November. The Sports Day I Cheered Myself Hoarse
[Essay]
My fifth-grade daughter is a cool girl.
She looks and acts just like Ai Haibara from Detective Conan.
When I'm singing "Chu, Kawakute Gomen♪" and putting on makeup with enthusiasm, she'll cross her arms and advise me, "That song sounds like you're trying too hard to be cute. People will hate you, so stop it" lol.
She absolutely refuses to wear cute dresses.
She often says, "Good grief."
She's average at both studying and sports, but she's a child with a unique vibe who doesn't particularly love either.
*
Anyway, a week before the sports day, my daughter uncharacteristically complained, "Maybe I'll just skip sports day."
She's on the Red Team, but apparently, the opposing White Team is very strong.
They say they haven't won a single time in practice matches. That's a tough situation.
*
A certain day in November
Under a refreshing autumn sky, the elementary school sports day began.
...The White Team is strong.
They are way too strong, the White Team.
In the footraces, everyone crossing the finish line is wearing a white hat.
It makes you want to quip, "Is that finish line tape only for white hats?" because only the White Team ever passes through it.
Then came the cavalry battle.
Red and White fought one-on-one, but the White Team kept snatching the Red Team's hats one after another.
In the end, after 15 matches, the White Team won 14 and the Red Team won 1.
I looked at Ms. Sasaki (a mom friend on the Red Team) and said, "Isn't the power gap too big?"
...The group cavalry battle was even more intense.
In the group battle, one Red rider and one White rider act as generals (wearing helmets), and the battle style involves protecting your own general while aiming for the opponent's helmet.
It was truly a world like Kingdom.
This is one of the highlights of our elementary school, as it gets very exciting every year and takes quite a bit of time.
In the usual pattern, Red and White clash, numbers dwindle, and when it gets to about 3 riders vs. 1, the side with more people surrounds the general and takes the helmet.
However, this time.
At the signal to "Start," the White Team's Hishin Unit launched a suicide attack and snatched the Red Team's helmet in an instant.
...?
...Wait, is it over?
Many people were so stunned they didn't know what had happened.
It was only after the announcement "The White Team has won" that everyone started buzzing in confusion.
I was also dumbfounded and confirmed with Ms. Sasaki, "They lost, right?""Even though all the Red cavalry are still there," Ms. Sasaki said.
With that, the second half continued with the White Team's overwhelming victory.
The Red first-graders did their best in the dancing ball toss and we regained a little ground, but the difference in strength was obvious.
When I said to Ms. Sasaki, "I guess the White Team's win is decided," she replied, "No, I don't think we'll know until the final relay... I think."
As a person who does things half-heartedly, I felt it was a "guaranteed loss," but when the science-minded Ms. Sasaki pored over the score sheet, it seemed the battle wasn't over yet.
She said if Red wins the 5th and 6th-grade relay, there's still a possibility of winning(the group battle is worth a lot of points).
From then on, I cheered until I was hoarse.
While filming with my video camera, I waved my sports towel.
It wasn't just me; all the Red Team parents were desperate.
The 5th-grade relay.
At first, it was a very close race.
But as expected, the White Team is strong; their potential is just high.
From the middle, it became a runaway for the White Team.
However, here comes the Red Team's 4th runner.
The Red Team's 4th runner is insanely fast. Too fast.
It's like a lie that they were that far behind; in an instant, they overtook them, created a gap, and passed the baton to the next person.
The Red Team parents were ecstatic.
But as expected, they were gradually caught by the White Team, and the outcome was entrusted to the two anchors in a tie.
The Red Team's anchor was, believe it or not,
the super-fast 4th runner from earlier!
It was just a runaway and another runaway, with the parents going wild and wilder.
It was amazing!
The moment the Red Team crossed the finish line, I screamed "Yay!" and hugged Ms. Sasaki.
(When I asked my daughter later, it seems the anchor ran twice because someone was absent.)
While the question remains whether it's okay to crush others with individual power in a sports day meant for effort, friendship, and victory, a win is a win. Well done, Red Team anchor!
And then, the 6th-grade relay.
This was truly effort, friendship, and victory vs. effort, friendship, and victory.
After a close race, the ones who won the 6th-grade relay were... the Red Team!
That's right. Red won the 5th and 6th-grade relay.
Which means, according to Sasaki-san's calculations, the outcome should be a dead heat. I really won't know until the results are out.
With my heart pounding, the overall results were announced.
2024
Grand Sports Day
The winner is...
Red Team!!!
It was a 2-point difference!!
A 2-point difference!!!
A huge comeback! I was sooooo happy!
My cool girl was jumping for joy too! It was truly a miracle!
It was the most exciting Sports Day ever.
The End
■ Postscript
By the way, my child contributed to the team with a fine play, passing the baton they received in first place while still in first place. They did their best!
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☀ This article is a participation piece for Nao Kurosaki's project ☀
#KurosakiNao2024ChillTwilight
https://note.com/kurosakina0/n/n4708bad38aba
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