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?

competition rocks. I hate it when people say it doesn't matter

pretty much every litle kid likes running about and climbing on things and chucking balls around. that is why they are all so skinny.

THAT is sport.

they go off it when they are older becuase they get the message that its all about being the best and standing around in the cold being stuck in goal while the stars get to do the fun stuff. This is unsuprising.

But you can't really be healthy and not exercise. With such high levels of child obesity I am astounded that schools have the same approach to sport (not so much primary school sports days but more generally) as they have always had.

I agree with you Aloha.

I might suggest compulaory beauty pagents if DS's school are having a competitive sports day.

But PE/Sport is part of the curicculum. You can not opt out your kid because tey are no good. Can a dyslexic child opt out of spelling or reading? No.

Sport is about physical exercise, getting moving, it can help create a good work ethic - team players etc. Sport can have a positive effect your life. Creating a love of football/netball/running that you carry with you to adult hood and enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle.

btw i like sport

i don't really like competing against others

i just like physical activity and the rush i get from that

sport does not have to be competative.

But some people are crap at it.

Agree Filly

shouldn't MATTER if someone is crap at sport

because it should be about HAVING FUN

I agree Filly. It's not fun if you are made to look like a fool though.

(I was commenting on earlier posts, not yours)

Yes some people are crap at it, but nobody is good at everything. Why is it bad to be good at sport? I don't understand at all. Competetion exists in so many other aspects of our life.

I'm crap at almost everything, Arse. It doesn't stop me having a go, and it doesn't stop me being delighted when others excel.

What a strange mindset it is, when people are prepared to attempt nothing just in case someone else gets offended.

Kids just don't bloody work like that, thank God.

Some people are good at nothing northener.

I feel great when i beat all the other mums in ds year at sports day.... My ds loves it too..

So what are you suggessting we stop teh kids that excel because the ones who don't get upset?

Jeez.

Who said anything about attempting nothing Desiderata?

but what is it about school sport that has this inherant competitiveness to it?

all kids are actually encouraged to read. You don't have competative reading days or anything. And yet no one gets annoyed that their good reader doesn't get a chance to shine. The promise of a lifetime spending loving books is promise enough.

But also, its recognised that ideally ALL kids would like reading and if every child reads at the same high level, thats a GOOD thing. It just isn't something parents/kids get competative about, really.

Don't see why it should be different with sports, really, except that we have this odd competative mindset.

Of course not. But why do we have to humiliate the kids that that are crap?

Whats wrong with competition?

There's nothing wrong with competition if you choose to enter into it. It's not competition if you know you are going to lose though - just humiliation.

well what purpose does it actually serve, laney?

people should be pushing themselves, agreed.

don't think having some moustached loon in a shiny tracksuit shouting at you is the way to achieve that, really. nor is coming last time after time and being put off sport for life.

whats the goal here? IMO its to get as many people as possible exercising and enjoying it.

Aside from anything else, competativeness CLEARLY doesn't work with that as most adults have been through competative school sports and now don't exercise

I think it is changing a bit - hence the proliferation of non competitive sports days

But who says they are being humiliated? Surely we can teach them good sportmanship. You have a race, someone wins, and the winner shakes hands with his competitors and says 'well done - i enjoyed that' and they congratulate the winner. Safe in the knowledge they tried their best.

Competetiveness exists in the classroom too, over who can draw the best, sing the best, write teh best and who is well behaved.

I've heard kids say 'my drawing is better tahn yours', 'I ate my dinner before you', 'I'm better at sums tahn you'

Whys is beating someone in a race any different?

Who's humiliating them, arse?

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Only a complete twunt would laugh at a kid who couldn't do sport. That is a personality issue. The person who is laughing is a twunt.

That is no my problem, it's very much theirs.

So what you're saying is, no sport at all.

Is that what you're saying?

because it's in front of a load of parents and all their peers (and often other years too) and it's just not for every child

No it's not Des. I love watching football, so does DS and his dad. We're all shit at playing it though. There are a lot of twunts out there though who do laugh and it hurts regardless.

I've got no problem with competition, it's the compulsory aspect that I object to.