Sports day
Encyclopedia
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and office
s in which people take part in competitive sporting activities
, often with the aim of winning trophies
or prizes. Though they are usually held in the days are also staged in the autumn or spring seasons especially in countries where the summer is very harshSchools stage many sports days in which children participate in the sporting events. They are usually held in the warmer seasons, either at the beginning or towards the end of the academic year. Also, it is usually held in elementary schools, or grades K-5.
In schools which use a house system
a feature of the school is the competition between the houses, this is especially brought out during sporting events such as an inter-house sports day.
Games that are played on school sports days can be wide and varied. There are straight forward sprints and longer races for all age groups as well as egg and spoon races. Three legged races are run as well as sack races and parent and child races.
Additional games are traditionally run in Ireland and the UK, such as wheel barrow races and games such as horse shoe throwing.
Some schools have abolished or heavily altered sports days on the grounds that they are too competitive and may damage pupils' self esteem - this often reflects the schools' attitude towards competitive sports or competitiveness in general. This view has been condemned as "political correctness
" by many commentators, notably by journalist Melanie Phillips
in her 1996 book All Must Have Prizes.
In June 2005, Country Life
magazine published a report claiming that school sports days have become excessively competitive due to overbearing and "over-zealous" parents, who place too much pressure on their children to succeed. The report also revealed that many schools have banned "mothers and fathers" races due to fighting and cheating
.
Since the mid 1990s, a number of schools and education authorities have banned photography
and filming with video camera
s at sports days and other school events. Some authorities cite general privacy
issues as justification for the ban; others have raised concerns about pedophiles, which in turn has sparked accusations of hysteria
and moral panic
. Many parents have expressed anger at being unable to take photographs or videos as souvenirs of these events, and the ban has been criticised by some as a paranoid
over-reaction to public concerns about paedophilia and child safety issues.
called undōkai (運動会) in Japanese, including preparation for the event. undōkai is usually held on a Saturday or Sunday. During weeks preceding the sports day, students practice their events which they would like to show their parents and friends, within their class of physical education, which often includes performances by the school band and presentations by various school clubs as well as individual and group competitive events. These practices, and the sports days themselves, normally take place on the schools' fields, which provide little relief from the heat
and sun.
Some schools have responded by scheduling their sports days during cooler months and by encouraging their students to drink water regularly. Currently, the event occurs most often in the autumn (September/October), or in the spring (May/June). In primary school
s in Hokkaidō
, the event is usually held between the later part of May and the earlier part of June.
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
s in which people take part in competitive sporting activities
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, often with the aim of winning trophies
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
or prizes. Though they are usually held in the days are also staged in the autumn or spring seasons especially in countries where the summer is very harshSchools stage many sports days in which children participate in the sporting events. They are usually held in the warmer seasons, either at the beginning or towards the end of the academic year. Also, it is usually held in elementary schools, or grades K-5.
In schools which use a house system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
a feature of the school is the competition between the houses, this is especially brought out during sporting events such as an inter-house sports day.
Games that are played on school sports days can be wide and varied. There are straight forward sprints and longer races for all age groups as well as egg and spoon races. Three legged races are run as well as sack races and parent and child races.
Additional games are traditionally run in Ireland and the UK, such as wheel barrow races and games such as horse shoe throwing.
Controversies
There have been a number of controversies surrounding school sports days in recent years, many of which have been publicised by the media.Some schools have abolished or heavily altered sports days on the grounds that they are too competitive and may damage pupils' self esteem - this often reflects the schools' attitude towards competitive sports or competitiveness in general. This view has been condemned as "political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
" by many commentators, notably by journalist Melanie Phillips
Melanie Phillips
Melanie Phillips is a British journalist and author. She began her career on the left of the political spectrum, writing for such publications as The Guardian and New Statesman. In the 1990s she moved to the right, and she now writes for the Daily Mail newspaper, covering political and social...
in her 1996 book All Must Have Prizes.
In June 2005, Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
magazine published a report claiming that school sports days have become excessively competitive due to overbearing and "over-zealous" parents, who place too much pressure on their children to succeed. The report also revealed that many schools have banned "mothers and fathers" races due to fighting and cheating
Cheating
Cheating refers to the breaking of rules to gain advantage in a competitive situation. The rules infringed may be explicit, or they may be from an unwritten code of conduct based on morality, ethics or custom, making the identification of cheating a subjective process. Cheating can refer...
.
Since the mid 1990s, a number of schools and education authorities have banned photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and filming with video camera
Video camera
A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
s at sports days and other school events. Some authorities cite general privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
issues as justification for the ban; others have raised concerns about pedophiles, which in turn has sparked accusations of hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
and moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
. Many parents have expressed anger at being unable to take photographs or videos as souvenirs of these events, and the ban has been criticised by some as a paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
over-reaction to public concerns about paedophilia and child safety issues.
Japan
Sports day is the event Japanese schoolsEducation in Japan
In Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lower secondary levels. Approximately 98% of all students progress to the upper secondary level, which is voluntary . Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private education is popular at the upper...
called undōkai (運動会) in Japanese, including preparation for the event. undōkai is usually held on a Saturday or Sunday. During weeks preceding the sports day, students practice their events which they would like to show their parents and friends, within their class of physical education, which often includes performances by the school band and presentations by various school clubs as well as individual and group competitive events. These practices, and the sports days themselves, normally take place on the schools' fields, which provide little relief from the heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
and sun.
Some schools have responded by scheduling their sports days during cooler months and by encouraging their students to drink water regularly. Currently, the event occurs most often in the autumn (September/October), or in the spring (May/June). In primary school
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
s in Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, the event is usually held between the later part of May and the earlier part of June.