What's happened to competitive Sports days?

[Maybee]

Just been to a really boring sports day at my son's school on Fri for the 3rd year in a row. A non event. All teams of mixed agegroups doing lots of activities around the pitch. no winners- no losers they get their points on Monday! I can't help thinking its v boring. I mean when I was a kid some people really excelled at Sports day and weren't necessarily that good at anything else. Wonder why this is no longer celebrated especially when kids often come home with daft little 'I ate my dinner today' 'I was polite' stickers. It seems as if everything else gets a reward these days.
The kids seemed to enjoy it ok but none of us had a clue where our kids even where half the time!

Angrypixie, I think that would be the right balance. Its the same with team sports - we don't expect the less co-ordinated children to join the first team.

In my experience it was only primary school that was the really painful experience - at secondary school there was still competitive sports day (in fact probably much more serious) but no-one expected you to enter the 100m race if you had two left feet - it was a matter of choice.

And of course because it was so much bigger it wasn't a question of every parent in the school sat there watching (in fact maybe parents only went to the district sports where the sporty kids all went along?)

(Ah, and claig, as it happens, I think you are perhaps misunderstanding my political views. I'm actually quite a fan of differentiated schools at 14 - though I think that ALL the schools should be desirable, just different - technical, academic, practical etc.)

sorry I thought you were a died in the wool socialist. Sorry to cast such an unpleasant aspersion. Glad to hear we are closer than I thought.

No, no, no - anarchist all the way

well that's certainly an improvement over a socialist

Competitive sports day at our prep - and have never seen anyone cry or refuse to take part.

As someone said up thread, an education is about learning many skills not who is top. Sports are a great way to learn this. It's fun. It's healthy. It's a challenge.
If we don't win it really, really doesn't matter.

In my school we had a combination of competitive individual, competitive team and non-competitive events. Seemed to work well, although I'm sure some parents complained.

State school with a competitive sports day.

My children are not at all sporty, but they can sometimes get a sticker in the egg and spoon race. The children do 2 or 3 races and get a sticker for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Lots of children get multi stickers, but there are many others that have no stickers at the end of the day.

My youngest often gets "tired and emotional" when a sticker is not won! She had to be carried across the finish line in reception .

backtotalkaboutthis hooray we're sorted!

Maybee agreed it shouldn't be a reason to do non-competitive sports days, but I suspect in some schools it is.

Having been humiliated throughout my primary years, I reckon only children who want to should take part in sports day... and then it could be competitive. The 'round robin' events are boring for all concerned - organisers, competitors and spectators.