Sports Day 2015: celebrating competition

With more than 80 events and involving competitors from across the year groups, the 2015 QE Sports Day was a triumph both of organisation and sporting endeavour. Harrisons’ House were comfortable winners in this year’s Sports Day, which is the culmination of a year of House competitions.

After a drizzly start, conditions improved until the weather was bright and sunny by the end of the event. The disciplines on the day included more than 50 track events, a full range of field jumping and throwing events, as well as tennis, table tennis, Eton Fives & Wall Ball, tug of war and rowing on machines. The House volleyball competition for Years 9 and 10 was new for 2015, with teams of seven players competing in a league system.

Sports Day’s main organiser was PE teacher Nicholas Bird, who enlisted the help of teachers from many departments to oversee activities, act as judges and time-keepers and to keep scores. The 2015 day marked Mr Bird’s QE Sports Day swansong: he leaves at the end of term to become Head of Boys’ Games at Belmont School, the preparatory school within the independent Mill Hill School Foundation. Mr Bird has been at QE ‘man and boy’: an Old Elizabethan (1995-2002), he has worked at the School as a teacher since 2006.

Head of Games Mark Peplow said: “I would like to convey our best wishes to Nick for his future and to place on record my thanks for all the hard work he has done over the years in co-ordinating Sports Day, which is a significant organisational challenge.”

Mr Bird also contrived to leave the School with a fresh sporting contribution of his own under his belt – an impressive performance in The QE Mile! This is the mile-long race which sees staff runners competing against a team of boys drawn from each year group from Year 7 to 10. With each runner completing 100m as a relay, the race takes the teams four times around the track.

The staff competitors included both men and women; this year, they were drawn mainly from the PE, History and Geography departments.  “In addition to Nick’s sterling efforts, there were strong showings by Jonathan Hart (PE), Guy Boyes (Geography) and Kwamina Korsah (History). In a battle to the finish, Mr Korsah just won it for the teachers,” said Mr Peplow.

Other noteworthy achievements of the day included Year 10 boy Keenan Dieobi winning his 100m and 200m sprints as well as the discus. Rufus Kent, also of Year 10, won the 1,500m and earned plaudits from Mr Bird for his “contribution to his form throughout the day”.