Sports Days

Well it was an exciting week around school. This was the week of their Sports Days, an annual tradition, that best compares to our homecoming. Here they basically hold an all school track meet( coupled with basketball, volleyball and soccer tournaments that are held in previous weeks.) In this case all the students are divided into 5 colors, red, blue, yellow, green and pink. Teachers choose colors every 3 years and whatever color they get, their homeroom students also get.

Students prepare all week long, and some even start earlier. The design and paint backdrops for their bleachers, make all kinds of devices for cheering in the stands (for example, colored cards that get turned to make patterns, fans that open up and close, etc.) The band practices, all the students practice marching, bleachers are set up, pom pons are made....just a lot of work. Many of the classes don't meet because of all the student activity.

Thursday morning the parade starts. ALL of the students march with their colored sections, all the different school bands march, cheerleaders for each color lead the sections, all in traditional Thai costumes (stunning), "floats" are carried by boys with poles. it is a very BIG DEAL, and the town stands and watches, just like our Homecoming parade (minus the candy throwing). They enter the school grounds and march around the track, stopping in front of the tent where the dignitaries sat, where they performed various "routines" for them.

Everyone gathers for the opening ceremony, the Thai flag is raised, prayers are said and the torch is lit and carried around the track, just like the Olympics. Very cool. Of course everything gets judged, the marchers, "floats", cheerleaders, the different colors for cheering spirit, the backdrops, etc. Then the competition begins. Of course some events have preliminary races and others do not. All the competitions are grouped by ages 14, 16, 18, and boys and girls.

The athletes aren't really coached too much, nor do many of them really train for the day. As a consequence, probably 100 competitors (mostly girls) collapsed in the extreme heat and were carried off by their military students on a stretcher to the infirmary. It looks scary, but I guess it is normal every year. I'm not sure if the really faint, or are just so worn out...or what. Anyway they are carried to this large room with mats all along the walls, and a doctor and other volunteers are busily rubbing them down with cold cloths, fanning them, trying to revive them. I guess there are no lasting effects and they all recover...(still looks scary t me).

One thing that really impressed me is the cheering in the stands. Only part of the entire "colored group" got the privilege to sit there and cheer. And boy did they cheer. They went virtually all day long, nonstop, sitting out there in 90 + heat and sun. I've never seen anything like it and Susanne and I were amazed.... that much cheering for two straight days. The only accommodation they made was two sets of cheerleaders for each color who went out and worked in shifts. And the kids in the stands MADE all their cheering devices themselves. They used CD's in plastic covers glued to cards, homemade pom pons, shiny Mylar packaging materials from their food, everything hand made.

Another impression was the beauty of the parade and costumes. I was told they rent for about $60-70, and that is a LOT of money for these families for this luxury). The school does pay a portion, but anything over is out of pocket.

The students also show tremendous sportsmanship. I never saw any taunting at all between groups, on either day. It just doesn't exist in this culture, and let me tell you, THAT is a refreshing change from what we see in the U.S. culture.

So after it is all done, trophies are handed out and it ends with the closing ceremony. One cool thing they do is to bring all the kids in the school onto the field by colored sections, link arms and sing three songs to honor the King and the royal family. This linking of hands symbolizes the return to unity of the school body after 2 days of divided competition. AND, no one was allowed to leave until everything was picked up, as assigned by school directors.

All in all a great two days and just another event we were blessed to have been part of. More Thai Adventures.....and they just keep coming.

Next: A Chinese breakfast, visiting Beam's brother's "garden" and a surprise at lunch.