The threat of rain loomed large over the week leading up to the 2022 sports festival, one of Shibumaku’s biggest and best events of the year. “Would it go ahead?”, “Would it be canceled?” were the two questions on everyone’s mind as the days became hours and the preparations became frantic. Class T-Shirts had to be ordered, team members had to be decided and, of course, class practices had to be endured by all. But, would the feverish preparations be for nothing? Would the weather comply for the first Thursday and Friday of June?
Thankfully, day one opened to blue skies and sunshine, and the carnival atmosphere that envelops this event was in full swing by the time the first whistles blew for the class sporting competitions. Cheering and clapping, hooting and howling emanated from all four corners of the school as junior high classes competed against junior high classes and high school classes competed against high school classes on the soft volleyball courts, basketball courts, dodgeball courts and soccer fields dotted around the school. Sporting teams are composed of selected members from each class and the chance of having to play against an older or younger year level always means that there is much more at stake than simple points. With pride on the line, classes become closer as players rely on each other to overcome sometimes older, sometimes stronger opponents. Despite the competitive feelings, the good cheer that all events are played in has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of this school’s sports day for years, and as each game ended on day one, the smiles returned to the faces of the students as they looked ahead to the battles that lay ahead.
Day two, and the weather was causing stress for the organizers. Storms were forecast by the weather channels and it was only the timing of when they would arrive that differed. A difficult decision loomed, but the organizing committee, bravely, decided to shoot for the window of fine weather in the morning, hoping the rain would hold off long enough for the games of day two to be completed. Tug-of-war, bamboo relays, class relays, and of course the all class jump rope competitions headlined the day. A sea of blue, red and yellow surrounded the ground as classmates cheered for classmates, urging them on for each valuable point that would decide the places later on. Parents lined the sporting field fivefold, smartphones aimed at their sons and daughters, proud smiles spread across faces. It was the first time the school had opened its doors to guests since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and what an addition it was to the atmosphere.
Thunder rumbled across the skies and the day darkened ominously as the final relay runners lined up for the all-classes relay. It is the event that everyone gathers to watch and the sight is one to behold. The ground becomes a colour wheel of reds, blues and yellows as classmates cheer for runners sprinting around the bends, chasing the ribbon stretched across the finish line. The lead changes constantly over the course of the race, as boy passes baton to girl, girl to boy all the way through the classes and year levels. With only a few laps to go, the sunshine we had borrowed until now was suddenly, unavoidably, extinguished, replaced by angry looking clouds that darkened the runners and announced the arrival of one almighty storm. But the Shibumaku Sports Festival of 2022 had one last, glorious surprise to reveal. Somewhere within the crush of yellow on the far side of Ground 1 someone held up their smartphone and shone a light on the final runners as they raced into the last lap. Others joined. Lights began flickering. Then more, as phones, not cheers this year, celebrated two spectacular days of competition, cooperation and camaraderie. The ground was one huge wave of light, swaying in unison as Team Blue took the victory in the race and over the two days. Then, the heavens opened. Rain lashed the grounds and students and parents alike rushed to find cover from the downpour. At 3.08, the sports festival closed for another year, but the memories of the competition, of the friendships and of that final flurry of light will remain with all who were there for many years to come.
