The annual High Peak Athletic Club Sports Day was held on Saturday 15th July at Harpur Hill school. More than 50 children from the club aged from 5 years upward turned out, and despite the drizzle the enthusiasm of the young athletes to compete in a fun and fair spirit wasn’t at all dampened. 

The games were officially opened by the Major of High Peak, Matthew Stone, who manned the starting horn for the first event – the sprint races.  Soon the first medals were being won in the under 9, 10-11 and 12 year plus age categories. The next event was the egg and spoon race. Over a testing 100m distance, some eggs were dropped but many of the young athletes showed great balance and co-ordination in getting to the end. The Major competed in the egg and spoon, his only event of the day, and had instant success coming home first in his age group!  The children had the first opportunity to show how they could work in teams in the wheelbarrow race and later in the three legged race. Other events held at the sports day were the traditional sack race, the Howler javelin, the 800 metre race, and the backwards race, where some of the children demonstrated its possible to run as fast going the wrong way as it is going the right way! The tug of war event proved highly competitive, as was the parents sprint races. The games were rounded off by the messiest event of the day –  eggthrowing, where teams of two attempt to throw a real egg to each other over an increasing distance. It was very hard to work out who won this event, but it was very clear from themess who had lost!    

All in all great fun was had by the High Peak AC children and parents alike– this was a real opportunity for some of the children who are too young or don’t usually compete in the club competitions to show their athletic skills and maybe even win a medal, as well as impress the High Peak Major! 

HPAC is an athletics club aimed at juniors aged 7-16, with the opportunity to compete in Track and Field, Cross cCountry and a Sports Hall competition. So if anyone would like to find out more about the club, then please visit the website https://highpeakac.com or turn up to a Saturday session from 9-10 am at the Buxton Community school.