Sports Day for many schools is on a Saturday in September or October. It is a day set aside once a year when students, faculty and families come together at school to dance, run races and enjoy time together. Most schools have to Sports Days. One is for students only, where families come and watch their children perform, run and do games. The other is for students and families to enjoy doing races, obstacle courses and games together. They are usually one or two weeks apart.
At either Sports Day, parents and family members come to the event early in the morning and lay down little picnic mats and chairs to mark off their spots. It’s dog eat dog on Sports Day! If families come late, most of the best spots are taken and finding a good view of the events becomes difficult.
During Sports Day events, hundreds of people with digital still and video cameras line the outer perimeter of the chalked dirt track as they sit or stand positioned to get their best shots they can of their children participating in Sports Day.
Sports Day usually starts 8 or 9 in the morning and ends at 1 or 2 in the afternoon with a break for lunch around noontime. Most people either bring their own bento or one is provided by the school, usually ordered and paid for in advance. It’s a long day, but one students, faculty and families look forward to every year!
