Sports Day!

Finally, after many years of absence, the Sports Day finally return to Evergreen Primary School. The last time Sports Day was held, I was not even in the teaching career. I heard many stories of the event. Sports Days are usually a magical and unforgettable event. I should know. I have been part of some great spectacles myself.

Since Singapore will be hosting the Asian Youth Games this year and the Youth Olympic Games the next, the school decided to re-introduce the event to the school calendar. Why it has been absent for the past years, nobody knows. However, it is often attributed to a certain man sitting in the biggest office in school. I suppose the Prince of Darkness often works in the strangest of ways.

The school was thus separated into 5 Houses. Blue Sharks, Green Gators, Yellow Hornets, Purple Cheetas and Red Eagles. We wanted to use the Olympic colours but the colour black was excluded as it was considered morbid. Initially, the key appointment holders in the school were supposed to be the House Masters, but due to the expected busier-than-ever schedule this year, the honour was given to the PE teachers instead. I was approached to be the House Master. I accepted with immense trepidation. Almost 2 years into the job, I still felt relatively green. Since there was no other choice, I took it up but only if the House is Red!

For many weeks, the House practiced to prepare for the big day. The biggest challenge for me was to organize and delegate duties to my fellow teachers. I wondered how they would take orders from an upstart. Alhamdullilah, the teachers were very cooperative and enthusiastic about the entire project. Without them, it would have been mission impossible. I cannot thank them enough. Some people stand out. Soffian, Celine and Ashley at Training. Muryani at Banner and Doris, Juliana and Mariam at Cheer & Mascot. I’d have to say that Sports Day at this time is a whole different ball game than when I was in school!

As the weeks went by, everything shaped up pretty well. The athletes were ready and the cheer and banner were coming along nicely. There were little hiccups but I had my organization skills challenged when I had to manage multiple queries and matters at the same time. Alhamdullilah, I could keep my cool (or was it ignorance?). By the time Sports Day came about, we were ready.

Points gathered from completed events meant that my House was on top of the standings before the Day started. 30+ points ahead of our nearest rival, could we maintain our lead and emerge House champions? Being the paranoid, statistic freak that I am, I was up last night counting figures when I should have been studying for my upcoming exams instead! It did not look good. I had the least number of finalists compared to the other houses. Imagine having a healthy lead in a football league and your closest rivals having 6-8 games in hand? Could they really rack up the points and knock us off our perch?

The first events of the day were the 400m finals for all the levels. My House really found our niche in the longer distance events. I think we snagged 4 out of 6 golds on offer. But when the 200m, 100m and the 4×100m relay events came along, things began to go downhill as my runners began to fall behind and the lead became smaller. My Red House then stepped up for the Parent-Teacher 8×50m Race. Oh my, what a spectacle that was. Parents fell over themselves as they tried to get their bodies into motion. It was hard for me to contain my smile as I saw our competitors fall but the smile soon faded as the runner before me stumbled halfway through his run. Somehow he managed to gather himself and handed the baton to me. By this time, we were in second place with my colleague, Yap, about 10m ahead of me.

Time for the question I’ve been asking myself, “Can I still sprint?” Having seen my relay teams obliterated by the Blue House, I was unwilling to let this race slip. I pedalled as hard as I could. Felt my knee shaking a bit. I urged my body to go faster and faster and eventually, I caught up with Yap. We’re back in it. Then, the unexpected happened. The Green House (Yap’s House) messed up their baton exchange and I took the chance to retake the advantage. The race was full of thrills and spills and thankfully, my team didn’t spill anything after retaking the lead. By the time Soffian got the baton, I knew the win was ours. There was no way anyone could catch up to that man. I would have loved to be the one to carry the baton across the finishing line, but I wanted him to have him. I think he is the true House Master with his enthusiasm and energy. After all, it’s all about the team. My prize? A gold trophy which now stands proudly among my collection.

By the end of the day, my worst fears were realized. Blue House pipped us to the title by 14 points. We got 3rd for our cheers and banners. It was harsh considering the effort the pupils and the teachers put in. In fact, I felt it was unfair. Then again, it’s natural for me to think that way. I’m sure all the other Houses felt the same about their results too. Gosh, I hate losing. However, the better House won and for me, I have learned a lot of valuable lessons to improve on for next year. One lesson that I learned is that sometimes as decision makers, we need to make some that would disappoint others. For me, it was hard telling some of my athletes they did not make the relay team. I was on the phone with a parent who told me that the daughter was distraught at being swapped at the last minute due to a miscommunication and some sneaky acts by her teammates. That’s the worst feeling really, giving disappointment to others. I want to rectify those mistakes. I must. That is, if I get to remain as House Master.

All in all, I’m thankful and glad to be a part of the entire process. They say that second place is the first loser. They’re right. However, the better team won and I accept my defeat with dignity and respect. All the Red Eagles did well and I am so proud to be their leader. The Bald Eagle. Or should I say the Balding Eagle. We’ll be back next year! Watch out Sharks! We’re gunning for your title next year!