The display of celebration and outdoor shenanigans seen on orientation day was continued through the Sport Leaders, Melissa Bayley and Luke Brierley's, organization of Burnside's annual swimming sports on February the 14th, a day where students from all year groups got the opportunity to miss a period of class in order to enjoy the sunburn inducing rays of New Zealand sunshine and practice their professional or highly neglected, swimming strokes.
Despite it being a school-wide event, it was the year 13's that truly made the day their own, acting as the occasion's dedicated security and lifeguards (with the heroic Emma Clarke thrusting herself into the dark depths of the school pool to save a struggling swimmer-read her People of the Term interview to know more), wielding extravagant water-wear of multi-coloured floaties, bucket-hats, plastic fairy wings, and pink rain-ponchos and performing fantastic aerial stunts of flips and belly-flops into the water. Proclaimed swimmer, Will Roberts took the Senior boys title, with Thomas Marshall in second place and Jonas Ting in third, while Sophie Williamson gained second for the girls, closely followed by the fantastic Melissa Bayley in third place, and Deputy Head Girl Jessica Cliffe deservedly claiming the Senior Girls title, Jess stating ''the atmosphere was super enthusiastic..there were some incredible swims on the day, including Sophie Williamson taking out the senior girls butterfly, Will Roberts winning all 4 of his events, and Melissa Bayley proving to us all she knows how to deliver a killer manu. For myself personally I was ecstatic with my wins in the breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle, especially up against some awesome competitors. I feel super privileged to represent Burnside in swimming for the fifth year. The relays were a great way to round up the day too, with some amazing teams and supporters in the crowd. As hard as it is to say goodbye to the swimming sports at Burnside, I don't think I will miss the temperature of the school pool!'' To further elaborate on the fantastic day, here is a summary from Sports Leader herself, Melissa Bayley.
"A true, bright, sunny day swimming sports was. The atmosphere created by the spectators, participants and helpers of the event was so full of energy and enthusiasm that it set a tone that was even higher than the swimming competitions held at Burnside before. The number of competitors was larger than previous years, which lifted the play and fun of the day. Everyone who competed looked like they were having a blast and performed well to match it. It was great to see so many year 13's competing to make the most of our last day at the pool, and having so many of us present really made the day special. Whether we were competing seriously or just for a splash it made all the difference having seniors dressed ridiculously by the poolside. Some amazing performances were seen by Deputy Head girl, Jess Cliffe, who took our the Senior Girls title, and Will Roberts, who won the Senior Boys title; a huge congratulations to you two, the competition was high and very tight in some races. Another highlight of the day was the Manu competition (Editors side note: For those who aren't educated in the term 'Manu', there is the standard bomb, where you form a ball-like formation and enter the water feet first, and then there is a manu, which is when you create a v-shape that results in your tail-bone or lower back entering the water first) where some phat ones were dropped and some epic fails occurred ( a word to the wise-don't land flat on your back, it really hurts). The relays at the end of the day finished our last swimming sports on a major high with so many people participating. A big shout out to everyone who helped out on the day to make everything run smoothly with such a great atmosphere. Special mention to the Sports Council, consisting of Luke, Adam, Emma, Freya, Liam, Eveanne, Avery and Chelsea for rocking the arm bands and doing such a splendid job! (P.S, shot Emma Clarke for being such a hero and jumping in fully clothes to rescue a distressed swimmer!)"
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