Yesterday was Sports Day, and since I took tons of pictures and videos this post is going to be pretty large. It seemed like the entire town came to see the event, along with a tv crew. I was asked a number of times whether or not we have anything like Sports Day in Canada, and the closest thing I could think of was Track and Field Day, but they aren’t even really the same.
In case I haven’t really described how Sports Day works, I’ll summarize it here. All the students are divided into two teams: Shiro (white) and Aka (red. For most events, the teams are broken down by gender, and then by age so there are usually four rounds of everything. The events range from sprints and relay races, to obstacle courses and the caterpillar race. Somehow the teams get points at the end of each event, but at the end everyone was cheering so much that I couldn’t tell who had won.
Everyone was really happy all day, which translated to a higher than normal number of students approaching me and trying to say something in English. I also met a few people from the town that spoke English much better than I expected. Among these were the mayor, a city councilor, and one of my student’s mothers (she spoke nearly fluently, so I hope her daughter is somewhat similar).
Anyway, here are the videos:
Warm Up:
Solan Dance:
Shiro Cheerleading:
Aka Chearleading:
And here are the pictures:
September 9, 2007 at 11:13 pm |
That is really fascinating! Is it a town event rather than a school event (I note that it is on a Saturday)? And is the stadium part of the school property? It looks huge! Funny to hear the cheerleaders counting in English! I’ve never seen children competing in athletic events who look so NEAT!
September 9, 2007 at 11:54 pm |
It’s technically a school event, but most of the town goes. They make it on a Saturday so that parents can come watch. They’re not really in a stadium, it’s just a big area of dirt and tents around the edges, but it is part of the school, and it’s pretty huge.
September 10, 2007 at 6:08 am |
thats incredible. love it.
how did your race go?
September 16, 2007 at 10:10 pm |
Sorry Drew. I liked the Pegasus picture much better and I wanted that team to win. Didn’t they want you to be at the bottom of the pyramind thing??
September 18, 2007 at 9:30 am |
Hey Aunt Mo,
Thanks for all the posts. I think Shiro may have won afterall, but I’m still not completely sure. I don’t think I’m even close to strong enough to participate in any of those events against my students, let alone in the gymnastics. These kids practice all day long in the summer, so they are all super athletic. Well, maybe not the band.