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Hello everyone! How's your weekend been so far? Mine has been awesome though ☺️.
I decided to take part in the contest and I'll be telling you all about my favorite sport which is the Relay Race.
While growing up, I was always a fan of athletics. I could spend hours in front of the screen watching various forms of athletic events going on around the world.
I was mostly interested in the track events which included all kinds of races - the sprints, middle distance races, e.t.c - racing was it for me at that age.
I'm mostly into the Relay Race because it's the only event in athletics that requires teamwork and it usually comes last in an athletics meeting because it's the most interesting.
It is in a team race in which the effort of each player has to complement the other in order for the team to win. Without cooperation and coordination, the team won't go forward.
The spirit of sportsmanship is also acquired.
I'll tell you all about how my favorite sport is played.
A relay race is run by four runners :
– The first runner - First leg.
– The second runner - Second leg.
– The third runner - Third leg.
– The fourth runner - Anchor leg.
Each runner covers a specific distance.
My favorite part is the passing on of the baton. The race starts and ends with the baton. The baton is passed from one runner to the other within the change over zone.
One can say the baton is a symbol of trust among team members because each the team member running with the baton to the change over zone entrusts the fate of the team's success into the hands of another - so to speak - and one can say it's a leap of fate too because without that trust, the team won't win.
The Relay Race has three types :
–The Shuttle relay - this is run on straight lines and take off is by the touch of hands.
– The Medley relay - this is run on both straight and curved lines with batons. Runners run different distances in this relay race.
– The Circular relay - this is also run on straight and curved lines with batons. Runners run equal distances. In this case, the first runner starts with the baton, and the anchor leg must finish the race with that same baton.
There are types of baton transfer too :
- The downward swing,
- The upward swing.
It all depends on the manner of transfer a team decides to adopt for the race.
Athletes can get disqualified from a race if found guilty of pushing or assisting another athlete during a take over.
Throwing of the baton at a teammate is considered a big no no and invites immediate disqualification. The baton is meant to be passed not thrown.
Two false starts can get a runner disqualified too. In this case, adequate amount of patience is needed.
Also, picking of a dropped baton by another athlete other than the athlete that dropped said baton is prohibited.
Lastly, passing the baton outside the change over zone is also a disqualifier. The baton must always be passed in the specified change over zone.
There's this great feeling I get when watching or participating in a relay race. The suspense, the effort, the teamwork, the speed and most especially the cheering of the crowd is absolutely wonderful. It makes the race worth it.
I'm glad I could share this with everyone.
Thank you very much for reading.
Have a wonderful week ahead ☺️.