By Patience Gondo
WELLTON Primary School on Tuesday held its first inter-house athletics competition, marking a shift from its tradition of competing against other schools to inhouse events.
Learners from the school’s two houses, Elephant and Rhino, battled it out in track and field disciplines drawing a strong turnout of parents who thronged the school grounds despite it being a midweek event.
School head Mr Tafadzwa Chindava said the competition was designed to give parents an opportunity to witness their children’s sporting abilities firsthand.
“We are proud of the support we are getting from the parents. You can see the field is full, considering it’s a midweek,” he said.
“Most of the time, parents only see pictures, but today they had a chance to see their children in action.”
Wellton has previously hosted and participated in inter-school competitions, including cricket and tennis fixtures against schools outside Beitbridge. However, the latest event focused on internal competition to nurture talent at grassroots level.
Sports director Salvador Malunga said the school aims to continue hosting similar competitions to broaden opportunities for learners.
“We look forward to hosting more competitions like these, including field events, to give all students opportunities,” he said.
“We are used to travelling outside to compete, but this time we managed to bring the experience home so parents could witness the talent.”
Parents welcomed the initiative, with Mr Brian Matura expressing satisfaction at seeing learners compete.
“We have seen our children doing their best on the track,” he said.
“I encourage other parents to come in numbers next time so that we can identify our children’s talents and where they excel.”
One of the athletes, Nqobile Ncube said he was delighted that his parents were present to watch him perform.
“I am very happy that my parents saw me competing,” he said.
In the final standings, Elephant edged Rhinos scoring 250 points against the latter.