Sports Day, Chess, Swimming Gala

Sports Day on Tuesday went really well. Weather was perfect: dry, warm, but not too hot with a gentle breeze.

Son did well again coming in third in the 50m House heats. So last year's third place was not a fluke. It was great to see the determination on his face when he ran. The first four get to do the Inter-House relay.

Sadly there were fumbles on baton changes and their team only came in second in the Inter-House relay. They could have been first by a mile. Even then I was proud that he did not give up when the baton first dropped at his changeover.

200m final saw him running with the best runners in his Form. He was doing so well and I thought he would get a bronze, but no, he was pipped at the post. Still he beat two of the best athletes in his Form. Unbelievable.

Tennis throw wasn't very good, I was told. His long jump was very credible, and showed good technique with the plastic javelin (which is rubbish). The highlight for me was the 'parents' javelin' as a few of us sweet-talked the teacher into letting us have a go. I think I won that one!

Back at school son's been playing Inter-House Chess competition. He won in his class today, beating his best friend. He now goes on to play the other class champion in his Form. It's quite tedious.

I've been stressed out by the swimming gala. Not because son is taking part or not want to take part. He managed to walk into an iron I had left to cool off on Sunday. The wound seemed to be healing and then yesterday appeared weepy again.

Son wants so much to play his part in the swimming gala, but we're not too sure if he should go into the water.

Managed to see a nurse late this evening. We were given some waterproof dressing and Mum (ie. me) would dress the wound and keep the dressing in place with a bandage tomorrow.

Let's hope he gets the chance to swim.

This article about competition in school is very interesting and apposite: Ed Balls, you can't win by banning competition

Meanwhile his current song is "O, What a Circus!" from Evita. He's heard it so many times being done by Cantabile. This week we got the lyrics off the Net and he just won't stop with the "Salve, salve, regina" part.

My consolation is: the top athletes in his Form have a long way to go to catch up with him in the academic subjects. So to see him at the heels of these athletes on Sports Day has made me feel very Small (as in Heather Small), ie. proud.

He now has a habit of just coming in fourth. If only he could just medal. That would be the icing on the cake for him.

Chief Scout' Silver Award

Woohoo! He's got it! We've been told he has completed this and will be given this, the highest award available in the Cub Scout section, at the AGM last Friday.

Unfortunately he had a school trip which meant very long days on Thursday, overnight at the Shrine of Walsingham, pilgrim procession which meant bed after 10pm and a 5am start on Friday because a roommate was snoring very loudly, etc. etc. Coupled with the mix-up over when we should be picking him up, he was physically and mentally exhausted and decided to not attend that meeting.

Actually he was distraught, but I think this had much to do with his physical exhaustion.

He'd be presented with his badge soon, I'm sure.

"A" Team, at last

Son was very excited when I picked him up last Friday. He had been picked to run in the 'A' team for Sports Day. They had done qualifying runs some times back and his time was good enough to go into the 'A's'.

In everything else -- football, rugby, hockey, cricket -- he's been in the C's or B's. So this is great encouragement to him.

I've never thought of him as a runner as such. Having said that he surprised everyone by coming in third in his qualifying race on Sports Day last year. But there is great competition amongst the boys. All the best to him.

On Wednesday last week husband and I met with his Form teacher. There was very little she could tell us. Everything was good with him, it seemed.

He appears to have lots of friends. His writing is flowing. His vocabulary and grasp of the English language is good. He shows great maturity of thought, for example, when it came to writing about the one object he would take with him if he were going to the Arctic. A warm hat was his choice whilst his classmates were bringing their PS1 and PS2's.

OK.

His Form teacher is new to the school. When we noted that son refused to write two years ago because he thought his handwriting was not good enough, she was surprised. No one seemed to have briefed her on that.

Well, we noticed that with the new teachers at school, son does not come with any 'baggage'.

Which explains why the new Drama teacher gave him the starring part in the class play earlier this year. A far cry from being given four lines when he asked for a 'main part' previously.

To be fair he is not a 'natural' actor. Just as he is not a 'natural' footballer. But he is extremely capable in learning lines, and when he's given good acting directions, would follow it to the letter. Suits some types of directors more than others, I guess.

Still, he confessed to shedding a few tears on Friday when he was being very quiet after swimming. We are used to him "getting into the zone".

There are times when he would 'blank' and seems in a world of his own. It happens before he performs on the piano. It happens when he has a serious thought or when he tries to work out some complicated connection. It happens any where, sometimes at dinner table.

His classmates noticed he was very quiet. But boys being boys they could not leave him alone. Someone said to another, "LT is crying."

He was not, but when others started echoing that same comment, he did indeed cry.

He has to learn that he could tell this people: sometimes people wish to be quiet and think about something rather serious.

Ah, well.