The date is set, the letter is out, love it or loathe it the annual sports day season is upon us. If it hasn’t been rained off at least once then it wouldn’t be a school sports day!
Over the years the competitive edge of sports day has been diluted, instead encouraging team participation over individual glory. However, no such dilution has taken place in the event of the day, the one we’ve all been waiting for …the parents race! Mums and dads showing off their sporting prowess on the start line with one eye on the prize, re-living the nostalgia of sports day back in the day when winning was the ultimate goal, to bask in the glory of being first over the finish line, those were the days!
So, should we be nurturing the competitive spirit in our children? Should we be encouraging individual competitiveness on the start line? After all, not all children excel in the classroom. Is this not a chance for the sporting elite to have their moment to shine?
Let’s not take their moment away from them, instead let’s encourage all of our children to WANT to win at the start line, no matter what position they cross the finish line!