School Carnival 2010

This was the first year in a long time that the School Carnival has been full of smiles. The last 2 years Josh has come dead last. So last in fact that the kids have finished the race and he is still only half way. Poor little soul is trying his very best but his legs just won't go as fast as he wills them. Races have previously ended in tears with comments like "I'm broken" and "I'm a loser". Well this year was a whole different story. Josh was allowed a head start. The gun went off twice, once for him then the rest of the boys. He has such a great class. Some of the boys said they wanted to let him win any way. Even though he was given a 50m head start in a 100m race he tied for second with his good mate Ken. Ken let him have all the glory though and he got to stand triumphant on the stand.

What really touched my heart was not only the good sportsmanship of the other boys racing him but the wonderful support from all the parents watching. This race was well past the middle of the day and parents were really just chatting between themselves by this stage and making sure they payed attention when their child was racing. But when Josh started running, at first all was silent. I was at the end of the lane yelling out and jumping up and down. But as he ran down that race track, all on his own, people began to notice. Probably at first because it was so unusual, but then, as they realised it was Josh, everyone started to cheer. The excitement and commeraderee was palpable, and this year I wanted to cry for joy and not sadness. Josh not only won the race but has won the hearts of so many people during his time at Wilson Primary. After he stepped down from the stand, beaming from ear to ear, parents yelled out welldone and gave him high fives and hugs as he made his way back to his seat. It was a momentous occasion.








Miss Elisabeth also did a great job in her 100m race. She won by a good 3m or so. Of course being so tall means one of her steps is equal to about three steps to another. She was so thrilled with herself as the shot below shows.








Liz also came 4th in the 400m race. That was a tough one and took its toll on her. I recorded this race at the end. Her face says it all.












I am afraid Ben is not much of an athlete at the moment. However his good natured spirit and sportsman ship enabled him to have a great day. For a boy that is fiercely competitive on computer games he is rather layed back when it comes to physical sports. He came last in his 80m race, but arrived at the finish line all smiles and telling me "it was fun, but can we go home now?"





Later in the day he was in a team sport and his team came first. In the picture below he is sitting proudly with his first ribbon with his best friend Gerald.





All in all it was an exhausting but great day. My babies made me so proud.