Childhood memories: Sports Day
How much do you actually remember of your childhood? I find my memory shaped more by impressions than actual events. Things which were habit, or done many times, are more likely to be a collection of linked scenes or ideas, and it can be difficult to discern what actually happened on individual occasions.
My eldest nephew had his first school Sports Day recently. I had the day free, so I went
to watch for a little while, as did all of my sisters, my Mum and my brother-in-law (my nephew's father). Some of the parents I encountered were people I went to school with, people I don't see very often, and some of us got talking about what Sports Day was like when we were at this same school, all those years ago. And I must say, we didn't actually have many memories of those days, despite the fact that they happened every year!
I never liked Sports Day as a child, generally considering it to be one of the most boring days in the school year. I am not overly athletic, so it was not an opportunity to excel, as some children did, in running, or jumping, or throwing. I can barely remember which events we competed in and which ones I did as part of Little Athletics (which, oddly enough, I generally enjoyed). But as my nephew and other small children participated enthusiastically, it was a pleasure to watch them enjoy being outside, in nice weather, trying new skills. We stood around trying to remember whether we were ever given the opportunity to play with a parachute, an activity all the children seemed to thoroughly enjoy!
On the other hand, I do remember the team atmosphere, with the whole school divided into the four 'houses', each marked by a colour (red, green, yellow or blue). Students earn points, and the house with the most points at the end of the day wins the Sports Day trophy (an experience which at least prepared me to understand the house system in the Harry Potter novels). Mostly, though, I remember the songs we sung, as well as the songs generally sung by the other three houses, and it is very amusing to hear the same songs still sung by the same houses all these years later!
My eldest nephew had his first school Sports Day recently. I had the day free, so I went
to watch for a little while, as did all of my sisters, my Mum and my brother-in-law (my nephew's father). Some of the parents I encountered were people I went to school with, people I don't see very often, and some of us got talking about what Sports Day was like when we were at this same school, all those years ago. And I must say, we didn't actually have many memories of those days, despite the fact that they happened every year!
I never liked Sports Day as a child, generally considering it to be one of the most boring days in the school year. I am not overly athletic, so it was not an opportunity to excel, as some children did, in running, or jumping, or throwing. I can barely remember which events we competed in and which ones I did as part of Little Athletics (which, oddly enough, I generally enjoyed). But as my nephew and other small children participated enthusiastically, it was a pleasure to watch them enjoy being outside, in nice weather, trying new skills. We stood around trying to remember whether we were ever given the opportunity to play with a parachute, an activity all the children seemed to thoroughly enjoy!
On the other hand, I do remember the team atmosphere, with the whole school divided into the four 'houses', each marked by a colour (red, green, yellow or blue). Students earn points, and the house with the most points at the end of the day wins the Sports Day trophy (an experience which at least prepared me to understand the house system in the Harry Potter novels). Mostly, though, I remember the songs we sung, as well as the songs generally sung by the other three houses, and it is very amusing to hear the same songs still sung by the same houses all these years later!
Comments
Post a Comment