80s and I honestly haven't a clue what I'm supposed to be doing as a parent. Is it horribly competitive and full of thrusting parents as I keep hearing or a nice event with the kids?

I've got an old rave injury (I was cool once!) so can't run in the mums race or whatever it is due to a knackered knee but are there other ways to be involved?

Shitty ex may be there too so extra fun and games on that front.

Tips for protocol please!

Ours are very composed (Very middle class school) and it's considered bad form to call out or cheer apart from at the end. Nobody shouts "COME ONE TARA!!!" or anything.

I HATE sports day. I think it's awful to make all the children do it and feel it should be something they can choose to do. The kids who aren't good at sports come last in everything and that's just humiliating!

It's nice for the sporty kids so let THEM bloody do it!

There's no protocol other than wear a hat and sunglasses so you can hide if you want.

Don't go, unless your kids are likely to do well and want you there.
The KS2 one for our school is quite traditional, but ds does some heats and then sits about for the rest of the after non chatting to his mates; the KS1 one is loads of different activities and getting points for your house and quite fun but parents can't attend anyway.

Just getting the feeling there'll be a phalanx of bloody Boden mums overachieving and me feeling crummy. Plus handsome but horrible ex lapping up the admiring glances

I thought you had to go to sports day when they were young?

You don't HAVE to but it would be bloody awful not to. They all look for their parent and get upset if not there as sports day is so built up to them.

My DDs aren't the most sporty but they would be gutted if I didn't turn up to cheer them on at sports day. Ours is fairly civilised, parents take picnic blankets to sit on and the pta sell bacon rolls and hot drinks. No one is pressured into joining the parents races thank god.

I am going. I'm just nervous about it. Do they have to wear some kind of kit? They're a bit last minute at my DC school

Sometimes they ask kids to wear a certain colour t shirt for their team...red, blue, green etc. Or most schools have band things which they hand out.

Well it mostly went ok, only a few tears (not mine) and ea ex didn't show.. That's it for another year.

Glad you went . We don’t go for ourselves we go to show support for our kids

If you don't point and laugh at the dyspraxic kid (like some fucking arsehole did at DD2 - he's lucky I didn't brutally murder him with an infant foam javelin to be honest) you're doing it right.

Christ that's awful!

I cheered all the kids loudly.

My dc’s sports day was ok. He got marked wrongly for the pentathlon (not a real one obvs) and he should have won. I was very composed and didn’t complain though. Everyone was very joking and lighthearted about the mother’s race. Until it was actually announced and I spotted 3 other mother’s who were wearing running spikes! I did it bare foot and won. It was genuinely one of the highlights of my adult life.

I followed DS2 around and took photos, DM followed DD around and took photos. All very refined.

Well done @fedup i always thought the mums race sounded like a fiercely competitive experience. You aced it!