I was in a bit of a bad mummy place this afternoon when it suddenly dawned on me that whilst Yan was busy creating one of his pieces live in store as part of London Fashion Week I was on swimming gala duty.
This normally wouldn't be too much of an issue but the girls and I are off to Ireland next week for their filming slot in a forthcoming new CITV show and we will have been at dance show rehearsals all day and, well, I have loads to get sorted and I haven't even thought about packing.
So when Yan and Sonny went off to tonight's training session I asked Yan to tell them that we couldn't make it on Saturday after all.
Calmness descended over me and I instantly knew that I'd done the right thing in pulling them out.
My calm was to be short lived.
After informing the team manager, Yan had been told that it was OK as this wasn't a league gala and that they'd had to field their slowest swimmers so that they didn't get penilised.
Fire and brimstone may have engulfed me at that moment. Am I missing something? I was a swimmer, my dad was a coach. I trained every day for at least ten years of my childhood. Taking part in a competitive sport is about winning. It's about being the best. Well it used to be, though clearly not any more.
ModelGirl was over the moon when she was picked for the gala. Swimming's not her thing but she aspires to fill her spot in our family of county champions. And that drives her on. Makes her work hard in her lessons and gives her something to strive for.
Until tonight.
Am I missing something? Has the world gone mad? A swimming gala where you don't win if you swim too fast...
This modern practice of wrapping our children up in cotton wool to save them from getting hurt really has gone a step too far. Children are driven by the need to compete - many adults are too. Is that so wrong? Do you really want moments like this to be a thing of the past?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Picture Credit: Rebecca Adlington takes Olympic Gold
I think the world has gone mad, too. Their are far too many do-gooders trying to mould children into perfection, not allowing them to actually think for themselves. What's the point in taking part in a competition event if you aren't bothered about winning? Seems a waste of time to me.
ReplyDeleteCJ xx
Yes very much so gone mad. I to a swimmer as a child I can't believe that they curb potential. You are different whilst in a comp grrrrrr, makes me angry.
ReplyDeleteIts wrong. simple. competition, winning or loosing is one of life's lessons. simple.
ReplyDeleteI used to swim (a long time ago) and the Gala's for me were all about bringing something home at the end.
ReplyDeleteI didn't always bring something home but I was always proud of what I did.
When I was 9 I competed in a race in the 11-15 year old category, the idea of winning was lovely. I came a close 2nd, I was disappointed but it was a great experience..
However, having to purposefully field your SLOWEST swimmers? I, like you, thought racing was about just that. A race to get to the finish line first. Why would holding back be considered fair? Yes, I think the world has gone mad.
It's the most ridiculous thing EVER. At Chick's school they have a non-competitive sports day which I just don't agree with!!! How are our kids ever going to be able to complete in the workplace as grown ups when they've never had any kind of lessons in it and never been allowed to be competitive??!! It's also one of the reasons that I never let my daughter win at board games ;-)
ReplyDeleteI hate competition like this in schools, where children have no choice but to take part and they're not all equal, often through no fault of their own. But when children choose to take part in competitive extra-curricular activities, it's a farce to make it any other way. I don't even really understand what's going on here except that it makes it a waste of time for some kids.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I would say about stiff competition for really little kids (coupled with the attitude that "life's like that") is that when you're 25, you can take not-winning much easier than when you're 5. There's an emotional maturity component that needs to be present before life's really hard lessons should be introduced.
the world is mat, that's ridiculous. x
ReplyDelete