Field Day – No Longer a Competitive Sport??

Last Friday, I took off work to go to Megan and Mason's Field Day. I was so excited! I love Field Day! I have some great memories from 'back in the day'. I remember doing the 3-legged-race with Jamie Fannin…and one year with Lisa Little. So fun! There were some great competitive events...relay races, potato sack races, tug-of-war...and lots of practice and preparation went into this big day of the year. In high school, since it was during our off-season of sports, we even got to go 'work' a few of the stations our Junior/Senior year. It was so fun. I remember Lisa Little and I working the potato sack event and we raced each other before everyone else got to the track. Anyway, things have changed. And not for the better. I was so disappointed. I would say that Field Day is no longer any kind of a competitive event. The events have changed drastically and now include...15 minutes in a blow-up bounce house, 15 min on the playground, a less-than impressive obstacle course, parachute activity in the gym (sitting/standing in a circle with your class holding the sides of a big parachute and making waves, etc), wet sponge toss (over your head to a person standing behind you), short class/team relay and a very non-competitive tug-of-war game. Yes, it was a bit boring to watch. Don’t get me wrong, the kids had a good time, they all seemed to enjoy themselves...but let's be honest, they don't know any better. I do know better. It was boring on all accounts.

Besides the fact that it was boring, I think it now deprives the kids of what field day is all about. Work hard=Win big=Feel accomplished. When I was a kid, there were actual competitions, races, winners and losers. There were 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons given out. I'm pretty sure if I looked hard enough I could find a ribbon or two now. Yes, if you lose, you may be sad. But, if you don't teach kids now that there are winners and losers in life, when are they going to learn? I think it's a mistake to take competition out of school functions like field day. Those kids need to learn the value of putting out extra effort and working hard to get what they want...you may not always win even if you give your best effort, but that is a valuable lesson. As adults, we sometimes lose. We may try our hardest, we may work long hours, we may stress over something in order to be successful...and we may fail. The presentation may not go as well as planned. We may not get the job, the position, or the recognition that we feel we deserve...but that's life. At dinner last night, we were discussing the same type of thing. One of the girls was talking about how her manager said that she has started seeing young adults coming in for a job interviews…with their parents! What the crap?! Seriously? If you walk into an interview that I am the interviewer...and you bring your mom...you can walk right back out. Not interested. It’s stuff like this that makes me think we have gone way too soft on kids these days. Let them go alone to an interview. Let them compete at field day and lose if that's what it takes! Teach them independence and how to work hard and compete against others to win! Stepping off soapbox...I may not have been impressed with the events, but i did enjoy seeing the kids having fun...and have pics to prove it.

Field Day activity...really???

Part of the obstacle course