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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2160 on: 11:47:39, 25-06-2007 » |
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Millie,
Do they give a handicap, ten yards for every ten years, say? If so, then maybe (but only if you really want to)...on the other hand, ask him whether he'd take part in a sprint against Olympic champions: if he says obviously not, because they're older and fitter, then you might just have a way in, though sadly (like all of us) you'll have to substitute 'younger' for 'older'....
Or else, with all this bad weather, even if the race is on, your knee's going to playing up anyway, isn't it?
Ron xxxxxx
 They don't give handicaps unfortunately. If there were a grandma's race I'd win it hands down because I'm a good 15 or 20 years younger than most of them. Unfortunately I'm about that much older than the mums. I'm in the middle - all on my own! On looking round the playground, I actually don't think I would come last because I'm not overweight and I'm reasonably fit. Some of them are, well to put it kindly, a leeeetle bit hefty...smoke...drink etc. Unfortunately there is also a tall, slim, athletic element with great long legs that could outpace me probably if they walked it because I'm knee-high to a duck. Fortunately, his daddy has taken the afternoon off and so he can restore the family honour by entering the father's race. He came 2nd last year so that was ok. Little 'un won his two races last year comfortably because he's inherited the male side of the family's tall athletic build and long legs (thank the lord!!!). I'm 5' my husband was 6' so they had two chances. My sons could have ended up being a couple of Danny de Vitos but fortunately took after their dad. |
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2161 on: 11:52:01, 25-06-2007 » |
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My theory is that it is much better with more mature parents, but I will agree that it is not true in all cases.
xxxx tp
I agree tp. My mother is only 19 years older than me and she found maternal responsibility very difficult - nay impossible. I've always been the one that has looked after her for as long as I can remember. Still doing it in fact. Anyway the way the weather is at the moment we'll all be building arks up here and sports day won't be a problem. It's the wettest June I can remember. |
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We pass this way but once. This is not a rehearsal!
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Janthefan
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« Reply #2162 on: 12:12:26, 25-06-2007 » |
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Milly,
They say it's not the winning that's important, but the taking part. I hope it dries up for you & your child's sake
xx Jan xx
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Live simply that all may simply live
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2163 on: 12:28:06, 25-06-2007 » |
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Milly,
They say it's not the winning that's important, but the taking part. I hope it dries up for you & your child's sake
xx Jan xx
Yes Jan " they" may say that the winning isn't important but unfortunately my family is competitive to a man and to everybody except me nothing less than winning will do. My son was really put out that he came 2nd last year whilst I thought he did amazingly well - it was a photo-finish anyway. Far better in the circumstances that I make an excuse not to enter. My only hope would be if they did it in two lots and I ran with the non-athletes. I would be quite happy to scamper in last and I'd think it was great fun but I'm sure the rest of the family would be mortified. xxx |
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Mary Chambers
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« Reply #2164 on: 12:35:15, 25-06-2007 » |
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I am WET. All I've done is the supermarket shopping, but I had to paddle down the drive (I go in a friend's car), and paddle back. Soon I shall regret not being able to swim.
I was astonished the first time I went to my sons' school sports, Milly. It had never occurred to me (being utterly non-sporty) that anyone actually cared whether their children won or not. The competitive parents on the sidelines really horrified me, and I felt so sorry for the children who didn't come up to the parents' expectations. (I suspect my competitiveness was about exam results, but at least I shut up about it.)
