Having A Field Day
Field Day? Isn't that something you do in elementary school at the end of the year? At least that's the way it shook out when I came up through the grade school ranks.
But not here in Germany. Nope. My new school, Baumholder American, has a field day for the high school level, too. When I first heard the idea, I was skeptical.
Today, I'm a believer.
While the weather started out a little chilly, and many of us wish we'd brought jackets, the students seemed to be fired up and raring to go.
All the competitions were between the classes - 7th through 12th grade. It started out innocently enough at around 9am with the relays. These included:
With all this going on, a strong leader was necessary. Luckily they didn't call on me. They didn't have to. The student council president had a bullhorn and he wasn't afraid to use it. Especially on a tough group like this one.
So eventually we got to the tug-o-war. The class winners had to face-off against a team made of the faculty. I didn't initially make the cut, not with this fine selection of athletic specimens to choose from. But today they found themselves overmatched, and they drafted me into the corps.
In retrospect, I should have held out for a better contract. Or at least one of those yellow bandanas. We got demolished by a Junior team that somehow kept getting bigger and bigger. For my troubles, I sustained what I believe to be the only injury of the match: a nasty rope burn on my arm. Can't accuse me of not takin' one for the team!
After that fiasco, I moved on to ref the soccer matches. Lots of good action there, with the first match between the Juniors and Seniors going to a penalty shootout. Those soccer matches were the highlight of the day for me. With some of the skills I saw out there on the field, I can't imagine the Baumholder coaches not being thrilled with that sort of talent pool to pull from.
Lots else went on, but I couldn't be all places at once. There were also kickball, football, and basketball tournaments happening. Even a pie eating contest.
The day ended with a talent show in the gym. The packed audience got to witness singing, dancing, and the eventual winners: a band playing original material. I couldn't understand a word she sang, but those around me who'd read the lyrics said it was good.
So, Baumholder Field Day 2004 is in the books. The Seniors ended up winning the day, the underclassmen ended up feeling they were robbed, and I ended up with a skidmark on my arm. And through the magic of the internet, you got to be a part of it, too.
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