It was a fun 3 days last week of hanging out with rowdy, enthusiastic, cheering students for our Sports Days extravaganza.

            This was the 7^th year of celebrating athleticism among both students and faculty.            

            I attended our first Sports Day 7 years ago when the college was founded, a merger between 3 schools in the area.  It was a pitiful affair with a student body of only around 2,000 and very little organization, preparation or participation.  But over the years, as the school has grown, the college’s sports day meeting has reached a more professional level.

         Our Wednesday afternoon opening ceremonies, I must say, were very well-done.  The administrators were appreciative and impressed by the hard work of the participants.  Every department had selected their best students to wear simple uniforms (usually the same colored T-shirts or sweat suits) and march around the track, salute the leaders and then continue onward to line up on the field. 

         The English department was chosen to have 2 groups:  One to represent our department and the other to be the marching flower girls.  The flower girls did formations in front of the platform while waving their colorful bouquets to the rhythm of the music. 

         Everyone cheered on and clapped for their special efforts, probably making their choreographer very happy, not to mention very relieved. He’d been working with them for hours on the field every day for weeks. I had been witness to his frustration and hair pulling, his many terse and cutting remarks bellowed over the loudspeaker, but they all managed to pull it off with flying colors.

         Hats off (and brownie points galore) to the English Department!

         The dogs and I hung out off and on during the competitions.  It was quite moving to see classmates supporting one another, even for those whose athletic ability was so poor they could hardly make it over the finish line.

         It was all in fun, including events held for the teachers who giggled, laughed and chided one another throughout their sad performances. 

         Only those in the PE department faculty truly shone, taking the competition a bit more seriously and winning just about everything.  (That includes their students as well.)  The rest of us just flopped along in high spirits.

           Although it was more  meaningful actually being there, I hope the photo album gives you a good idea of our Luzhou Vocational and Technical College Sports Days’ excitement.

           Enjoy, everyone, and Ping An! (Peace)