Itโs that time of year again: sports day.
Itโs the second year Iโve had the pleasure and what with the arrival of baby number three itโs by no means the last.
A bit like things they donโt tell you about reception year, things theyย fail to tell you about school holidays, things they donโtย warn you about half term and things they donโt tell you about the school run it turns thereโs also a lot they donโt tell you about sports day.
10 things they donโt tell you about sports day
1. It sends Parent Mail into overdrive. For those of you who havenโt had the pleasure Parent Mail is the communication system between schools and parents – and you get contacted a lot. When it comes to sports dayย a question mark hangs over the entire event until the last possible moment when a call is finally made on whether it will go ahead based on the latest weather forecast. Which is a total nightmare for working parents, anyone with a life and your Parent Mail inbox.
2. Itโs only when they send them home with their PE kit the night before the big day that you realise theyโve actually outgrown it. Their t-shirt is more cropped than is technically decent and thereโs no way theyโre going to win the running race in trainers like that. Cue frantic trips to the school uniform shop and Clarks.
3. โRemember itโs not the winning, itโs the taking partโ. If you had ยฃ1 for every time you hear that phrase, or something like it, at morning drop off you could buy an extra bottle of wine or two.
4. Youโll be bored stiff. What with the shepherding of kids from one race to the next and waiting while each of them take their turn thereโs lots of standing around. Or sitting if youโre clever enough to have remembered a camping chair.
5. Itโs not what it used to be. If youโre expecting old favourites like three legged races, wheelbarrow races and sack races youโll be sorely disappointed. The health and safety police have put paid to those.
6. The egg and spoon race isnโt what it used to be either. Itโs now pear and spoon at our school, although Iโve got absolutely no idea why.
7. Appearances can be deceptive. Itโs often theย smallest ones who are the fastest.
8. It can actually last all day. If you have two or more children in different year groups sports day is just that โ the whole day. With key stage one in the morning and key stage two in the afternoon some poor souls will be subjected to it for years.
9. The mums and dads races are serious business. If you thought they were a bit of fun at the end of the day then think again. Expect parents in full workout gear, elbowing throughout the race and bad losers. You can tell a lot about someone from the mums and dads races. Just like the 10 types of school play parent, it wouldn’t be too hard to come up with 10 types of sports day parent.
10. Winning is everything. Even if your school is one of thoseย non-competitive sports day types, we just can’t help ourselves. The parents know it, the teachers know it and the kids know it.ย Winning is, after all, human nature.
Have you had the pleasure of sports day this year? Do you have any survival tips? Iโd love to hear what they are!
Linking up with these fabulous blogs!
I’m sooo competitive I know I’ll be sodding the no competitive part. And no sack race?? Are you serious? Gutted. I’m all prepared now. Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst x
Sports day is a whole morning at our school which is fine if it’s a nice day. The first year I thought it’d be an hour tops and didn’t even think to take water or a snack! This year I could only stay for a little bit because I had a meeting at work and we also had the builders in so both watched a bit and missed the parents race much to Mr J’s annoyance as he was ready to thrash the other dads!!! #bestandworst x
I can’t wait for my little one’s first sports day! I never knew it would be this competitive! Thank you for your survival tips, I will surely re-visit this when it’s finally our turn! #FamilyFunLinky
Ahh! We still have all the dangerous fun races. The three legged one is always hilarious. hehehe
We are still waiting to see if our sports day is happening on Friday. We’ve had a lot of rain here so who knows. #bestandworst
I wish we could go back to sack races and three legged races and have a good old fashioned sports day. As a teacher I hate sports day because of all the waiting around, it usually rains, some parents are an absolute nightmare and shout totally inappropriate overly competitive comments, someone always gets hurt or forgets their kit, some parents forget and then don’t arrive to collect their kids on time…. I could go on and on. I hate sports day! #FamilyFun
I didn’t even know they did a parents race at sports day? I feel like this post has taught me so much, I’m ready now for when Leo has his first sports day xx #bestandworst
the only actual race we had was a water thing, where they had full a cup at one end and empty it into a bucket at the other. It was a team relay. I miss the three legged race and all the other foolishness we had as kids #familyfun
oh man. I hear ya. Please come and “help”at sports day
aka- melt in the heat for six hours at one bloody station and dont even catch a glimpse of your own child.
#familyfun
I hate sports day. Mainly because I know my son hates it. Take him out in the countryside and he will run and run for miles and never seem to tire. Show him a sports field and you’d think he was walking to the gallows. They only seem to do four races each but you will be forced to sit there for three hours while the alternate between every child in the whole school. You can find yourself a nice comfy spot on the grass with a perfect view and you can guarantee that when it’s finally your child’s turn a group of over-enthusiastic parents/grandparents will have come and stood right in front of you on the edge of the marked out racetrack so that you miss the entire thing anyway. Unfortunately my son was sick this year and we had to miss all the fun, such a shame x
#FamilyFunLinky
It was all a bit of a mess at our school last, I’m not sure they put much effort into it! We will see this year! #coolmumclub
Oh my god this couldn’t be truer!!! Absolutely hilarious and brilliant-we’ve all been through these!!
#coolmumclub
So so spot on! We lived our first sports day dream a couple of weeks back and it was nearly cancelled due to extreme heat! Tig’s also came home on the hottest day of the year the previous day in her jogging bottoms – because her shorts had been missing for, well, who knows! Cue panic shopping trip with less than 12 hours to go LOL.
Thanks for sharing with #coolmumclub
Pear and spoon?! That’s just not right surely? Good tips I will definitely remember to bring a chair. I can fully imagine it’s a tad on the tedious side, and long! Thanks for sharing at #familyfun
Anya’s preschool sports day was yesterday and she won almost everything (she is one of the oldest). Matthew’s is next week and I’m dreading it as last year he didn’t come 1st 2nd or 3rd and was devastated ๐ #coolmumclub
Hahaha!! So funny! I can relate! I had the pleasure of my very first sports day last year and thought I was heading over to school for a wee chinwag with the other mums, watch a couple of races, maybe a cup of tea but noooooo! I too encountered the Lycra-clad competitive parents who I fully expected to produce a loudspeaker from their Longchamp shopper to belllow words of motivation to their spawn during the 100metres. Sports day is definite hip flask territory for me! x#coolmumclub
Returning with #bestandworst
Sports day is not a favourite of mine. I love my kids and went to all of them, but I am glad they are over.
#FamilyFun
My two have yet to start school and it all sounds a bit safety conscious ott to me. #coolmumclub
Number 10 made me laugh out loud! So much for the non-competitive trying – doesn’t work, never works, will never work! Brilliant! Oh and I so need to read the 10 types of parents at sports day – do it! Til next year! #CoolMumClub
Can you imagine what it’s like for us teachers? We have to start “practicing” in April….I have to admit though I do like the sweepstakes in the staff room regarding which parent will bring their running spikes…I kid you not! lovely post #KCACOLS
Ha! Yes! Agree with all of these. I’ve been going to a sports day for the past 3-4 years! #KCACOLS
I’m so relieved my children’s school doesn’t do a parents race! They do still do a sack race though, which is always quite fun to watch! x #KCACOLS
yes agreed it is totally about winning and competitiveness, like most school stuff I am beginning to relise and influenced a lot by sodding PTA lol X #bestandworst
Haha so true! Our sports day was cancelled three times this year and we didn’t end up doing it (which I’m secretly glad about!)
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time
Haha so true! Our sports day was cancelled three times this year and we didn’t end up doing it (which I’m secretly glad about!)
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time! x