Records were broken when athletes competed in our school’s annual sports day.

All students from Years 7 to 10 at Smithdon High School took part in this year’s event on Monday 21 July, with some members of staff participating too.

Taking a new approach, form groups were divided into four houses, each represented by a colour, while another change saw the introduction of a series of ‘inclusive’ events for the first time.

“This year was different,” explained Head of PE Jamie Tilley, who organised the day with the assistance of the PE Department at Smithdon, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“We held our traditional athletics events, but, alongside that, we had our inclusive sports too, so that everyone could be involved to help achieve points for their house.”

Athletic competitions included 100m, 200m, 800m, 1,500m, and relay races, as well as high jump, javelin, shot put, and discus; while the ‘inclusive’ sports comprised archery, golf, targets, and track walking.

“The day was very competitive, and every single pupil put everything in to achieve points for their house,” continued Mr Tilley. “All winners from the events received gold medals for their amazing performances on the day.”

Among the record breakers were Daniel in Year 7, who ran the 200m in 30.89 seconds, and Harry, also in Year 7, who finished the 1,500m in five minutes 37 seconds; while, in Year 8, Indie broke the 200m time of 28.47 seconds, which had been held since 1988, completing the race in 27.85 seconds.

New school records were also achieved by Fletcher in Year 9, who ran the 100m in 12.20 seconds, beating the 12.50-second record that had been made in 1981, and Anya in Year 10, who set new times for both the 200m and 100m, running 31.31 seconds and 13.11 seconds respectively.

“The PE Team officiated the athletics,” said Mr Tilley. “We also had Mrs Fairweather, who updated the results throughout the day to see which house colour was in the lead – a very important role for the day.

“All staff at Smithdon High School were involved in one way or another, from competing themselves to marshalling the pupils with their activities.”

Once all the scores had been tallied, the overall winner emerged as Blue House, with a total points score of 3,111, followed by Yellow House with 2,774 points, Red House with 2,716 points, and Purple House with 2,704.

The highest-scoring students were each crowned ‘Sportsperson of the Day’. Both members of Blue House, Anya in Year 10 contributed 320 points to be named ‘Victrix’, and Daniel in Year 7 clocked up 210 points to earn the title of ‘Victor’.

“Sports Day is important because it promotes physical activity, encourages teamwork, and supports the overall development of pupils,” added Mr Tilley.

“It provides an opportunity for all students to participate in a fun, inclusive environment where they can be active and celebrate sporting success, aiming to achieve personal goals or trying to break the Smithdon records.”