Non Competative Sports Days. I hate them

[castrolgtx]

Everyday the same children come out of school with certificates for good writing/reading/maths etc, but sports day can't be competative in case children are upset when they loose.
At the mum of two sports mad sons it drives me mad as it's their one chance to shine.
Anyone else agree?

I think there is a middle ground that can be both mildly competitive and inclusive.

I've just come back from DS's Sport's Day, which consisted of children of varying ages doing varying activities - some running, some throwing etc. Calling it "competitive" would be a stretch - you got a sticker for taking part: a 1 or 2 for first or second, but a variety of comments for others - good effort, well done etc. There were plenty of teachers at the finish line handing out the stickers and congratulating the children. The children all seemed fairly hyped by the atmosphere and the industrially glowing ice-lollies they got during the official "lolly break" but there weren't any tears that I could see in DS's reception class.

There were a vast mixture of abilities, but there was certainly no laughing at the slower children and as the parents could either sit in the stands or mill around the track, it wasn't exactly like the Berlin Olympics. And there was Pimms!

It also ended with a huge staff race, with everyone from the 50 year old female head to the dinner lady which the children adored!

I genuinely think that it should be possible to have Sports Days that are neither uber-competitive gladatorial affairs nor slightly namby-pamby "Activities" Days.

Perhaps there does have to be some sort of middle ground I agree. My kids school still have a traditional sports day. There are tears among the younger ones and humiliation for a couple of overweight ones. I was glad to see the girl who was crying last year was allowed to help with other duties instead of competing. On the other hand the good athletes get a chance to use their skills and earn points for their house along with all the ones who get house points for academic achievments

Sports day is followed by a fun day, perhaps this could be more integrated and kids that are better at sports can compete in specific races and the other kids can have fun an the bouncy castle or throwing wet sponges at the teachers.

I do think it is wrong to eradicate competitive sports altogether though, a place for every ability please.

At my dd's school we have a fairly traditional sports day every year which lasts all day and the parents take a picnic which their children join them for.

It is basically a house competition with the 4 houses competing for the most points. Children are entered into the events that it is thought they will get the most points for.

There are also other house competitions throughout the school year, eg. General Knowledge.

Some children gain scholarships to senior schools from our school, including sports scholarships.

Cornsilk, I hate that chanting for the cool kids too!

I still maintain that non competitive sports days are best, as most schools have plenty of after school sports clubs which give kids the opportunity to compete with other schools etc, which I agree can be a very good thing

I have to agree with the OP and Boobsgone South. If children are gifted in a sporting sense then Sports Days should give them the opportunity to display their competency. I can't understand this politically correct stance of sport not being competitive - it's just wrong!

What is Sport we have to ask ourselves ? Does Steven Gerrard play football just to have fun and not win things? Did Sir Steven Redgrave win 5 Olympic Gold Medals just to have fun? Did the England Cricket team go out to have fun when beating the West Indies 3-0 in the Series ? NO - Sport is all about competition and striving to the best in your field.

I don't see many people complaining about children who get straight 'A's or excellent school reports vs those other children who are not bright academically - surely this is competition too. In know in my son's class there is fierce competition between all of the children to progress up the coloured reading scale, to get the most 'Star of the Day' awards, to read out in assembly..........the list goes on - is this not being competitive?

I am a fortunate mother who has a son who is blessed with academic and sporting ability. I attended his sports day and it was awful - it was completely pointless. The gifted sporty children were bored out of their heads with the easy tasks and not being stretched and the rest of the not so sporty children ran around like headless chickens as you could see that they did not understand why or what they were doing !

I have instilled in my son that life is about doing your best in what ever you chose whether you are academic or sporty - life too is competitive and it does not harm children to understand and know that fact.

I think the world has gone absolutely mad in the past 10 years. Children are being brought up to not strive for anything - we are going to breed a society happy with just being mediocre. Will this make the world a more happy place ............ I wonder ?

But I rather suppose Gerrard and Redgrave chose to take part in those sports.

You can have competition without public humiliation. Yes, many children get excellent reports and good marks for this, that and the other. And it is right that these achievements and sporting ones are recognised and rewarded. But parents aren't invited in to watch every child being forced to take part in a very unequal playing field (excuse the pun!).

For example, my son and some of his friends were recently presented in assembly with gold or silver certificates for the junior maths challenge. All well and good. But imagine if the marks of the lowest ones in that or any other test had been read out in public, with relatives invited along for good measure. Or even worse, if the non-mathematically minded children had had to compete against the maths whizzkids, again in public. Or if a tone-deaf child was made to perform in a singing contest against their will, again in public.

Sporty children get masses of opportunities to display their talents in most schools from what I can see. In P.E. lessons, school teams, after-school clubs. And that's just school-related ones, seriously active or sporty children usually take part in a multitude of out-of-school activities. So I don't think they are missing out on praise or any sort of opportunity to show their talents.

My children's secondary school issues a fortnightly newsletter, and often highlights the achievements of individuals or teams within the school. Sports gets a high profile and there is loads of recognition for sporting achievement. However, children who do well musically or academically or make some contribution to the community are also recognised.

Huge numbers of adults do no sport as soon as they leave complusory education. It is why the UK has such an obesity problem. Traditional school sport alienated most children. School sport should be about encouraging partisipation.

castrolgtx and alisonmc, are your kids really that good at sport? Is it really an achievement for them the fact they can probably run faster than a kid in my son's year who has mild cerabal palsy? Does it make you feel a better parent?

