Sonia Dogra, Keekli Reporter, 9th September, 2016, Shimla
Sports Shield and Proficiency Cup bagged by French House, while the Marching Cup was shared by Durrant and Lefroy House.
What a wonderful, bright September morning it has been with the girls of Auckland House School Middle Section displaying their sporting spirits. With the arrival of the chief guest, Anuja Sharma, Associate Professor of English at St Bede’s College and an Alumni, the event kick started with great enthusiasm. There was a March Past by the students to the tune of the Bagpipe Band. The School was led by the Vice Head Girl, Ayushi Thakur followed by the Vice Games Captain Shambhavi Rao and all the four Houses – Durrant, French, Lefroy and Matthew.
Soon after an array of wonderfully crafted physical exercises was at display. Aerobics was the first event performed by the students of Form IV. The form of exercise requires physical agility and was well executed by the girls.
Yoga, India’s gift to the World was next performed by Form III. The precision of performance clearly demonstrated the amount of interest being taken by the school in the physical well being of the students who performed various asanas like Surya Namaskar, Trikonasana, Padamasana etc. Form IV then came up with their PT display using colourful ribbons which was followed by another display using fans by the young lot of Form V. Swift movements and the use of bright colours mesmerized the audience and the girls were applauded several times during the performance.
After Rio and Dipa Karmakar gymnastics has certainly found a place in the heart of the young. It was next in the line of events. Students of Form III to V formed a part of the event performing the same with dexterity and focus.
Karate is almost the necessary surviving sport in present times. Once again Form III to VI gave a strong performance with a small scuffle on display showing ways of self defense and other forms as well.
Races followed next. Since it was an inter house event, the girls gave in their best amongst loud cheering from their friends and supporters. There were a number of races like obstacle, baton, skipping, relay and skating giving an opportunity for maximum participation.
In Karate the first, second and third positions were secured by Vedika Ghesta, Himanshi Sharma and Himakshi Sharma — all from Durrant House. The Best Gymnast was Ridhi Bhargav (Durrant House). Prize for the Best in the Pipe Band was won by Jannat Brar, again from Durrant House.
Skipping Relay was won by Ishani Dass (Durrant House). In Ball Relay Hifza Gowhar of Lefroy House bagged the first position. In Skating also Lefroy House bagged the first and second positions respectively in Group A with the winners being Sashriya Bajaj and Garima Channa. In Group B Soshima from Matthew House stood first followed by Anusha and Manya from Lefroy House. Musical Chair was won by Soshimla (Matthew House). Baton Relay was won by Ishani Dass (Durrant House) and Nutchanah (French House). One Legged Relay was won by Vartika Chauhan of French House and Onpriya of Lefroy House.
Shaurya Chauhan and Rythm Sharma of French House stood first in Soft Ball. The 100 mts race was won by Soshimla (Matthew House) and Gargi Thakur (Durrant House). The first position in the Obstacle Race was bagged by Shreya Rawat (Lefroy House) and Sharanya Sood (Matthew House). There were special races for the parents as well and the first position was secured by Ashok Rana and Sathi Banerjee.
Speaking on the occasion, Anuja Sharma congratulated the children, staff and parents for such a splendid show. She recalled her days in the school thirty eight years ago when she was the Sports Captain. She shared the lessons taught to her by the school, the most important being the school motto, “Always Seek the Highest”. She appreciated the students for accepting challenges and playing well. As she thanked the Director Principal Sunita John, she added that the best lessons of life are learnt in the play field. She said that even as winning was great, losing gracefully was better. She particularly complimented the Pipe Band for carrying out their mammoth task with precision. She also thanked the parents for their whole-hearted support.
