Once again, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall was filled with excitement as the Regional Children’s Mashramani Competition attracted a crowd.
This time, it was the physical display category, which concluded the Georgetown leg of the competition on Monday, with entries from both primary and secondary schools.
The event saw a colossal turnout from numerous schools in Georgetown, who expressed their support for the participants. The loud cheers echoed throughout the intense atmosphere and encouraged the competitors to do their best. To make things even more exciting, it was hosted by the comedic duo of Christopher Gopaul and Lyndon Jones.
A fascinating piece that was performed by South Ruimveldt Secondary
This year, the focus of the event was being health wise, and skipping was introduced to the spectacular competition.
The schools that participated included FE Pollard Primary, Comenius Primary, North Georgetown Primary, South Ruimveldt Secondary, Tucville Secondary, St John’s College, St Stanislaus College, and Richard Ishmael Secondary. Participants showcased their performances in different categories which included Combination, Freestyle, Pyramid, Skip-be-fit and Last Man Standing.
The freestyle skipping was won by Courtney Alfred of Richard Ishmael Secondary. Fellow Richard Ishmael Secondary student Elijah Morris expressed that skipping could be considered exercise and it aided in cardiovascular fitness. He encouraged younger children to participate in this healthy activity.
Other winners included FE Pollard Primary in the Combination category with an entry called “We are the Champions” while Tucville Secondary won with their piece entitled “Team builders”.
The North Georgetown Primary students at the competition
However, the climax of the day was the last performance – a last man standing skipping competition in which 10 students participated. It was won by Earl Morris of the Richard Ishmael Secondary School, who ended with the highest time of eight minutes, ten seconds. He breathlessly stated how happy he was to win this category.
“I feel excited. I feel great. I’m so happy I win the last man standing. It was my dream,” he said.
Morris further stated that it has almost been a year since he has taken up skipping.
The national category will kick start another aspect of the competition and this is set for February 15, with students competing from all across Guyana.
