Records, Running and Razors

The staff room was abuzz for the first three weeks of term.  After nine years of winning the Interhouse Sports Day, the pundits maintained that  Littlewood were now ripe for the plucking.  They had lost their good athletes, argued the experts, and were a spent force.  Mike Engelbrecht, House Head of De Villiers, was brimming with confidence.  ‘I will shave my head if De Villiers don’t win this year’ he announced to the staff room.

I love sports day.  I love the vibe, the excitement, the action.  The Headmaster’s Gazebo was positioned at the finishing line where I could see all the tense finishes as well as the high jump to my left and the long jump behind me.  Various members of the Board of Governors shared the gazebo with me during the afternoon and the generous catering of the Ladies Association ensured that we were well looked after.  My friend from the UK, Charles MacGregor, popped in for a few hours.  He had been with me right through school and it did not take him long to remind me that he had beaten me in the egg and spoon race as a six year old at Forries School. I responded by saying that I am sure I trumped him in the sack race!  Ah!  Memories.

It was wonderful to see our boys making their own memories. Jordyn Napier, against the odds and all expectations, streaked away with the u19 400 metres – winning it convincingly.  Where had he been in previous years?  I didn’t even know he could run!  Yushua Kimmie, who joined us this year from Fish Hoek, nailed his colours to the mast by winning most of the u15 events.  What a fine start to a Wynberg career.  During this time, Jean van der Merwe was setting a new record on Hawthornden for the u16 javelin.

I enjoyed the rivalry between two hockey players, Dylan Grobler and Miguel Stevens,  in the 3000 metres.  This rivalry has been going on for over a year.  I wonder who will win the school cross country next term?

Yusuf Ismail & KCR, photos courtesy Wynberg Photographic Society

However, we will remember the 2012 Sportsday by the outstanding two records in the 100 and 200 metres by the birthday boy, and captain of Athletics, Yusuf Ismail.  In both races, he broke his own record set last year.  I remember well that record being set in 1990 when Shahl de Meuter ran it in 11.0 seconds dead.  I was taking the lst X1 cricket team at the time and there was much banter in the team in the week before between  Shahl and his team mates, Dominic Malan and Craig Turvey.  It ended up as a photo finish with Shahl edging out the other two.  Their speed stood Malan and Turvey in good stead because they went on to play Currie Cup rugby - representing SWD for many years.

Now Yusuf has beaten that time by nearly half a second:  10.6 seconds.  I suspect that record will taunt Wynberg sprinters for decades.  As Peter van Schalkwyk remarked at the prize giving, Yusuf is now the fastest Wynberg boy in 171 years!  I am going to enjoy watching him in Paarl next week!

School Song

To me, prizegiving is the best part of the day.  The wind has normally dropped, there is a buzz among the boys sitting on the grass as they await to see their mates to receive their cups, the sun is going down silhouetting our own Table Mountain. It is a scene crying out to be painted. Then the day’s events culminate in the school coming together and led by their Matrics, they energetically sing the school song.  Watching this, prompted a mother to write an email to me the following day:  That’s why I love Wynberg….

And Littlewood won – for the 10^th year in a row.  The following day in the staff room, Mike Engelbrecht sportingly arrived with a shaven head.

It doesn’t pay to tempt the gods of sport!

KCR

"... brothers in an endless chain .."