05 April 2013 Sports spectacular

On Monday 8 April over 370 primary school children are expected on the Lincoln University campus to participate in Gala Day. 

Gala Day is organised by the University’s RECN213 Event Planning course students to encourage year 3 and 4 primary children into a range of sports activities.   It gives the children an opportunity to try new winter sports while allowing the University Sports and Recreation Management students to plan and run a full sporting event as part of their studies.

Children from Ladbrooks, Lincoln, Rolleston, Springston and Burnham schools will spend from 10.00am to 2.00pm on campus testing their skills in five different sporting codes, including athletics, football, rugby, hockey and netball.

The Lincoln University students work with Sport Canterbury to ensure the success of Gala Day and to maximise their exposure to professionals already working in the Sport and Recreation Management field.  “We have run Gala Day at Lincoln University three times now and it is always a pleasure to work with the Lincoln students, to help them apply their learning to a real event, and of course to see the fun that the young people get from participation in sport,” says Jon Derry from Sport Canterbury.

Catherine Lizamore, examiner of RECN213, who will be supervising the running of the event on 8 April says that the Gala Day is an experience for the school pupils as well as the University students: “Each year, Year 3 and 4 children come along with much excitement to the University campus to take part in Gala Day.  It is a huge day out for them and great fun – but exhausting!  The University students run a very professional day and the children are in very capable hands.” 

Lincoln University has a proud sporting history in both the teaching of the Sport and Recreation Management degree and the country’s longest-running sports scholarship programme, and has been turning out high-quality, dedicated graduates and sports men and women for decades.