Sports Day: A record Breaking Day, for Breaking Records!
Well, if you thought London 2012 was a half decent show, then you’d have enjoyed Wednesday enormously!
What a day we had of it: top notch athletics in glorious technicolour under azure skies and in front of the keenest of audiences. It was quite simply outstanding, and will be given a little more space next week once we’ve had a chance to catch our breath, check the results and reflect more deeply on all that was achieved.
For now, though, and at the risk of missing one out (I hope not, though!), I cannot resist the chance to trumpet the extraordinary triumphs of our record breakers. For this was the year the School broke its own record for setting records… that’s probably a meta-record… I think Bertrand Russell would have been interested…
It all started on the Saturday middle distance day, hardly surprising given the season our boys and girls have had this year:
In the Year 7-9 3000m races Charlie Turner and Kit Evans Lombe smashed the boys’ old record by 12 and 2 seconds respectively and April Hill obliterated the old girls’ record by 58 seconds; and in the Year 10-13 5000m races Nathan Goddard took over 12 seconds off the boys’ record and Amy Graham a whopping 31 seconds off the girls’. Four new records even before Sports Day officially started!
And then to the day itself – it felt as if a new record was being set every ten minutes: at Year 7 Ruby Vinton broke three on the day: high jump (previously set in 2015), 800m (2014) and 1500m (1994); Beau Barrington-Hibbert broke two: discus (2014) and shot (2010), and Fazil Akyol two for the boys: high jump (2016) and javelin (2011).
At junior (Year 8) Henry Dinwiddy broke the 300m record (2017).
At middle (Years 9 and 10) April Hill added another two records to her 3000m: 800m (2016) and 1500m (2017), Izzie Eaton broke the 200m (2009), Nell Pilkington broke one of the longest standing records, in the shot, dating back to 1979, Sophie Graham bettered even that, rewriting the discus record set in 1965, and Ella Walker tied the 100m record (1989); while for the boys John Hendry sent a new mark in the 300m (2013).
At senior the new records fell to Nathan Goddard, who broke the 800m and 1500m (both 1974 to S Munro). Nathan now holds six school records – another record!
So – Nathan, Ruby and April all setting three new records – and some heritage achievements finally rewritten. What a day indeed. Thank you to all the staff, the sports leaders, the parents and supporters, and of course to the athletes for making it such a joyous occasion.
