IN the world of amateur sports, it is said that competing is far more noble and more beneficial to the individual than is winning.

Some may not agree, but for the three- to six-year-olds who participate in the Milo Kindergarten/Basic School champs each year, having fun does take first place.

Seeing the unbridled excitement on their little faces at the latest staging of the event at the Constant Spring Football Club two Fridays ago was signal enough that the tots were having a good time. The bold sense of pride and accomplishment that radiated from them after crossing the finish line, and crashing into a light-weight aluminium poster board less than 10 metres away, were tell-tale signs that they were enjoying themselves. And their state of mind was not in doubt when time after time they ran past the two miniature orange cones at the end of the track and flung themselves onto the board, obviously intrigued with its noise-making ability.

Organisers said the action was harmless and that it was only encouraged to ensure each child completed the race and didn’t stop short of the finish line. And as is typical of the noise-loving characteristic of the age-group, the children surely didn’t mind. In fact, they banged into the structure with such zeal that an unknowing bystander would think the finish line and the poster board were one and the same.

The events of the championship – which saw children from 25 infant, basic, kindergarten and other early childhood education schools from across Kingston and as far away as Montego Bay, competing for top honours – were designed to appeal to the creative, fun-loving side of the children.

In ‘Catch Di Bus’, students were required to put on a t-shirt (previously laid down on the track), tuck it into their shorts, put on a knapsack (also previously laid out) and run the 30, 40 or 50 metres – depending on their ages – to the finish line.

Improperly tucked in shirts or bags hanging only on one shoulder meant the student would be disqualified from the event, so they paid special attention to these details. Often, they devoted so much time to fixing the shirts that by the time they got to put on the bags, the race had already been won. But that never stopped little Cypria White of Smurfs Early Childhood Development Centre.

After neatly tucking in her shirt to perfection, the four-year-old ran to pick up her bag, made sure it was properly adjusted, then ran to the finish line, just barely making it before the person who finished in ninth position. When she received her eighth place Milo button, her cheeks beamed with the pride of an individual satisfied with the results of his hard work.

The rules of the ‘Lunch-Kit’ race were similar. Participants had to fill lunch bags with three bean bags – which they had to pick up one at a time – and zip them closed, before running to the finish line. But again, some children took so much care to ensure that the bags were properly closed, that they were often outrun by a faster child. Still, it didn’t seem to faze the kindergarteners.

It was their parents and teachers, with loud, excited cheers, who seemed concerned about medal placing.

“Participating is more important than winning because most of the children don’t care whether they win or lose. There are very few who get upset if they lose, but most of them are just having fun,” said Norma Reid, one of the founders of kinder champs.

“Sometimes they will start and when they get half-way down the track they realise that their friend isn’t there and they will stop and wait, and by the time you know it the friend run past (him/her),” she said.

“(But) that’s the whole idea behind (designing the events to be creative and fun) so that they learn to participate but not under pressure,” Reid added.

Other events of the championship included an obstacle race, which involved climbing through a tyre, crawling under a chair and jumping over a rope; a Math race which required the addition of simple sums; a bean-bag throw patterned after the discus throw in higher-level competitions; and cheerleading.

A retired army captain, school nurse and guidance counsellor, Reid, who along with Annette Wood started the event 12 years ago, also believes participation is paramount to winning because of the lessons it teaches the children. She told the Sunday Observer that the meet officials, the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), pay strict observance to the rules despite the young age of the children.

“We play the rules hard,” she said.

“We don’t ease up on them because they have to learn the rules,” she added, noting that kinder champs was a breeding ground for other meets such as primary champs and the National Athletic Championship, where similar rules are enforced.

Meet manager Garth Gayle told the Sunday Observer that while the officials had to allow for a “certain degree of discretion” in enforcing the rules of the games, they had to ensure fairness.

“It’s a competition and while we want them to have fun, we have to ensure that fairplay is achieved across the board,” he said.

“The competition is so arranged that no athlete is placed under any undue pressure. It’s all fun-filled activities and they are required to do a certain number of events to ensure they are not stressed or overworked,” Gayle said, reiterating the fun-filled aspect of the Milo Kindergarten/Basic School championship.

Another lesson that participating in kinder champs teaches, according to Reid, who owns and operates Smurfs Early Childhood Development Centre on Westminster Road in St Andrew, is the truism that in real life, only achievement is rewarded. For this reason, Reid said she was not totally in agreement when title sponsors Milo suggested that all nine participants in each event be rewarded for their efforts.

Prior to Milo’s input, first, second and third place winners received respective gold, silver and bronze medals but now, places fourth to ninth are awarded by buttons which state the particular position.

“I didn’t believe in it at first. I think they need to learn from an early age that they have to achieve to be recognised in life,” Reid said.

“I still am not in total agreement with it, but I see what Nestlé is saying,” she added.

Addressing the event’s focus on fun, Nestlé’s events co-ordinator, Angela Black, said that was the main reason the company got involved six years ago.

“It’s not about promoting Milo, but about giving back. These kids are the future and it’s about them having fun on the day. We just love to see them enjoy themselves,” Black said.

“Children are my life. I’m always looking for something new for (them) so I get together with Annette and we started with three schools, then we went to five, now we have 25,” Reid said pleased. She disclosed, however, that some dishonest parents were trying to sully the competition by entering children older that the maximum six years into the event. She is determined, however, that they will not succeed in their attempts to corrupt the reputation of Kindergarten champs.