Mother Nature Smiles on Pingry Field Day – Again!
May 18, 2004

With what looked like a repeat weather pattern from last year, Pingry’s all-school field day began with cloudy skies, low-lying fog, and a cool breeze. The fog began burning off just in time for an all-school photo of more than 1,000 students and their teachers eagerly anticipating the 2004 Pingry Games. The atmosphere was jovial as teachers greeted students from years ago, and the upperclassmen joined hands and forces with their Lower School buddies. After a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the games began. The events of the morning included a variety of fun – and often funny – relay races that pitted the red, white, and blue teams in a race to the finish line. Among the more unusual relays was marble madness – a game in which the teammates had to pick up marbles in a pool of water with their toes and drop the marbles into a Frisbee. The crab relay typically has participants crawling in a crab-like fashion. However, this race required a bowl of water to be placed on the “crab’s” abdomen. The hula hoop relay had three teams holding hands in a line and passing a hula hoop down the line by squeezing through it – no hands allowed. The sun broke through the clouds just in time for the barbeque lunch set up on the back lawn. Hamburgers, hotdogs, salad, watermelon, cookies, and iced tea fueled the students ready to get back to the afternoon events. Entertainment was provided by the Balladeers and the Buttondowns as the lawn was scattered with students relaxing and enjoying good friends and good weather. The afternoon events were as rigorous as the morning’s. Relay races continued and the traditional tugs of war among the fourth through sixth grades, the Middle School, and the Upper School were well fought. The junior class then took on the faculty in a madcap dodge-ball game, where the faculty proved that age has nothing to do with agility. “I always have a lot of fun at Field Day – but then I am a two-year-old at heart. The little kids are nice to have around,” said Jill Kehoe, Form VI. Mike Styzynski, Form V, echoed Jill’s thoughts, “The little kids respect the older ones. The games take me back to when I was their age.” Jackie Cooke, a second grader, said, “This is a fun day. We can play with everyone. I liked the marble madness the best!” © 2004 The Pingry School