Swimming Sports

Last Monday was Swimming Sports. Remember Athletics Day? Well this was similar (not so much with the nakedness although I did spot quite a few bikinis) in the sense that they don't have a swim team; students sign up for certain events and go participate. They get an entire day off of school to spend time sitting in the sun and swimming in a pool.

It's such a big event that the entire PE department leaves school for the day in order to monitor the students and activities. What do they do with all of their classes? They hire three relievers (substitutes/temps) and send all of the remaining students to the hall to watch a movie. So being a temporary part of the PE department I got to spend my day sitting by the pool, drinking Starbucks Hot Chocolate (which is too bitter for my liking), eating a free lunch, and making sure students didn't go up the stairs and escape into the big, wide world. (This was the day my rash came back; it's because I sat in the sun all day. Tough day, I know.)

Catching some rays with Candace and Michelle

In order to keep students from signing up and then just sitting around, they check students for togs (swimsuits) before they get on the bus. The students must participate in at least one event and keep their behavior under control or else they are sent back to school (no joke; they had a van ready and waiting for students causing a ruckus). They held a doggy paddle race and a running under water race so that none of the students had an excuse not to participate.

Students lining up and getting ready for the underwater sprint

And they're off!



Fellow PE Staff: Candace and Michelle

The final event was a relay race and the teachers participated in this one. Apparently they win every year.

Ready to race



Michelle diving in to start the relay



Vaughn starting off the third leg



If you look closely, you'll notice that Keryn is wearing flippers

This is the most fit PE staff I have ever come across. One of them just made it onto the New Zealand triathlon team, another one tried out, another one is training for a half marathon, etc. Needless to say, they won by a long shot.

After the students loaded the buses and headed back to school, the staff walked over to the CBD Corner Pub for a "debriefing". Everyone ordered their beers and fancy drinks while I sipped my Diet Coke. It was really a pointless debriefing, however drinks were on the school and everyone loves their alcohol after a hard day's work. I think I'll stick with my Diet Coke.