“To demand more of yourself than you do of others is the first on any ladder of success”
Dhyan Chand (Hockey Wizard)
From the passionate beats of the marching band to the feverous clomping of the feet by the contingents of the March Past and the excitement filled ambience that witnessed a plethora of gymnastic displays was every inch a carnivalesque atmosphere that brought the house down, thanks to the enthusiastic sportsmanship displayed at the Annual Sports Meet ’22 convened by the CPS Global School, Thirumazhisai on the 26th of January, 2023. Mr. Krishnadeep Menon, Chief Operating Officer- Youth and Grassroots Chennaiyin Football Club presided over as chief guest who was escorted by the office bearers of CPS Global School, Thirumazhisai and Anna Nagar. The Head Boys and Head Girls with the support of the Sports captains conducted the ceremonial usher dubbed as VIP CALL to reverentially adorn the chief guest over the stage alongside Mr. Balaji Dagupati, Correspondent and the other dignitaries of the CPS schools group management namely Mr. Suman Babu Yerlagadda, IT Director, Ms. Aishwarya Devarajan, trustee and the Head of Schools, Ms. Jayu Ganesh and Ms. Rama Mylavarapu of CPS Global School, Thirumazhisai and Anna Nagar respectively.
The stage was set right for the March Past contingents to display their zealous steps headed by the Prefects and Vice-prefects of the four houses who held emblematic flags and placards that depict their houses. As the four houses, Alphard, Canopus, Diadem and Plasma march in tandem to the beats and tunes of the marching band, one can rarely remain disconnected assuming a seat in the audience arena. The patriotic fervour got conjured up when the tri-colours were unfurled by the Chief Guest ruffling up the spirit of nationalism and what better day other than the 74th Republic day to feel the patriotism. The Olympic Flag that symbolises sporting activities across the globe and the CPS Schools Group Flag were unfurled by Mr. Suman and Mr. Balaji Dagupati. As the Olympic flag was gloriously set high in the skies, the torch bearers proceeded at brisk pace encircling the arena by alternatively shouldering the effort and lit the Olympic torch along with setting ablaze the burgeoning spirit of competitiveness and vigour of Sports.
As the house prefects arranged themselves in a circle, the Sports Captain knotted the tips of the flags and conducted the oath taking ceremony excitedly. Followed by this, the Chief Guest released the annual sports magazine, SYNERGY 2022-2023, moving forward, the crowd witnessed the renowned sports personalities’ image laden child prodigy ramp walk by the ELP learners who later set free the colourful balloons. The Chief Guest delivered the key note address stressing the urge and need of the hour to perform sports activities on a regular basis. He went on to emphasize that regularity and consistency are traits that everyone should possess to excel in their respective fields by adding that sports offers the allowance to improve these traits in bounteous measure.
When the drum rolls rolled out in rapid succession, the contingents of the March Past disassembled in a rhythmic fashion and the venue became rife with stellar gymnastic activities. Yoga, the lively and vibrant display to appease the mind and body was witnessed by the audience as the students dabbled on showcasing strenuous asanas with unimaginable ease, thanks to their weekly routine of performing varied postures at yoga classes. This was followed by a session of Zumba and the students amazed the audience with their spot on coordination and flawless physical endurance. The primary students involved in the drill took up the arena under their able hands and went on to script a story of finesse and perfection with their nonchalant moves holding admirable props.
The next display that was in line was the Castle of Hope, a human pyramid formation by the CAIE 6 to IBDP 2 boys whose acrobatic acumen garnered attention and applause as they ably shouldered each other in an array of tiers varied in ten different types of arrangement through towering one over the other in a quick manner and utmost ease. The final event for display was the Taekwondo, the Korean Martial Art that had students in their noticeable attires and fiercely chanted the customary sounds alongside demonstrating the jumps and kicks. The crowd went on to applaud continuously when the display was culminated with the much anticipated breaking moment that was breaking the stack of burning tiles. The students took a bow and gently strolled around the field to only get back to the venue enamoured with their athletic gears and prove their mettle over the track. The contestants from the four houses representing the Juniors to Super Seniors battled out against each other by thoroughly marking a line between sportsmanship and friendship. The moments of despair for those who missed out on emerging as winners were only short lived as the winners were after all their friends, nevertheless the barrier between friendship and sportsmanship was forcibly highlighted and bold by the contestants during their on-tack locking-horns sojourn.
The event reached its climax as the overall house points began to dazzle at the points table and the anxiousness reached its zenith when the March Past winners were declared. The Houses, Alphard and Canopus emerged as winners and runners in the March Past event respectively while the overall championship favoured the houses, Alphard and Plasma as they emerged as overall winners and runners respectively in the annual sports meet of ’22. The event was culminated by a vote of thanks followed by the National Anthem thereby sending across a strong message that however varied the students were on the basis of their adherence and loyalty towards their respective houses, they stand in unison as citizens of the nation by reciting the phrase “Sports has the power to unite people from all races, cultures and backgrounds.”
