Well the name says it all really... This afternoon I'm going to My fiances little sisters primary school sports day. But as we are now in the 21st century it's a little different to how mine used to be, 15 years ago...

Political correctness somehow has gone so far as to say that the children should not be made to compete against each other, as it is bad for their developement. To this extent today each child in turn will be racing against no one, except a stop watch. one after another, and their time will never be anounced to anyone apart from their parents.

What is this place coming to? this is just stupid. Children spend their entire school life being encouraged to compete against each other in countless test, exams, ratings, evaluations and such. Yet when a physical element is involved it's suddenly bad??? While my future sister in law is one of the brightest kids there, she still loves running and jumpign and all of that. But then what abuot the less bright sparks? the kids who *don't* do well academically, who spend their lives being told they aren't good. They don't even get told they acn run really fast or anything, so they just never get told they are good at anything. "Class work: could do better, PhysEd: no comment"

yeah, there's something wrong with that..., so, what's the thing if there's a football match? they hide the score? someone has to win.
I think it's a matter of education, show them that the most important thing is to try, but also show children that they can loose or win, and show them to accept the result whatever it is, and to try to supperate themselves the next time. (yeah, why is it ok with studies but not with sports?)

sorry for using spanglish:
-when I say "supperate themselves" I meant "to be better next time"

Wow man...Political correctness to the extreme. I don't get it. Human beings compete. We compete in everything. School, Sports, jobs, politics, everything. Without competition, what is the point in playing the game? Learning to win builds confidence.... learning to accept defeat builds character. What we are going to end up with is a bunch of kids who have never been exposed to failure. What a wake up call real life will be....

slight

Aaaargh - most of the fun in a Sports Day is competing against your mates and rivals.

To all of those caring sharing types who invent these things: all life is competition. When you got any job (and in some cases, g/f or b/f) you were competing. Get with it.

And I'll arm wrestle anyone who says that non-competitive sports are best!

This is part of the reason so few people in the UK can play football any more. That, and those dammed computers...

I'm surprised you still have sports pitches down where you are, Acid. Our local council sold all ours off in the eighties for propertiy developers fast bucks...

I half agree with a lot of this, but I suggest a contented clairvoyant (happy medium). Make the sports days more competitive and reduce the over-testing/excessive competition in the educational area.

<rant>
Political correctness gone mad? I'm sorry, but political correctness is mad! Something else that has confused me lately:
Kids aren't supposed to be competitive, but they sit exams all the time. If they get below a certain grade, they are said to have failed. Then explain to me how a 15/16yrs kid is supposed to make of failing one particular exam: Citizenship. What would that make them? A failed citizen? A bad person for society? What a load of rubbish!

I'm sorry, but having recently been through the system as a trainee teacher, I have to say that the whole thing - over examination, stifling competetiveness, and allowing kids to run riot in the schools - is going to lead this country to a sticky situation, to say the least. Let's just say that I certainly don't want to be in this country for too many more years judging by what has been going on, what is going on, what is likely to continue to be going on, and where it is all leading.
</rant>

I started taking classes at the university where I work. This is 22 years since I have been in school. And guess what, we are not freshman any more. We are now considered 1st year students. Do you know how happy that makes me.
Go figure.