Field Day

It was a tremendously funny inside joke. Unfortunately, you wouldn't get it.

Today was Field Day at school, an event revolving around outdoor fun at a series of games and competitions. The kids of her class seemed to really enjoy the day, helped along considerably by some very enthusiastic and capable fifth graders who marshaled the games for the younger kids. When I was a kid in rural Wyoming, I remember a similar day near the end of the school year, although it was much more embedded in traditional track and field type activities. As it has been about three decades since I was last at a grade school event, I was keenly interested in how things have progressed in the interim.

After an abbreviated morning of classes, Field Day kicked off following a picnic lunch at a park near the school. We topped off the fuel tanks, then warmed up with some play time at the park, and enjoyed a little bike ride back to school.

She rode what she has dubbed her mountain bike today, a hand-me-down courtesy of Chloe.

The events were many and varied. I learned a lot about some skills that we should be practicing more at home, like distance jumping and frisbee throwing. She earned a good sportsmanship ribbon following a minor foam noodle related mishap in one of the tag-based games. It was good to see how well her group of nearly-finished kindergarteners get along, and I was impressed with the care and encouragement extended to all the kids by teachers, parents and the older kids who were helping out.

Mid-air at the standing broad jump.

Sporting ribbons, a popsicle and a smile.

The events kept the kids busy and engaged all afternoon. By the time the activities were over, I confess to having been tired, and all I had done was to walk around and take photos. At the end of the day, the kids were rewarded with popsicles, but from a parental perspective, my reward was the streamlined bedtime process that occurred tonight. I'm already looking forward to Field Day for next year, and thinking about how we can train and have fun over the summer.

West bound and down, loaded up and truckin'.