Mud is No Deterrent for Girls

If it wasn’t for the running shoes and sports clothes, the gathering of girls from Carncot School on a Turitea farm for their annual cross country race day could almost have been mistaken for a carnival.

Many of the parents and extended family turned out to support their daughters as they raced for individual honours and a place in the school team to compete in the inter school competition.

It didn’t matter that the girls were 5 or 12 years old they all had a course to run, including a hill section, that challenged their capability.  As with any good cross country there was mud to add both a distraction and a challenge to the runners as some tried to keep clean while others tried not to lose their shoes.

“For the year one girls it was dilemma of whether to keep running or stop and retrieve a lost shoe.  In the end, the competitive spirit dominated and they ran on and got their shoe back on the finish line,” says physical training teacher Toni Manuel.

It was no different for the senior girls who completed a steep hill climb before conquering long paddock sections and mud-filled gateways. The carnival atmosphere extended as the girls cheered for their favourites in each of the age groups, yelling encouragement equally to the girl in last place as to the one who took line honours.

“All of our girls have an extraordinary sense of community and, while winning is important, they all really support each other,” says Principal, Chris Michalski.

First place results are:
Seniors:             Séana Nesbit
Juniors:            Rebecca Anthony
Midgets:            Rebecca Mark
Year 2:              Danya Purdue
Year 1:              Alana Gore