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2165 on: 12:44:41, 25-06-2007 » |
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But that's the strange thing Mary. Nobody cares whether the children win or not - it's the parents! Especially the men - I've heard a rumour that some actually go into training especially for the event!!!!  My late husband was a good all-round sportsman but he was a dreadful loser. He had to be the best at everything and he had to win. Second was never good enough. Fortunately he always seemed to manage it. Our boys took after him. I just do my best such as it is and take the attitude that this will have to do. If my best isn't good enough - too bad.  |
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2166 on: 12:49:40, 25-06-2007 » |
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Oh and if you think sports day is bad, you wouldn't believe what the fathers are like during football practice. I take him twice a week and I sit there trying to keep a straight face whilst I listen to the dads shouting and bawling at their sons and getting all upset and frustrated if they make a mistake. They take it unbelievably seriously. One in particular. I feel so sorry for his little boy, in fact I nearly said something to his father on Saturday, along the lines of "oh for goodness sake give it a rest - it's only a game! It's supposed to be fun! This isn't the World Cup you know." However I thought I'd better not interfere so kept shtum. All the same, one day I think I might just let the silly sod have it! The age group is only 6-7 years.  |
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perfect wagnerite
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« Reply #2167 on: 12:54:15, 25-06-2007 » |
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But that's the strange thing Mary. Nobody cares whether the children win or not - it's the parents! Especially the men - I've heard a rumour that some actually go into training especially for the event!!!! While my daughter was at primary school, the parents' events were dropped for precisely that reason. Not only were some fathers allegedly in training, but one year there were what are best described as unseemly exchanges involving fathers when the race was over. Next year, no parents' races and the atmosphere was very much better. And lest anyone assume that it is just men, or something new, there was a notorious incident at my own primary school days when a mother wandered on to the track and "bumped into" a child who was about to beat her own beloved son in a race - this was in about 1970!! |
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At every one of these [classical] concerts in England you will find rows of weary people who are there, not because they really like classical music, but because they think they ought to like it. (Shaw, Don Juan in Hell)
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2168 on: 12:59:49, 25-06-2007 » |
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perfect wagnerite
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« Reply #2169 on: 13:16:59, 25-06-2007 » |
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Having strenuously avoided competitive sport at school as much as I could, I was determined not to get mixed up in parents' races - for which I think my daughter was probably grateful ... Curiously enough, despite my record of indolence and poor attitude and school spirit, I did fetch up captaining my house at athletics in my last year at school. But this was strictly a non-active role; it largely involved standing by the edge of the cross-country course, swathed in scarves and sweaters, offering encouragement and advice while small whey-faced, mud-splattered boys splashed past ("Come on, Cholmondeley ii, only another two miles to go...") |
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At every one of these [classical] concerts in England you will find rows of weary people who are there, not because they really like classical music, but because they think they ought to like it. (Shaw, Don Juan in Hell)
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2170 on: 13:25:17, 25-06-2007 » |
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Curiously enough, despite my record of indolence and poor attitude and school spirit, I did fetch up captaining my house at athletics in my last year at school. But this was strictly a non-active role; it largely involved standing by the edge of the cross-country course, swathed in scarves and sweaters, offering encouragement and advice while small whey-faced, mud-splattered boys splashed past ("Come on, Cholmondeley ii, only another two miles to go...")
One of my sons (the little bugler!) won the cross-country championship cup one year for coming first the most times during the term. The course involved running up to the town centre and back down the sand dunes to the school. They have to pass our home on the way back on the sand dunes side and what he did was come running in, asked for a drink and "as the race was over - could he have a lift back to school?" I innocently drove him back to school to get changed and pick up his stuff. It wasn't till he left school that he told me that he'd won because he was doing the last stretch at 40 m.p.h.!!!!! |
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #2171 on: 14:10:24, 25-06-2007 » |
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Not only were some fathers allegedly in training, but one year there were what are best described as unseemly exchanges involving fathers when the race was over. Next year, no parents' races and the atmosphere was very much better. However, that alpha-male competitive streak appears to apply to fields other than sports; the 'my-view-of-a-composer-is-more-valid-than-yours' competition on a thread not so very far away from here is coming close to approaching similarly unseemly exchanges  .... |
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trained-pianist
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« Reply #2172 on: 14:20:05, 25-06-2007 » |
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I find this discussion is very useful and can be applied to piano teachers as well as to composers and performers.
I like slogan: there is a place for every one. We need all composers and we need listeners as well as performers. Down with too much competiton.
I also have competative strick in me, which I did not have as a child.
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Milly Jones
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« Reply #2173 on: 16:07:57, 25-06-2007 » |
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Quelch, splatter, splutter, yuck, ugh - well back home briefly before swimming. My ducks are swimming happily up and down on my flooded patio and the rain is teeming down my walls having overflowed the gutters and downspouts.
Hey ho.
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #2174 on: 16:12:23, 25-06-2007 » |
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Quite strangely, we've had a little sun up here this afternoon - though it disappeared as soon as I stepped out of the door with the cameras - but I notice that the sea looks really black today, a very strange colour; that really doesn't bode well at all!
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