How Inter-House Sports Competitions made Nursery/Primary Schooling Fun: A Sporting Memory

Bumping into an old photo album of mine did spring forth some laughable and funny sporting memories from way back my Nursery and Primary school days. Meanwhile, I began my Nursery and Primary School education in the year 2000 and I eventually graduated in 2007. The photo above was taken in 2005 during our inter-house sport competitions of which I happened to be in green house. I am on the right while my childhood friend is on the left side of the picture.

Memory Lane
One of my favourite sessions in nursery school was the second-term, why? It is owing to the fact that Inter-House sports competitions usually take place in every second term of the school calendar. So, I love this term and always anticipating it because there is usually lots of fun and sporting activities. My love for sports especially football and track events did not start today; it began way back and my mom was a sports woman as well during her youthful days. Should I say that it's genetic?😀

Wondering what Inter-House Sports is all about? I got you covered. Inter-house Sports competition is a school competition whereby pupils or students are being shared into different groups called "houses" for the purpose of competing in various sporting activities. Note that, it is usually shared in such a way that all groups or houses have equal number of participants. Also, these houses or groups are usually being differentiated by colours or names of outstanding persons in the school community or immediate society. For example, we usually had green house, red house, blue house, white house, purple house and others.

In addition, every house is usually being assigned a teacher or teachers as house master(s) for the purpose of coordination. During inter-house sport competitions, there are usually numerous activities like football competition, racing competitions (100m, 200m, 400m and relay race), egg and spoon race, filling the bottle with water competition, match past, sack race, high/ long jump, discus, short-put and javelin through, fashion parade, and other track/field events.

For the egg and spoon race, you run a 100m carrying an egg with a spoon. Should the egg fall and break, you are disqualified while the first person to reach the finish line carrying the egg wins. Very hilarious! Then in filling the bottle race, a container filled with water is placed opposite an empty bottle (50 cl). You run, scoop the water till your bottle is filled. First person to fill his bottle with water wins. These two events required high diligence and carefulness.

Each house sends a representative(s) for each of the competitions. Scores are usually being assigned to the 1st - last position of every competition while the overall winner of the inter-house sport competition is determined after adding all their scores from all events. I usually did take part in the football competitions and races in particular because I could sprint. Sadly, I took 2nd position in most of the races because there was this other taller and faster opponent I had. He was like the fastest runner in the school while I was the close second although I won him a few times.

I did win some medals both in my primary and secondary school days and I did win many cups with my house members for coming first. I also remember when my house took the last position and that year I was in Orange House. It was funny at all because I had friends laughing at us but when I look back today, I smile at those memories.

However, the year I snapped that photo, Green House took the silver cup home while blue house took first. Inter-house sport competitions was usually filled with lots of fun that I can't describe. You'd attest to that if you partook in one.