Yesterday Oliver and Hallie went to the Northern Midlands running carnival as part of a team sent from our school. How you perform in your local school carnival, decides on whether you get to go to Northern Midlands. Northern Midlands is made up of Campbell Town, Cressy, Flinders Island, Perth, Evandale, Hagley, Westbury, Meander, Bracknell, Our Lady of Mercy, Deloraine, Longford and Mole Creek primary schools. They both did well at the WPS carnival earlier this month and Oliver was particularly excited to go as it was his first year as it is only grades 3 to 6 and he is now in grade 3.
The Northern Midlands Association had asked our principal if we could send someone as an official to help out so he asked me and I got to be at the finish line for the whole day and get some great photo shots in between.
I was a bit worried how Flynn was going to go and had visions of him running onto the track but he was really really good and sat and played with his cars, ate his lunch and watched all the races for the whole 4 hours we were there.
Oliver was up first in the 800m. This was his only race and he was a bit nervous but did a really good job and came in sixth place, and never stopped the whole way.
While Oliver was running his race, Hallie was over doing vortex but because I was giving out 4th place in the 800m, I couldn't really run over for a pic, so just snapped one from the finish line. She came 4th in this event. Hallie also qualified to do the 400m and long jump but she had to opt out of two events as she was doing too many. :)
Hallie's next event was also the 800m and she also came 6th in this race.
Hallie's next race was the 100m. She came 3rd in her heat and then moved onto the finals.
For us officials on the finish line, the 100m all of a sudden made it just that bit harder. We were quite relaxed until this race event started because in the longer races the kids were more spaced out in crossing the finish line, but then all of a sudden 9 kids were running as fast as they could toward you and it was so close as they crossed the line and so quick.
Cindy one of the other Westbury officials tried to take a photo of them crossing the line but they were too quick.
I still had the 4th place card at that point and had to crouch down on the finish line and in a quick moment count 1-2-3-4 and zero in on my 4th placing and not take my eye off them to give them their placing.
This is Clancey, one of Oliver's best friend's in his 100m event.
When it came time for the finals of the 100m, the coordinator told us that the first 4 go to the State carnival and then 5 and 6 go as reserves. I didn't know this and I said to the coordinator that Hallie came 4th last year but she didn't go on to State. The coordinator was not sure what happened because she said she would have remembered Hallie's name. I have it recorded in her 2013 book of achievement at home, that she came 1st in her heat and 4th in the final so I think there was some mix up as I don't think her name was ever passed onto our school as they have no record of it either. I just assumed that only the first 3 went on and it was not until yesterday being an official that I found out that the first 6 from the final go on. I was a bit cross at first but then decided that as long as Hallie enjoys running then that's the main thing and anyway there was nothing I could do about it now.
Also everyone there are volunteers and spend alot of their own time making this event happen each year. The coordinator had been there since 7.30am getting things ready and its a big task to undertake each year so I didn't want to grumble and be ungrateful for the experiences the kids get coming here. And sometimes I can be a little fixated on fairness and justice which is why I did a Law degree at university but when things are out of your control - just let it go crazy Mumma!! :)
The relay was really fun. Relays don't go onto the State carnival so it was really just a bit of fun for them all. I loved that Meander didn't have enough for a team so my Oli and another WPS boy were asked to join them. It was so funny as all of a sudden I was cheering for Meander instead.
This is Sophie in our grade 3 girls relay team, bringing it home.
Flynn loved helping out with the batons for the relay, until he realised he couldn't bring one home.
Hallie's relay team came 3rd. She was runner 1.
It was actually a really good day and Flynn and I had heaps of fun helping out as officials. There was a lovely feeling amongst everyone and even though it was still a competition there was great sportsmanship and especially amongst us officials coming from different schools, we cheered on everyone and congratulated each other when their school would win. There was one boy from Cressy and he was A.mazing!! I can't remember his name but I'm sure in the future he will be someone to watch on a national level as he gets older.
When we got home, we went straight down to the sports centre because it was parent day at Active After School Sport. This term Hallie is doing squash and I got to have a hit with some of the other parents and then a hit against Hallie. I don't know where she got her energy from after today, but she just kept on going.
These two were cute having a hit together in the corridor.
This is Flynn throwing up his arm saying, "I'm a winner".
Jonty sticking his tongue out with the concentration.
It was a long tiring day for the kiddos but they had heaps of fun. Yesterday was my 6th Northern Midlands and it never gets old for me. I love seeing the kids out there enjoying the experience, and not just my own kids, but all the kids from around the district.
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