A Family's Reflection on the Pentathlon

This past June, our 5th grade was able to return to our regional Pentathlon experience. Five schools from Wisconsin and Illinois met in Wisconsin and competed in five events: javelin, discus, wrestling, long jump, and foot races. This coincides with the fifth grade curriculum studies of ancient Greece. One of our students, Oliver, and his family share their personal reflections from the event:

Oliver’s Perspective as a Pentathlete:

“My favorite thing about the Pentathlon was throwing a javelin because it made me think of the original Pentathletes in Ancient Greece. Playing gaga ball and meeting and making friends from other Waldorf schools was so much fun. We got to stay overnight with our classmates for two nights and it was hard for us all to settle down, which felt a little chaotic, but was a lot of fun. My city-state, which was Ithaca, won the relay race! While I was a little disappointed that I didn’t earn a laurel, I was really proud that our school earned 19 of the 29 laurels, and I was so happy for my friends who won. We were told it was the hottest Pentathlon our hosts had experienced yet, and it was hot! But we still gave it our best.”

Nate’s Perspective as a parent volunteer who stayed overnight:

“The camaraderie between the kids was on display the whole time. They encouraged each other, even if they weren’t in the same city-state. They encouraged the new friends they met. There was some healthy competition. It was lovely to see the growth of the kids over the few days and see how they helped their friends practice and overcome difficulties. At night in the cabins, the kids talked with great excitement and anticipation of the next day’s events. It was hard for them to settle in to sleep because of the excitement. It was great to see the kids branching and making new friends, playing games in between the events.”

Becky’s Perspective as a parent spectator:

“It was amazing to see the city-states march onto the field with their banners wearing matching t-shirts, the same color as their banners, and to see our Tamarack children interspersed with those from other Waldorf schools. The children don’t compete as a school, but rather are broken up into groups with kids from other schools into the city-states. Their attention and focus during the events was impressive. It was such a hot day, but they kept their composure and gave it their all. At the end of the day of competition, the judges with each city-state presented each child with a medal and told them all of the wonderful things they noticed about them and their efforts and friendship and sportsmanship throughout the events. It’s more than a sports competition; it’s a competition that gives laurels for form and beauty as well as for the farthest jump, fastest race, farthest throw. While the spectators were not there on the morning of their last day to see the laurels given, we got to hear the beautiful words of the judges honoring the efforts of each child. It was a lovely experience that I will never forget.”

The Vest family has been a part of the Tamarack community since Oliver was in the parent/child play groups, over 9 years ago! Being part of the Tamarack Waldorf School community has been such a blessing to our family. From his first time leaving the care of our immediate family and going to a school setting, through the pandemic, and emerging into the middle-school years – it’s been the only place we could see holding our child safely as an individual while instilling in him the immense value of belonging to a larger community.

See a short video with more images from the 2021-22 Pentathlon here.

Thank you, Erin Scott, at One Shot Scott Photography, for these wonderful pictures of the 5th grade Pentathlon. If you book a family session with Erin, she donates a percentage back to Tamarack. Book your summer portrait session today!