What a absolutely  memorable day it was when the past pupils of  St Bridget’s Convent gathered in the primary school grounds on the 1st of December,  to re enact  the  annual sports meet – an event which holds  nostalgic memories to all Bridgetines , whether they be athletes or not.  The Chief Guest for the occasion was Ms Yasmin Zarook, outstanding sportswoman, who has brought credit and admiration to our country as a Sports star, Coach as well as a Sports administrator at both national and international level.

The organizers took great pains to simulate the present day sports meets, complete with the regalia of reciting the sports oath, (by the oldest games captain present, Dr Roshanara de Zoysa), singing the sports song, pronouncing the opening of the sports meet by the Chief Guest, the hoisting of flags, and the lighting of the Olympic torch, by past games captains.

And then the games began!  All the events were organized with the age of the participant in mind, but a casual observer would have had a hard time in guessing their ages, so energy packed and vibrant   were they all.   And  so what a hilarious time was had ,  seeing  the younger ones hopping in gunny bags and falling ignominiously flat on the ground,  or running awkwardly in the crab race of yore,  struggling  to keep  the  lime on a spoon , and balancing a book on the head, - an activity mistakenly   considered suitable for the over 60s. Unfortunately, many a book refused to remain on the heads and the hapless participant had to return to the starting point many a time.  Shuttle relays for every age group followed, with some amazing sprints displayed by the 20s and 30s age groups and Susanthika Jayasinghe would have had a good run for her money had she been there.  

But the highlights of the day were the drill display and the march past. The drill display was organized with each house doing their own moves to Macarena, Trini Lopez Medley and Gangam Style – and what moves they were, arms , legs bodies flying in all and every direction , in a vain attempt to emulate the  movements  of  oft seen drill displays,  but failing miserably and finally resorting to dance moves they were familiar with.  Borgia house carried the show, having some uniformity both in costume and moves.

The march past was the culmination of it all and this was a fitting end to a fantastic day.  The school uniform, tie, shoes and socks seemed to have magically erased the lines of age, and it would have been hard put to differentiate between present and past Bridgetines.   The only visible difference was the generous display of both bosom and hip by the latter.

Another customary award given at school sports meets was for the best decorated tent. In this case too,   different areas, although not tents, were allocated for the houses, and these gaily decorated houses ‘tents’ were a sight to behold.  The winner of the award was Melizan house.    The march past was won by Borgia house, with the overall l winning house also being Borgia house with Melizan a close second and Coudert in 3rd place. These announcements were met with shouts, shrieks, and cheers, even lustier than the present Bridgetines.

A fair atmosphere prevailed throughout the day, with the food and drink stalls - the acharu stall selling out the fastest.  This again is reminiscent of ones schooldays,   where munching of titbits and scavenging for food was an integral part of life. The meet ended with a fireworks display.

Feedback in the aftermath of any event is all important. Many bouquets were received, and if any brickbats were heard, they were very mild in nature.   One could say that the success of any event, apart from the hard work of the organizing committee,   is the dedication and loyalty of its membership. This was seen in abundance, with even very senior members gracing the event with their presence, and even officiating as judges and presenters, Marina WIjesekera and Lilamani Rodrigo being two of the most senior Presidents and members. Another endearing sight was     Chandra Gunatilleka a most senior member who, clad in uniform, shoes and socks, marched with much gusto.   It is members like these who make it all worthwhile.

Nothing is possible without some kind of material contribution.  Here again our members came to our rescue with their donations, making it  possible to award prizes to even third place  for all events. The cake which was awarded to the winning house was also a donation, and this was made by Roshanara Hathy Sulaiman, nee Abdeen.

And so, here’s to all Bridgetines. May they remain young at heart and spirit for many a day.