Braeburn Sports Festival 2022

On Friday afternoon Ms Barasa and I set out to Nairobi with a team of nine of our senior students. As we set off we were still unaware of the sports that were to follow in the first Braeburn sports festival for three years. The festival is designed to give those top sports performers and those with potential a chance to shine and compete with others from the Braeburn schools from both Kenya and Tanzania. On arrival the students were given teams. Some in Tsavo, Masai Mara, Serengeti and Amboseli. The next morning the events were slowly leaked to the students. In the morning they were taking part in track and field events, with all of our students putting in excellent performances. Ernest showed his metal immediately in the first race with a superb 1500m, while Hendrika bravely threw herself into the stiff high jump competition. Mikaela showed some potential in her run and performed very well in the shot putt, putting a good distance. Lilly-May in the 400m delivered a very good time, Ana jumped very well and Chantal managed a good 800m. Poul and Arnav ran in several events including good legs in the relays and Fidel showed his throwing skills off by registering very good distances in the shot putt. As the morning progressed all of our students put on performances to be proud of, with various jumps, throws and runs, all of them taking part in several activities.

After lunch, the competition became extreme! The competitors performed in a crossfit challenge, where various exercises were counted, timed and performed to score points. Firstly a combination of sit ups, press ups and lunges for ten minutes with points scored for the most sets performed, this set the tone as various shuttles, leaps and strength tests followed, including a 400m challenge where one member of the team had to be elevated for the whole circuit and concluding with a team 1.6km run (the team had to run together holding a quiot).

Another (well-earned) short break followed and the students organised themselves into netball teams for the final few hours. These games were fun, frantic affairs with all participants really playing with their last reserves of energy.

As we drew together to hear the final scores and the team results, our students had clearly had a good, if exhausting, time. They were chatting to each other and new friends, cheering for each other and finding out new things about their own strengths.

The result was cheered loudly, for each place, as a mutual respect for the efforts that each competitor had put in was evident.

Well done to all those that took part, Ms Barasa and I were extremely proud of our students and their efforts throughout the day. The bus to the airport on Sunday morning was much quieter than on the way out, mainly due to the exhausted occupants! All seemingly happily recovering with stiff legs and aching muscles from the exertions of the day before.

Well done all!

Mr Moyse