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This past weekend the Sendai Cricket team headed north for a match against Morioka Cricket. The trip up north took 3 days – taking advantage of a 3-day weekend here in Japan – and involved an overnight at Moutsuji Temple, and an undoukai or sports day at an elementary school in Morioka. Unfortunately, the trip didn’t end up involving any cricket because we were rained out. However, we had a blast at the sports day, and that’s what I’m going to write about.

I was a bit hesitant about the sports day to be honest – I’ve seen a lot of this kind of thing here in Japan for kids, and they often aren’t that interesting. Of course, this was billed as being for adults, but I was afraid it would be too much silliness for 6 hours.

My fears were completely unfounded. Of course, there was some silliness, but there was also a good deal of healthy competition, some really cool people to hang out with, and that Morioka spirit, which I’ve only experienced a few times now but which never seems to let me down.

So, on to the event. There were about 60 adult participants, and we were separated into 4 teams of about 15 people each. Our cricket team was separated, and I ended up on the Blue Team with Chris Birchall and Chi Akama.

Our team took an early lead due to the first event: a balloon competition where the competitors had to inflate a balloon, run a short distance holding the balloon between their legs, sit on the balloon and pop it without using their hands, then pull some bags of snack off a pole using their teeth and race to the finish line. I won’t explain it anymore, but instead I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Blow up…

tie…

 

run…

 

squash.

Here’s a few more shots of this event.

Blow up…

 

run…

 

squash…

 

and get snack-pack with your teeth.

And the last time through, our fearless leader and man in charge of the whole weekend.

Blow up…

 

tie…

 

run…

 

and miss.

An event that we could have done well in if I hadn’t really messed up at the very end and run the wrong way was the basketball relay. In this event a team of players had to take turns dribbling the ball around a cone and passing the ball either over or under to the next dribbler. I was the anchor and would have got 2nd place except that I forgot that the final dribbler had to race forward to the finish line, not back to the team.

Toshio, faster than the photographer.

Nicola, dribbling forward.

Absolute control.

Again, good control.

Luckily there are no photos that I know of of me running the wrong way, so we can just forget about that little detail.

I redeemed myself in the obstacle event though. This event required the participants to jump a wooden horse, jump rope 10 times, get through a net, spin around a pole 5 times, and then race to the finish line. I was the anchor in this event as well and got first place, along with several other of my teammates.

Horse jump…

jump rope 10xs…

under the net…

head on the pole and spin 5xs…

run dizzily to the finish line.

After all the events were over and the dust had settled, the Blue Team had held onto its lead taken in the very first event. There had been all kinds of shake ups in the lower ranks, but we hardly minded about that.

First and second place. Note the 38 point spread!

 

A group of winners.

Chris Birchall was duly chosen as our team representative to receive the prizes.

Chris, smug.

 

Chris, still smug.

 

Chris, confused and not so smug.

It’s Japan, so of course there was a prize ceremony, and the prizes were suitable to the events focus on a kind of half-assed fitness: cup ramen and udon. I won a fancy little piggy bank for “biggest mistake” during the basketball relay.

The ceremony.

Prize in hand.

The prize (not the girl, silly).

More prizes.

 

All in all it was quite a day. We made new friends, caught up with a few old friends from the Morioka Cricket team, and had a great lunch outside on the banks of the Kitakami River.