Sports Day is one whole day of fun for students but what most people do not know about Sports Day is that it takes a lot of work to make a day full of events run so smoothly. Plus, Sports Day is mainly run by students. Students will set up everything, switch equipment from one event to another, participate, and in the end, put everything away. Teachers may help by keeping score, making encouraging announcements, keeping time for races, and so on but they do not “run” Sports Day.
Backtracking a little, Sports Day is usually held in fall. The particular book I was reading up on it held their Sports Day in October. Why October? Because right after summer vacation, the students begin planning and practicing for Sports Day throughout September. More specifically, every day during September at least some time is spent preparing for the event plus four full school days are spent to practice running everything smoothly. Also, notices are constantly being sent home with information on equipment needed by children in different grades, what events they will participate in, lunch, transportation arrangements, a rain date, and the schedule for the day.
Sports Day is held on a Sunday so that everyone, including outsiders, may watch and maybe even participate in the event. All students of the school wear their gym uniforms and all are expected to participate. The event begins at 8:30 am so all students must arrive at the school much earlier at 8:00 am; for elementary students, that means they leave with their walking group around 7 am. Sport Day should end at around 2:00 – 3:00 pm and run very smoothly and seamlessly.
Not all the events in Sports Day are for all grades; rather, they mix up events so that if one set of grade or grades are doing an event, another grade may be resting up or preparing for the next event. Some events that may happen are relay races, dancing, cross country races, mock horse battles (two students carry one student on top and try to steal their opponents headband), bobbing for food, gymnastics, and so on with performances by the school band (if they have one) and maybe even cheerleaders. Some of the events of the day can be set up for teachers, parents, and future students with “easy-to-do” events such as tug-of-war and relay races.
Here’s a funny example of a Sports Day schedule from the manga Eyeshield 21:
Opening Ceremony
Tug-of-War – All Years
Beanbag Toss – All years
Folk Dance to Hell – 1st and 2nd Year
100m Dash – All Years
Formational Gymnastics – 3rd Year
Three-Legged Costume Race – All Years
Break
Cheerleading Battle
Giant Jump Rope – All Years; Girls
Michael Jackson Centipede – 1st Years
Relay Road Race Starts – 2nd Years
Die! Dodge Ball – 3rd Years
Relay Road Race Ends
Mock Cavalry Battle – All Years; Boys
Closing Ceremony
Teams are created not by particular classes but depending on the ability of the collective unit which they try to make equal. Teams are also not in the same color team for Sports Day the next year so team spirit for Sports Day is only for that one day. With that said, the winning team gets to win a trophy. Within the book I was reading, their trophy was three feet high, silver, and adorned with ribbons from the previous years’ winning teams. The trophy is displayed in an enclosed case at the front of the school for the remainder of the year.
Here is another schedule of events for Sports Day:
1. Calisthenics, whole school
2. 60m race, 3rd grade
3. Race, 1st grade
4. Jump-rope dance, 2nd grade
5. Obstacle race, 6th grade
6. 90m race, 4th grade
7. Pom-pom dance, 3rd grade
8. 100m race, 5th grade
9. 50m race, 2nd grade
10. Animal Land dance, 1st grade
11. Pulling poles, 4th grade
12. Relay race, 6th grade
13. Horse battle, 5th grade
14. Short race, 5 yr olds
15. Teacher’s relay-obstacle race
16. Folk dance, whole school
Lunch
17. Cheers and songs for each team
18. Tug of war, PTA
19. Tug of war, 3rd grade
20. Capture the pole, 5th grade
21. Ball in basket, 1st grade
22. Fireworks dance, 4th grade
23. Big ball race, 2nd grade
24. Gymnastics routine, 5th & 6th grade
25. 4-color relay race (batons), 3-6 grades
26. Calisthenics, whole school
Awarding of prize, closing exercises
