By Fr James Nigrel for BISMumbai

The Sports Day Program was held at St Joseph’s High School, Wadala, on 25 November 2022, based on the theme ‘Natural Re-sort’.

The opening ceremony began with a prayer invoking God’s blessings over the event. This was followed by singing the National Anthem. The Rector, Fr James Nigrel, welcomed the Chief Guest, Mr Saurabh Nishar, an ex-Josephite, who was a basketball analyst from Sports Management Worldwide, Portland, USA (2019), a national level basketball player, and a double whammy winner in streetball.

As the Sportsman’s torch was lit and carried by the torchbearers, the Rector, Fr James Nigrel, declared Sports Meet open. The meet began with the students’ Physical Training (PT) drill displays. Divided into several groups, each PT display conveyed a message based on the theme ‘Natural Re-sort’. The students focused on topics like ‘Save Mother Earth’, ‘Recycle’, and ‘Preserve and Conserve Gifts of Mother Nature’ through the medium of aerobics.

The Chief Guest, Mr Nishar then addressed the gathering, encouraging the students to try all kinds of sports to explore their psycho-motor skills and truly enjoy playing different kinds of sports. The vote of thanks was given by the Principal, Fr Blaise Fernandes, sincerely appreciating the efforts of the Sports Day coordinators.

The events to follow would decide the winner of the Sports Meet. All the four houses battled for the first position in variety of events: races, tug of war, 50-metre run, and relay. After the students, even the staff and parents played matches. The final events comprised of a football match between the staff and parents (fathers), and a throwball match between the staff and the parents (mothers). While the staff won the football match, the parents took the trophy for the throwball match.

The closing ceremony began with the marchpast, yoga display and concluded with the prize distribution. The Green House marchpast squad won the Best Marching Squad Award. The Green House was also declared the winning house, with the highest overall points calculated, achieved by the players in the fast-track races and team games.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the Sports Meet while truly understanding the importance of nature, physical activities and the spirit of sportsmanship.