INTERHOUSE Sports day 2024
holkham declared winners after a tight battle with mannington
Rhyan celebrates the Holkham record while being interviewed by Geno.
July 4th, 2024: Independence Day celebrations exploded in America; polling stations opened for an historic general election in the UK; and Aylsham High School witnessed a sports day to remember.
'Perfect running conditions' are always the goal, but in 2024, the wind made sure that things were not so easy on the field at AHS. Score sheets and certificates had already had to be retrieved in an unofficial 100m dash pre-competition - but the students came out ready to race no matter the weather. "Some might say there's an illegal tailwind," PE teacher, Miss Shaw, joked with our reporters.
Buffeted by wind, our Heads of House led their students onto the field. Mannington, in first place after field events, roared in their beanie hats - a tribute to the Mannington Lions and a nod to the Three Lions' 90s football attire; Blickling marched out with their huge varsity sign among a sea of blue; Felbrigg kept the sun shining with a yellow theme; Wolterton gave us Violet Beauregarde-style purple face paint and chose an umbrella theme in a move to combat the rain and the heat - time would tell if they could compete with the gales - and Holkham Pirates donned their now trademark headscarves as they entered the field in second place after field events earlier in the week.
Our trackside reporters Geno, Mimi, and Illy were a new addition for 2024; the post-race interviews were fantastic and gave us insight into the mindset of our runners throughout the afternoon. Mimi was a natural with the microphone, and loved the experience: "We should do live commentary next year!"
At 1pm, events got off to a flying start with the 200 metres. Some students didn't seem to notice the wind, with Hope (Felbrigg) declaring, "It was fine when you got going, and I was doing it for Felbrigg so I would have kept running anyway!" and Georgianna (Wolterton) explaining that the race felt, "Pretty good; the wind didn't affect my performance." Amelia (Mannington) went one step further after her win, asking cheekily, "What wind?"
Other runners felt the effects more significantly, with Lexi (Wolterton) feeling that it "affected my acceleration," but she defeated the weather to take home a win, which she declared to be a "very proud moment." In general the staff seemed to feel the effects more than the athletes, with Miss Elliott saying she could "do without the wind" and Mr Bridge declaring it "a bit chilly."
Ellie (Mannington) gave our reporter, Mimi, the quote of the day when she announced on the microphone that she felt, "Amazing, just amazing!" and when asked if the conditions had affected her run, she said, "No, I am a peak human being!"
Runners were asked for their messages for other athletes. Harriet (Wolterton) said, "Believe in yourself," while Rhyan (Holkham) told everyone to "be the best that you can be and do what you know you can do, don't be limited by what others might think of you." Sofia (Mannington) delivered a very important message when she told Mimi that, "It is not about winning; I lost and I am still proud of myself because I did it for my House and I did it for myself. Everyone should be proud of what they can achieve even if they don't win." This was echoed by Amelia (Mannington) who advised her fellow athletes to "Just try, that's all that matters."
The 100 metres finals were exciting with some very quick times, but Miss Stickells told our reporters that there were "No records yet, but the relay is hopefully where we might see some records broken."
Sure enough, before long, Mr Bridge made the announcement that Holkham had "smashed the school record" in the year nine 8 x 100m relay. Miss Stickells announced the news to Geno, trackside: "The existing time was 2:18...Holkham just broke that record with a time of 2:04!"
We did not have to wait long for another record, with the year ten 8 x 100m team breaking the 2:05 record, winning in 2:02. The Holkham runners were exuberant and Geno managed to catch Rhyan, who ran the anchor leg, for his thoughts on the victory. "I think the conditions were perfect for us," said the tall sprinter, "And I think it's a reminder to never give up!"
The day was a close competition, with Mannington and Holkham looking the most likely houses to come out on top after a successful field day for both. There were very few points in it and in the end it was announced that, by a margin of seven points, Holkham were the 2024 House champions! The field erupted into jubilant celebrations with shouts of "Green army!"
Thank you to the PE department for a wonderful afternoon of sports. Eloise (Wolterton) said that "the ice lollies definitely make the day even better," and Lily (Blickling) left the field saying that she had "really enjoyed supporting people." That's one thing we can definitely agree on - sports day is always a brilliant day of fun, spirit and fair play. Roll on, 2025!
