teamwork is key

Besides having extreme levels of discipline (bring a monitor, holding responsibilities, helping out teachers,) Japanese students also have a high level of teamwork. Winning is good, but what I noticed is that they have very good solidarity during club activities and such. Even if they don't win, they are still enthusiastic. Especially today, which is Sports Day for the school.

I arrived at 8:30am with just enough time to change, and make my way outside. The students were going their last rounds of practice (flag up, flag down, band tuning, two announcers being given warm up voice training by the Japanese teacher, etc.) Behind the small stage (big enough for one person to stand and speak,) and the spectator stands was a tent which was the nurse's office. There is a bed and everything. O.O Definitely, that area was used many times today. ^^;

The opening ceremonies included a short speech from the principal, vice principal and head of the PTA. The brass band played as well.

Then the students had their warmup exercise.

I noticed that whenever they called a student up to the stage (to lead the exercise, to say something,) the student would do a quick run as if he was running down a block. Say for example, instead of walking straight to the back and up the stage, a student who is at the left of the stage (stage is behind the person) would take one step forward, turn right, jog a bit and then turn right again to face the stage, jog a bit to the back of the stage, turn left and another left and THEN walk up the stairs. Simply speaking, the students run and stop as if they hit an invisible wall and turn on a dime (as if they're in the army) to around the invisible 'corner'. o.O It's a unique thing to me...but that's because I grew up in an undisciplined culture of the US. ^^;

students are awesome!

The amount of equipment used was tremendous. Everything was color coordinated according to the class. To mark the people in the last part of the relays, they wore colored tunics over their gym clothes. The races are all sounded off with a gun. (A second student holds another gun to sound off if someone starts before the signal. It happened a few times for eager students. ^^;)

There is a finish line with an actual strip that they hold up.

When they cross the finish line, people with run up to them to let them know where they placed so they know which flag to sit under. (The people had their placement numbers on the shirt.) All along the race tracks are people with white and red flags, red for penalties of someone crossed over the line to the inner circle.

Orange flags to hold up to let the teacher in the front know everyone is ready. So on and so forth. And students are the ones doing everything. Groups of students come up to do the announcements of the races, work the soundboard, play background music, another to do commentary.

There are even those assigned to take marks, notes. They change each race since they need to also participate for whichever event. The organization of the students is staggering.

The above pic are some of the students who took down the figures and help keep score. They each have an uchiwa that their class decorated. Class 1's color was red so they made an uchiwa with Mario on it. ^-^

it's all about racing

There were 18 different types of races. The races were different depending on the year, girls, guys and the nature of the race be it a relay or 3 legged race, centipede race and so on. It opened with a 100m with girls of each year followed by the guys of each year. The 200m dash was only done by the guys of each year. We had a 3 legged race 3 times, once for each year.

There were several types of relays. The one with obstacles increased for each year. For example, the third year students started out by jumping rope, leaping over a hurdle, walking across a balance beam, balancing a ball on a racket and ended with jumping with a sack.

You can't really see it (since the hurdles were all the way on the other side of the track,) but the girls are jumping over the hurdles in the background. ^-^

There were simple relays where the students would just pass a baton to another. (They had to pass the baton while running. The passing needed to happen within a certain area.)

a brief break

After a morning of 11 events, we had lunch (which I ordered along with the other teachers.) The bento was fantastic along with hot green tea courtesy of the principal's secretary. ^.^ Then commenced the afternoon's events.

having fun is key

Simply put, the events in the afternoon can be said to be the highlights of the sports festival. First we had my favorite event: club activities relay. It's a relay with club against club. First, all participants were in their club uniforms. Even those without actual 'uniforms' had their particular way of dress. Kendo members wore their kendo outfits. Home economics wore an apron. (English club wore regular gym uniform. ^.^) The unique thing about this relay was that everyone did something that had to do with their club activity. Their 'baton' that they had to pass on had to do with their club activity.

Kendo members passed on their bamboo swords.

The art club members drew on a face while they were running. o.O Basketball club members had to bounce the ball while they run and their 'passing the baton' was throwing the ball.

