Kids are Olympians
Dozens of school children attended a special ‘mini Olympics’ event in Blairgowrie last week.
The event, organised by the Eastern Perthshire Community Sports Hub (EPCSH) and held at JJ Coupar Recreation Park, aimed to encourage children in the area to emulate their sporting heroes by taking part in a series of energetic activities.
EPCSH chair Bob Ellis said: “It was a great day and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.”
Dozens of school children attended a special ‘mini Olympics’ event organised by the Eastern Perthshire Community Sports Hub (EPCSH) in Blairgowrie on Thursday last week.
The event, which was held at JJ Coupar Recreation Park, aimed to encourage children in the area to emulate their sporting heroes in the Olympics and was based on a similar event held in 2014 to mark the Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow.
Children from all the primary schools in the Blairgowrie High School catchment area – St Stephen’s, Rattray, Coupar Angus, Newhill, Alyth, Glendelvine, Kirkmichael, Meigle, Kettins and Burrelton – took part in various sports and activities, including hockey, javelin, tennis, golf, football, curling, hurdling, boccia, shot putt and long jump.
Among the other more unusual activities was a weight over the bar competition, more traditionally associated with Highland Games.
Pipers AJ MacGregor and James Soppit from Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Pipe Band led the parade at the start of proceedings before EPCSH chair Bob Ellis welcomed everyone.
Mr Ellis said: “Huge thanks must go to Susan Whiteford, Caroline Lawrie and Pete McDougall from the sports hub who have put in a power of work to organise this event.
“Thanks to AJ and James from Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Pipe Band, Blairgowrie Rotary Club for providing all the water bottles, medals and wristbands for everyone who took part, all the volunteer pupils from Blairgowrie High School and all the volunteer coaches from the sports clubs in the town, First Aid Perthshire and Smiith & Sons for the coach transport for getting everyone here.
“Finally a big thank you to all the pupils for coming along and making the event such a success.
“It was a great day and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.”
The ‘mini Olympics’ was originally scheduled to be held this time last year to coincide with the Olympic Games in Tokyo themselves, but was postponed due to concerns about the global coronavirus pandemic.