School Sports DayAt some point in the distant past, someone at my school had built a large concrete tank behind the sheds and called it a swimming pool. Proud of this, they had a "Swimming Sports Day" in which everyone had to participate, even those who couldn't swim (they got to walk across the shallow end of the tank).
This would probably have been OK if the pool hadn't turned a deep opaque green the night before due to lack of maintainance. Even the school sports stars didn't want to go near the gloopy mess in the pool. We were practically pushed in. I'm sure some of the younger kids never surfaced again and the non-swimmers looked petrified.
Tell us your sports day horrors.
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chthonic, Thu 30 Mar 2006, 11:13)
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I came from a sports dominated school. woo.At the time, I was a 13 year old undiagnosed dyspraxic that could barely put one foot ahead of the other, let alone participate in coordinated sports.
Sports Day. Everyone has to do at least ONE event for their tutor group. I figure "hey I'm not a bad long distance runner" and volunteer for the 1600m, thinking that I'll just go round the field like we usually do with no spectators and even if I finish last, that's still one participatory point for the tutor group than if I wimp out.
Problem? 1600m was taken. So was given 800m by my 20stone tutor who said "look, its still running" completely misunderstanding the difference between sprinting and running ( in a coordination sense, sprinting is a helluva lot harder for me ). So I'm there on the day.
Second problem. It wont be round the field, its round the track. Third problem, the race is done during the lesson everyone gets taught maths so of course EVERYONE comes out to watch. I shrug. It could be worse.
The gun goes off ( yeah our school actually spent *money* on sport ), everyone shoots off then finishes. I'm barely round the first circuit of the track. They couldn't start the next race until I'd finished, so suddenly the entire crowd's attention was on the incredibly slow sprinter. I look up. I get a yell.
"Come on, YOU CAN DO IT!"
"Yeah, come on!"
Suddenly combined yells of sarcastic and genuine cheers come out. The problem was, the cheers were the type you give a special needs kid who just learnt how to tie their showlaces.
"You can do it! Just focus on the track!"
and, to top it off
"Arthy, arthy, ARTHY, ARTHY, ARTHY!"
As I approach the finish line at a tremendous almost-walking pace. I finish. I get clapping, cheers. I grin. Well, there wasn't much else to do really...
And that is the story of how I became a special needs kid.
I didn't find out that they were being sarcastic or patronising until someone told me in 6th Form. Cunts.
(, Fri 31 Mar 2006, 0:57, Reply)
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