Sports Day At Byron College

Part 2 -- Caroline's Mini-Olympics

People argue whether Athens will be ready for the big Olympics August 13-29 -- construction continues with no end in sight -- but there's no doubt that the suburb of Geraka was ready for Byron College's Mini Olympics, held Friday, May 7, 2004, on the playing fields of Byron College itself! Participants included children from nursery through second grade, and a cadre of fifth and sixth grade girls provided an interlude of beautiful dance in the ancient Olympics tradition! Let's review the excitement!

As with any Olympics, the opening ceremony began with the march of the athletes and the placing of the Olympic torch (to right -- worry not! the flame's not real!) by the reviewing stand. It was a beautiful day on the athletic fields.  The camera crew is from ET-1, the public TV station. 

The parents, relatives, and friends gathered under the shade of the trees to watch the competition.

The events included a mini-marathon, bean-bag shot-put throw, sprints, a relay race, hurdles, and a special chariot race just for the reception (kindergarten) and preschool kids and their parents.

The first event was sprints, with boys and girls competing together in the lower grades, and separately in grades one and two. Below is the second grade girls as they approach the finish line!

Caroline caught in the air running!

Then came the bean-bag throw! Here's Caroline getting ready to throw her bean bag (left) and, soon afterwards, waiting with the other girls for the judges to decide who won. Caroline came in third, for a bronze!

The relay race was full of chills and thrills; too many kids running at once back and forth across the concrete to keep track off! But for real athletic excitement, what could beat a hurdles race? Here's Caroline in action!  Move your cursor across the picture to start the movie. Below at right, Caroline and her teammates wait for the judges.

In an authentic ancient Olympics intermission, a cadre of fifth and sixth grade girls, under the leadership of Mrs. Mavropoulou, performed an exciting original dance. Alison and her friends Kathyrn and Anna waited patiently together, with their friend -- and the only other American in Byron College -- Ally; to see the dance, click on Olympic Dance (warning: a very long movie that will take forever to load).

After the competition comes the award of the medals (Alison was the escort for the gold winners; Elizavetta escorts Caroline). Here's Oraina, Sophia, and Caroline being led to the winners' platform (left) and on the platform after the medals were conferred (right):

Caroline proudly wears the bronze for her great showing in the bean-bag shot put.

That's Caroline's Mini Olympics at Byron College! Click the link for our report from Alison's Sports Day, on Tuesday, May 5!

May 8, 2004

Click here to return to the main Reger-Folta Web Page.