Just in case you missed the best event of the year so far – Wimbledon High’s Sports Day 2023, here is a summary of the thought processes you may have missed.
- The Wimbledon Park conundrum – the first hurdle (pun very much intended) of sports day, is the question of how to travel to Wimbledon Park Athletics track. Not only do you have to wrestle with the endlessly unknowable 493 bus route, but also the question of which entrance to use. There are at least four, so knowing which one is best is largely luck of the draw.
- The Stands – your first indication of the excitement of the day ahead. Do you rush to the back to get the best of shade, or are you sitting at the front, whooping your friends until you are hoarse? Not that any decision is final of course, leave your seat unattended for even and moment and someone swoops into your position before you even have time to consider joining the queue for an iced coffee. The only permanence is impermanence.
- Costumes – In my professional opinion, costumes were at an all time high this year. Whether you ran around all day nobly in the heatwave adorned with a feather boa, leaving a trail of adoration and feathers in your wake, or taking on the day in a full banana costume (which, I’m reliably informed, provided the best form of sun protection of the day), the commitment to the house colours was truly wonderful to see. Special mentions of course, to not only to the head girl for her fabulous green feather boa-skirt combination, but also to Mr Griffith’s cape.
- Events – There is naturally, an event for everyone at Sports Day. Of course, it’s also possible, certainly for at least half of the lower school, that you learnt how to throw a javelin merely twenty-four hours ago, but in the end it’s truly all about adaptability. And the blind hope that if you fling yourself hard enough, with just enough unsubstantiated confidence, you’ll make it over the high jump bar.
- Refreshments – Sports Day this year was lavishly furnished with an ice cream truck and an iced coffee truck. Naturally, this meant that most impossible and hotly contested event of the day was racing to be first in line and see just how quickly you could eat that orange ice lolly before it melted. Or in the case of several year 12s, before you got into position for the flash mob.
- Speaking of the flash mob, it would be simply criminal not to give it its own section. I don’t know what we as a collective year was more shocked by – the fact that we actually learnt the dance, or the electric moves of our very own Gabriella and Troy, stirringly played by Ms Duncan and Mr Griffiths. Yes, the song is still stuck in my head. No, it doesn’t seem to be going any time soon.
- Tug of War – of course the Sixth Form won against the staff. There was truly no question of it turning it out any other way.
- And of course, we come to the winner. Congratulations to the sunniest of houses, Scott, for their scrabble to victory. Long may such a winning streak continue (in my completely, absolutely not biased opinion).
I hope you all had a fabulous 2023 Sports Day. A very special thank you, of course, to the P.E department, and everyone who had a hand in making the day possible.