Schools have plenty of opportunities for competitive sport. Many schools have gifted and talented schemes for sporty children. A few months back our area had an inter schools competition where the sportest children represented their schools.

Our town has regular inter-school tournaments with up to 20 schools taking part. Tag-rugby, athletics, football, cricket, hockey, orienteering, netball, there have been loads. Children who are keen and/or good at sport have regular opportunities to take part in these, to be competitive, to win and lose, to have a great time and yes, to win public approval.

There are also regular gifted & talented events for particularly sporty children.

To be honest, I think that any child who is genuinely sporty or even just keen on sport would have to try really hard NOT to find opportunities of taking part in competitive sport and the recognition that comes with this!

Frances, I have also commented on how school sports seem to alienate many children. I really think it is a huge problem. I am glad that from Year 10 my children's school allows them a much wider choice of P.E. options - encompassing everything from canoeing and rock-climbing to trampolining, aerobics and supervised work in the gym. I hope my children, and others, will take part in a greater variety of activities, and hopefully find something that they enjoy and that they might continue to do as adults.

Surely that's far more important than bringing back the humiliating rituals of sports day.

I don't do any sports now because school 'sport' and sadistic PE teachers put me off for life. Actually I was pretty darn good at gymnastics, but that wasn't on the curriculum for high school, had to do athletics/netball/tennis/hockey instead. All of which I was useless at - half the time because the PE teacher never explained HOW to do it (still have no idea how anyone hurdles, for e.g.).

castrolgtx and alisonmc, glad your sons enjoy sport, but one day they meet some activity at which they struggle. And when that happens, let's hope they aren't ritually humiliated.

Don't know what went wrong with that last post - I seem to have a real problem with apostrophes!

Let's see if this is any better!

No. And not just me then. Gremlins or something!

The site went down a few minutes ago and now apostrophes are not working - see site stuff

Completely agree with your post 'Portnovo'. Traditional sports days are a nightmare for those children who are not athletic. For the others to win, these kids have to be seen to lose. No-one has to struggle academically in order for other children to do well; we don't make weak readers stand up and read at assembly alongside those who are extremely confident - so why do it with sport.
I agree that there are many other activities which would encourage kids to exercise - IMO they should all do Yoga as nothing could be les competitive.

Whoops! - just read lower down the thread that others have said everything I wanted to see regarding the humiliation of those who are not good at sport. Particularly agree with what 'Aloha' has had to say.

Reading other posts has actually made me reconsider my opinions.
I do think that implying that i'd feel better if my son could run faster than a disabled child etc is quite unfair though. True perhaps I am guilty of not properly thinking about how competitive sportsdays affect different abilities, but am quite hurt my some comments
The original post came from the frustration of continually having my son at the bottom of everything, and wishing for once he could feel good about being good at something.

But castrolgtx, if your sons really are sports-made, don't they get their chance to shine in P.E. and in school teams and competitions and such like?

I agree, it is nice to see our children being good at something, and enjoying doing it, but just not at the expense of others.

Frances5 - I can only say that from feedback from my son's unbiased independent football and tennis coaches he is apparently very gifted and a natural at sports - in fact he is playing in the year above his age football team and playing tennis regulary with children 3 years older than himself and competing very well at both.

I feel hurt and extremely angry that you assume that I would feel glad that my son "can probably run faster than a kid in your son's year who has mild cerabal palsy" - You are way off beam - I am only looking at the achievements of my child in isolation and I certainly do not decry any other child's achievements. "Does it make you feel a better parent?" I feel very proud of my son's achievements and recognise them in his chosen sports but I would not be so cruel as to belittle any other child regardless of their capabilities.

Edam -I certainly feel that if my son does find anything hard in sport or academic life in the future he will deal with it just as he does with his sucesses - with dignity !

I think to describe School Sports Day as "ritualistic humiliation" is going a tad too far............ I don't think schools are tasked with humiliating pupils as part of the National Curriculum !

I suppose our school just isn't good for anything else apart from the academic stuff. There aren't any afterschool clubs or anything.
He does go to things outside schools.
I wouldn't expect him to win much by the way, and wouldn't care if he didn't but I know to likes the trying part

Its just as important to learn how to a good winner as well

Good to see attempts at understanding each others' points of view. And I'm sure it's nice to see your child doing well at sport - just that traditional sports days are not good.

not sure if this has been said already (apols) but there is a big difference in children who choose to 'enter' a competitive sports day, and those that don't.

growing up, we had a 'fun day' at the end of term for all students ( primary school) there were stations throughout the school with all the usual egg and spoon, sack races 3 legged races, even a room with all the popcorn you could eat (mmmmm)

then in junior high school things got competitive, and you could opt in, or not. It was great as if you were decent at the events, you could have your fun day out, cheering from the sidelines all that stuff

and if you weren't interested you didn't go
simple as

Many primary schools don't use heats because a child with physical special needs will end up coming last whatever heat they are put into. A child with special needs would be last and seriously lag behind even the most uncoordinated of children. With a team even a teacher can balance the teams so that there is a chance. With a team there is still the spirit of competition and it teaches cooperation between children.

Schools are expected to be inclusive even on sports days.

"then the less able runners are given a staggered startign point, so the opportunity is there for all"

Makes it fairly public which kids are considered to be weak runners. At least with teams noone is really aware who is really bad at sport.