Report: Geno Gamble, Mimi Andrews, Illy Betton
Photographs: Miss Elliott, Miss Bates
'Perfect running conditions' are always the goal, but in 2024, the wind made sure that things were not so easy on the field at AHS. Score sheets and certificates had already had to be retrieved in an unofficial 100m dash pre-competition - but the students came out ready to race no matter the weather. "Some might say there's an illegal tailwind," PE teacher, Miss Shaw, joked with our reporters.
Buffeted by wind, our Heads of House led their students onto the field. Mannington, in first place after field events, roared in their beanie hats - a tribute to the Mannington Lions and a nod to the Three Lions' 90s football attire; Blickling marched out with their huge varsity sign among a sea of blue; Felbrigg kept the sun shining with a yellow theme; Wolterton gave us Violet Beauregarde-style purple face paint and chose an umbrella theme in a move to combat the rain and the heat - time would tell if they could compete with the gales - and Holkham Pirates donned their now trademark headscarves as they entered the field in second place after field events earlier in the week.
Our trackside reporters Geno, Mimi, and Illy were a new addition for 2024; the post-race interviews were fantastic and gave us insight into the mindset of our runners throughout the afternoon. Mimi was a natural with the microphone, and loved the experience: "We should do live commentary next year!"
At 1pm, events got off to a flying start with the 200 metres. Some students didn't seem to notice the wind, with Hope (Felbrigg) declaring, "It was fine when you got going, and I was doing it for Felbrigg so I would have kept running anyway!" and Georgianna (Wolterton) explaining that the race felt, "Pretty good; the wind didn't affect my performance." Amelia (Mannington) went one step further after her win, asking cheekily, "What wind?"
Other runners felt the effects more significantly, with Lexi (Wolterton) feeling that it "affected my acceleration," but she defeated the weather to take home a win, which she declared to be a "very proud moment." In general the staff seemed to feel the effects more than the athletes, with Miss Elliott saying she could "do without the wind" and Mr Bridge declaring it "a bit chilly."
Ellie (Mannington) gave our reporter, Mimi, the quote of the day when she announced on the microphone that she felt, "Amazing, just amazing!" and when asked if the conditions had affected her run, she said, "No, I am a peak human being!"
Runners were asked for their messages for other athletes. Harriet (Wolterton) said, "Believe in yourself," while Rhyan (Holkham) told everyone to "be the best that you can be and do what you know you can do, don't be limited by what others might think of you." Sofia (Mannington) delivered a very important message when she told Mimi that, "It is not about winning; I lost and I am still proud of myself because I did it for my House and I did it for myself. Everyone should be proud of what they can achieve even if they don't win." This was echoed by Amelia (Mannington) who advised her fellow athletes to "Just try, that's all that matters."
The 100 metres finals were exciting with some very quick times, but Miss Stickells told our reporters that there were "No records yet, but the relay is hopefully where we might see some records broken."
Sure enough, before long, Mr Bridge made the announcement that Holkham had "smashed the school record" in the year nine 8 x 100m relay. Miss Stickells announced the news to Geno, trackside: "The existing time was 2:18...Holkham just broke that record with a time of 2:04!"
We did not have to wait long for another record, with the year ten 8 x 100m team breaking the 2:05 record, winning in 2:02. The Holkham runners were exuberant and Geno managed to catch Rhyan, who ran the anchor leg, for his thoughts on the victory. "I think the conditions were perfect for us," said the tall sprinter, "And I think it's a reminder to never give up!"
The day was a close competition, with Mannington and Holkham looking the most likely houses to come out on top after a successful field day for both. There were very few points in it and in the end it was announced that, by a margin of seven points, Holkham were the 2024 House champions! The field erupted into jubilant celebrations with shouts of "Green army!"
Thank you to the PE department for a wonderful afternoon of sports. Eloise (Wolterton) said that "the ice lollies definitely make the day even better," and Lily (Blickling) left the field saying that she had "really enjoyed supporting people." That's one thing we can definitely agree on - sports day is always a brilliant day of fun, spirit and fair play. Roll on, 2025!
Report: Geno Gamble, Mimi Andrews, Illy Betton
Photographs: Miss Elliott, Miss Bates
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