Sports Day

I went to “Sports Day” at Frankie’s school last week. It was basically a lot like the old track and field days that we used to have back when I was a kid, but less traumatic because I didn't have to run in public. They set chairs up on the soccer field behind the school and parents watched as the kids participated in running races, sack races, three-legged races, egg and spoon races… the works.

Can you spy Frankie in the frontrow?

Frankie ran the fifty yard dash and also participated in the egg and spoon race. She tried really hard and did an excellent job. She came in 4 out of 6 in the sprint and 3 out of 6 on the egg and spoon. Way better than I ever did at field day!

Frank, kissing her feet for luck before the race.

That's Frank on the far left.

Frank, on the far right.

One of the things that made me very nervous was her gym outfit. When we first came to the Dearham School, the school sold us a “P.E. Kit” that had black shorts and a school t-shirt in it. The shorts were kind of weird and ill-fitting, but I assumed that this was the gym uniform that everyone was required to wear to physical education class. So, even though it was an odd fit I kept sending Frankie to school in it. (I am a rule follower to the core.)

When I got to Sports Day, however, it became instantly clear that NO ONE wore the shorts from the P.E. kit except for Frankie. Everyone else just wore whatever they pleased—shorts of any color or style. So, Frankie was the only one in the weird, gigantic black shorts. I know it didn’t bother her, but I really wish someone would have told me that we had other options. Those crazy shorts were so big on Frankie (the smallest size available, by the way), that I was convinced that they were going to fall down around her ankles while she was running the 50 yard dash. Can you imagine? That’s the stuff that nightmares are made of.

All was well and there was no de-pantsing. Still, I threw out the shorts as soon as we got home.

As for the competition itself: Since Frankie was only in two races, she got bored pretty quickly of watching all of the other events. Instead, she spent about 30 minutes slowly, obsessively dunking her hair in a glass of water. At another point, she pulled up her shirt and stared at her belly button for a long time. It was weird, and hilarious.