The 2023 Sports Day provided an opportunity for Y7-10 students to showcase their abilities to perform in a highly competitive setting while also having fun. The harsh sun beating down on the field initially caused some to look irritated, however, this was shortly remedied when ice pops were distributed to compensate for the hot day. By sporting the colour of their form group, everyone in their team felt as though they were all working together to achieve one common goal: to beat the other forms in every competition! Despite being on opposing teams, they demonstrated refreshing sportsmanship as the racers were overheard complimenting each other on their accomplishments. A few aspiring athletes even left with as many as three medals around their necks. Sam and Mr Fakouri, who were in charge of making the announcements, advocated for a lot of encouragement from the spectators. The morale maintained high throughout as the students who were watching collectively cheered when their form came around the corner of the track. "Come on Raheem, that's what I mean!" was one of the many rhyming chants they began. Water bottles were handed to all runners as they sat in their ranked seats so that they could catch their breath before the victors walked to the podium to snap a picture of their unforgettable achievements. 

The Yr10s, in particular, gave it their all in the relay, as evidenced by the way they slumped onto the chairs afterward, sighing in relief at their efforts. Considering today is possibly their last ever sports day, the competition in the air most likely brought drove them to work as hard as they could. Even when they weren't racing, the Yr10s could be seen having a push-up competition among themselves; while they didn't get any points for this, their dedication still shone through. 

Something that is not really done at our sports day very often is the sac race which today brought out the most laughs. Teachers and participants joined in the light-hearted atmosphere as some pupils would often lose their balance and fall whilst jumping in the sac. 

Since the school does not have a starting pistol, a wood clapper that could mimic the desired sound was used for "firing" that alerted participants to start the track races. Undoubtedly, the competition that required the most encouragement from the rest of the school was the 800-meter race. All of the runners performed incredibly well for one of the most challenging runs. Some of them slowed down near the middle, indicating that it was clearly quite exhausting for them, but Ms. Jennings admiringly ran alongside them for support. Since there was not a staff race this year, she was unfortunately the only teacher to run on the track. Whilst this may have been disappointing to some, students in the older years have learnt from experience that the P.E. department always wins anyway - for obvious reasons. 

At the end of the event, Orange house was announced as the overall winner. However, we saw a great effort from every single form class representative that competed. 

Roving Reporters

Malaika Abbas [12A] and Abdisalam Abdulkadir [12E]

 

“We are really strong; we can beat every team!” – 7Y [tug of war] 

“There was not that many people going for the race, so I thought, why not try.” – Taranveer 10R [sac race] 

“It felt good to win. I didn’t expect to since I have a lot of pain in my leg, but it still worked out.” – Rawda 7W [sac race] 

“It’s not something you can practice for.” – Angeli 9O [sac race] 

“I fell over but still won.” – Kabir 7B 

“I was not expecting to win since I have never done a sac race before.” Alexandru 10W [sac race] 

“I like P.E, it is different to other subjects where you have to think logically. I think that we need more female sports personalities as role models.” – Heer 9R [40m sprint]

“I enjoyed the race, but I was panicking because my form tutor told me to have an ice lolly before I started. I thought it was going to slow me down, but I still won. I still have to do the relay and tug of war next” – Arvind 8B [40m sprint]

“I ran for my life.” – Najma 10R [40m sprint]

“I didn’t prepare for the race but was still able to apply technique to win. I just ignored the crowd and ran. My sports inspiration is Christiano Ronaldo.” – Y10 1^st place [obstacle course]