Sporting Carnival at AVM – the 10th Annual Atmiya Athletic Meet
The opening ceremony
The performances in opening ceremony included gymnastic activities, dumbbell drills, ‘Suryanamaskar’ and ‘aasans’. All of these activities underlined the importance of such physical work and the enthusiasm amongst students for these traditional methods to keep themselves fit and healthy. To add glamour and vibrancy to the ceremony, special dancing and singing performances were kept. The choir group of the students of class 6, 7 and 8 sung a melodious song ‘Ashaein’ under the able guidance of Himanshu Sir and Jaimin Sir. The song encouraged students to aspire and do everything they can to achieve those aspirations. A scintillating dance performance was presented by the dancing group on a very popular song ‘Bhaag Milkha bhaag’, which encapsulated the spirit of the event. The dance was very creatively choreographed by Suhradam Sir.
For this very important event special guests were invited. P. Fuvaji and P. Suhrad Swamiji along with P. Ambrish Swamiji graced the event with their presence. Not only that, P. Fuvaji and P. Suhrad Swamiji addressed the students and encouraged students to perform up to their potential. They also applauded the efforts put in by the sports teachers. After the speeches from the guests, it was the turn of the Sports Captain Nirmalbhai to conduct the oath taking ceremony. The ceremony concluded with the principal Respected Vijay Sir officially declaring the 10th Annual Atmiya Athletic Meet open.
Track and Field events
From December 26th, all the events began as every single student from class 1 to 11 participated in one or the other event. In itself it was the biggest attraction as well as a matter of recognition for the sports team as all the students were presented with an opportunity to compete in front of the whole school. The motto of the event, ‘Winning is not everything but participation and the will to win is’, truly reflected in the attitude and enthusiasm of the students and teachers. All the students did their best to win some points and medals for their houses. Those who could not, certainly tried to encourage and cheer the participants from their houses. But the most satisfying thing was that all the students appreciated good performances from the students from all houses as they realized that at the end of it is a win for the school.
We aim above the mark to hit the mark
Considering this famous quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the sports teachers printed and posted the current school and CBSE records for individual events on the respective track and field arena. The idea behind this was to encourage students to aim higher and maximize their potential. Not only were students encouraged to win the medals but were also pushed to break the current records to improve their individual performances. So many broken records in the 10th Annual Atmiya Athletic Meet is a testimony to the drive of the students to achieve and perform to the best of their abilities.
Contribution from Volunteers and Academic teachers
Such a massive event couldn’t have been possible without the dedicated contributions from the student volunteers, academic teachers and admin staff. Kalpesh Sir put together a very devoted team of 25-30 student volunteers who were the engines of the routine tasks such as managing the sports equipment for respective events and becoming the bridge between the officials, scorers and participants. The academic teachers and admin staff were also very keen to contribute immensely in the event. A special credit goes also to Kshitij Sir and Pushpak Sir who were the anchors for the whole event. They did not let such a hectic schedule of a long event come in the way and kept encouraging the students through the microphone. The kitchen department also played a very significant role, as throughout the days of this event, the refreshments and snacks were provided to the students on the field. The sincerity, availability and willingness to contribute from all the members of Atmiya family throughout the meet made the event even bigger success.
The last hurrah
After the vigour of 4 sessions, it boiled down to the final session in which 10 final events were kept from the 5 student categories. The planning was done so carefully by the sports teachers so that in the ultimate session of the event, students, teachers and guests could witness the most exciting finals. 100 metres finals and 4×100 metres relays were a matter of great anticipation and excitement in this last session. A special relay event was organised for the class 12 students as they were busy in their studies for the upcoming Board exams. The performances from the young athletes in this final session, captured the imagination of the whole school as they stepped up their performances. Sheer determination and uplifted performances not only entertained everybody but they also broke some more records in the process.
And the winner is…..
After a very long fitness program, 2 week preparation camp for the students, planning and preparing the athletic arena from the teachers, competitive and enthusiastic participation and some record breaking performances later, we reached a moment where the recognition for all these efforts was due.
A special set up was prepared in the centre of the field for the prize distribution ceremony. The ceremony started as the medals and certificates to the winners were awarded by various teachers and guests. In such a massive event, few individuals always outshine the rest with their determination, persistent efforts and supreme performances. And it is only fair to recognize such individuals. To encourage such outliers, the Best Athlete trophy in each of the student category was presented to such students. The noise reached a new level as all of these students were equally appreciated by the students of all the houses.
Along with the winners, the efforts and sincerity of volunteers was also recognized. Special appreciation certificates were handed to these volunteers from respected Haresh Sir. Upon the request of Haresh Sir, a special photo was taken to commemorate the contribution of these young students who upheld a very core value of the school ‘seva’ (service).
All of these only added to the eagerness for the announcement of the winner house. Throughout the event it was very difficult to predict which house would win as athletes from all the houses had shown their worth in different categories as that kept their house in hunt to win the prestigious trophy. It was one of the closest fight in the recent years as only 6 points separated the houses occupying 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions. But reigning athletic meet champions Sundaram House won the competition second year in a row and Suhradam House finished second. Respected Govind Sir (Principal, Sarvanaman Vidya Mandir and Haresh Sir (Administrator, Atmiya Vidya Mandir) presented the trophies to the winner as the mega event came to an end. Vijay Sir then officially declared the 10th Annual Atmiya Athletic Meet closed as fireworks took the centre stage.
Although the event has ended but the echo and memories of this event will remain with everyone involved for a very long time. The administration of the school heartily congratulates all the students and the staff members for organizing such a fantastic and exhilarating event which can only enhance the experience at this wonderful institution.
Here are the highlights of the results:
Best Athletes
Name House Category Points Medals won
Hari Martin Satyam Group A 30 3 Golds
Mumukshu D Patel Satyam Group B 24 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze
Shrimed M Sangani Suhradam Group B 24 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze
Shubh J Patel Shivam Group C 30 3 Golds
Darshan J Patel Suhradam Group D 30 3 Golds
Mayank M Watwani Sundaram Group E 28 2 Golds and 1 Silver
(Note: The points from relay races are not considered for the adjudication of best athlete.)
House Gold Silver Bronze House Points
Winners Sundaram 14 11 16 324
Runners Up Suhradam 12 9 9 266
