On Your Mark – 2023 Sports Day

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On your mark… 

You might be familiar with that moment of anticipation when you’re crouched at the starting line, fingertips touching the ground and the rhythm of your heart echoing loudly in your ears. You don’t notice your competitors, each in their lane, your sole focus being the sound of the whistle that lets you know it’s time to start moving. Well, the week leading up to the highly anticipated Sports Day felt something like that. 

 

With the announcement of the upcoming day, students and staff grouped themselves into teams and registered for the various sports of the day. Everything from chess and scrabble to rugby and hockey, there was something for everyone. 

 

The day itself started bright and sunny, foreshadowing a fun filled day. Right at the start, each school had t-shirts for the registered players, and all over the sports complex, you could see students and staff repping their faculties in the different coloured t-shirts. The bright orange of the School of Computing and Engineering Sciences could likely be spotted all the way from Upperhill! With t-shirts on and energies high, the day kicked off.

 

Get Set… 

To get us as warmed up as the weather, we began with  Zumba and the 5000m race.  As the different sports started running concurrently in their designated fields, cheers from the rugby fans could easily be confused for the chants of the football fanatics. Everywhere you looked, there was fierce, good hearted competition as teams went head to head; students vs. faculty, school vs. school. 

 

In a quieter corner of the sports complex, the competition was less physical, but just as intense.  Those more inclined to intellectual sports challenged each other to chess, scrabble and even Jenga matches. Meanwhile, away from the buzz and bustle of the sports field, karate competitions were ongoing in the auditorium, swimming at the neighbouring All Saints pool and table tennis in the Student’s Centre. The Whuaaa sounds of the karatekas probably drew some side eyes from anyone who hadn’t heard that the sports day was going on. 

 

What would a sports day be without the fun activities that bring out your inner child? The bouncing castle was occupied throughout, and, being designed as an obstacle course of sorts, people lined up to compete and see who could come out first on the other side. Through the tubes, up the ladder and down a slide, the smiles on each person’s face as they came out were a clear indicator that a bouncing castle is always a great choice.  There was also face painting, ice pops and a whole lot of dancing.

 

Go…

Each person, and each team, brought their A game. This was evidenced by the many cheers and tears throughout the day, and the award ceremony to bring it all to a close. Many left with a medal, some with two, as they were recognized for their athletic prowess and practice. 

The overall winner of the 2023 Sports Day was the Business School (SBS), and clad in green, they celebrated their victory, bringing the day to a joyous and fulfilling close. 

 

This article was written by Celia Kinuthia

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