Soccer club kicked the ball as they run and kick it to their next person. The hardest I believe was the ping pong club who had to bounce a ping pong ball as they run and hit it to their next person. ^^;

Judo club was amazing since they did flips while they are running and their 'passing' was getting knocked down by the next person. (Mats were placed on the track so no one was hurt. ^.^)

The most funny club had to be the student council who are of course, 3rd years. Everyone wore the girl's school uniforms. Even the guys. *grins* Their 'passing' was an afro which some wore and some just held on and ran. ^.^

Of course, during this event, there was no penalties even if someone had to step into the inner circle (to chase after a tennis ball or soccerball) since everything was in good fun and not so much in the competition.

teachers vs. PTA

Then came the teachers versus the PTA. I was part of the 3rd years team and our event was to run up and dress a teacher. ^.^ First off, all the teachers that dressed up were guys. We had the computer teacher and his outfit was a bridal dress. roflol We ran up to him in teams of two, (I was paired up with one of the English teachers) and I had the pleasure of helping him put on the dress. ^__^ (Irony is that the English teacher and I was talking about how Asian guys look so pretty...in dresses just the day before. Don't ask how this conversation came about. ^^;) The second year team put an outfit on one of the science teachers which I belive was like a 'home maker/mother' outfit. The PTA team put a diva outfit on the Japanese teacher.

My fav (besides the bridal outfit,) was the first year team who had the gym teacher in a nurse's oufit. After putting on the outift, the teachers had to run part way around the track. The nurse had to run with the actual school nurse since they held a stretcher between them with an injured teddy bear. ^-^

The running bride?

Was greeted by another gym teacher at the end of his run (with a flower pinned to his shirt.)

The 'groom' picked up his 'bride' and proceeded to walk around the front. *click went my camera*

In terms of speed, our team lost. The principal was judging and he got to choose the winner (it wasn't dependent on speed.) That event was too much fun.

all tied up

Next came the centipede races. The announcer would call on the class and the class would say their slogan before running to their spot on the field. It was a competition within their respective years with the 1st years going first. They had a line of guys with their feet tied together and another line of girls.

(Above pic featuring them tying their feet together.) Guys would run up and around the cone and run back and then the girls would go.

The second years (a bit harder) had two rows of guys with the two rows of girls in the back.

They had to run around the cone twice. The third years (the hardest) had four people in a row with 4 boys, 4 girls, 4 boys, 4 girls...etc.

The teachers would run alongside them with their flags along with another student (not tied to them) cheering them on.

no more battery...

There won't be anymore pics after this point since I ran out of batteries on my camera. *cries* I need a camera that will survive a full day of shooting...but I digress. ^^;

and the winner is...

When they announced the winners, usually the people with the placement flags would just run up and stand in front of that class. The 3rd years did something a bit different (which I don't think was part of the original plan, but went off with no problems.) When they announced each place, the class ran across the field and did something. One of the classes ran to the front and bowed to the parents on that side. One of the classes ran to the front and did the 'pointing at the sky' thing (I think it's from the policeman series from Shonen Jump...don't remember the name. ^.^) Some students ran with the cone on their heads. ^^; The class at last place did a complete run/scream all around the track. (They startled us since they first ran in our direction before going around. ^-^)

The last two events were relays. There was a 'Sweden relay' which was also gender mixed. I don't really understand who it is 'Swedish' but the idea is that the last person actually runs around the track twice. Some of the third years really went all out during this race. (One of the girls practically collapsed after she passed on the baton.) The final event was the 1200m relay for guys. Simply intense. *cheers everyone on*

The closing ceremonies included the school anthem with one of guys actually conducting on the stage. For a first year, he was really good at it. ^-^ Then the scores were announced (we had scoreboards placed up and students put up the numbers and placements) and the principal gave out the certificates and the trophys and plaques. Thus ends my first sports festival.

The students were practically in charge of putting EVERYTHING away (as they were in charge of putting everything up) so I helped move the chairs. ^.^ There was fruit greeting me back at the teacher's room which I snacked on and rested. The teacher in charge of all the teachers in the 2nd years (the one who got dressed in a mothery outfit ^.^) had already printed out the class pictures so I helped him laminate them to give to the homeroom teachers. It was an amazing day. *happy sigh*

BL moments on the field

Besides the teacher all crossdressing (and one carrying the other across the field,) there were other near-BL-like occurances. One was them playing 'Kimi-Hana', the opening song from Junjou Romantica season 1 as background music one time. There was a mixture of songs from Arashi, Greeen and other groups, but when this came on, I was like o.O. Totally awesome. ^.^ Another one is more BL-ish then just a song. When one of the third years got first place in the relays, another guy was there to 'greet' him at the finish line. The guy literally ran into his arms. It as a hug of congratulations...or maybe something more. ^-^ Ah...will I never escape the temptation watching my male students pair themselves up? lol