Old Blues' Day - what did you think?
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:40 pm
I was at Old Blues Day this year and thought I would make some comments...
It appeared to be excellently organised again so thank you all! It's a shame I couldn't make it on one of the Tuibe visits... )it would have been good to be able to go down there legitimately!!)
However, I think there were significantly less Old Blues than last year, certainly amongst the younger generation. There were only 5 from my year I think (last year, easily 25/30) - I think that Old Blues Day does need to be pushed towards the younger generation - most people on Facebook didn't know about it until I started an 'event' on there...
It was a shame that there was no Old Blues' cricket match, but with Old Blues' Day a week earlier than the traditional Parents' Day weekend, this meant that a large number of pupils are on study leave and with exams on, the First XI cannot be expected to play two matches in two days... This meant that much of a focal point (and picnic eating!) was lost - although there was a match involving the Feedercricks which started at 2pm.
Is Sunday a good day for holding it? I think this could be one of the reasons that numbers are not as high as one might want... Certainly holding it on Father's Day may not be the best. One of the problems with a Sunday is that people who are driving any distance, have to take Monday off and many aren't able to do that - this makes the event more of a 'South East Old Blues' Day.' My sister, who lives in Manchester, has had to take today (Monday off). I think that Saturdays could work better for the school and for Old Blues:
Saturday lessons could continue as normal - they finish around midday I believe. Tell OBs that they can turn up from 12/ 12.30 onwards; they could watch band parade plus a brief march past and then OB lunch could be taken in Big School. Others could picnic on big side. There would then be a full range of matches; cricket, tennis etc, around the school for people to see. I spoke to a number of teachers about this and they seem generally amenable to the idea - what do people think? This then means that people can then go down the Bax in the evening or go to the wood for the camp etc and travel back to their homes on Sunday if necessary...
Fantastic evensong, I have to say... i had to sight read my way through the Dyson and I had sung the other piece as a treble but it was good busking... good to see the Tenors augmented by two generations of Eastburn as well...
It appeared to be excellently organised again so thank you all! It's a shame I couldn't make it on one of the Tuibe visits... )it would have been good to be able to go down there legitimately!!)
However, I think there were significantly less Old Blues than last year, certainly amongst the younger generation. There were only 5 from my year I think (last year, easily 25/30) - I think that Old Blues Day does need to be pushed towards the younger generation - most people on Facebook didn't know about it until I started an 'event' on there...
It was a shame that there was no Old Blues' cricket match, but with Old Blues' Day a week earlier than the traditional Parents' Day weekend, this meant that a large number of pupils are on study leave and with exams on, the First XI cannot be expected to play two matches in two days... This meant that much of a focal point (and picnic eating!) was lost - although there was a match involving the Feedercricks which started at 2pm.
Is Sunday a good day for holding it? I think this could be one of the reasons that numbers are not as high as one might want... Certainly holding it on Father's Day may not be the best. One of the problems with a Sunday is that people who are driving any distance, have to take Monday off and many aren't able to do that - this makes the event more of a 'South East Old Blues' Day.' My sister, who lives in Manchester, has had to take today (Monday off). I think that Saturdays could work better for the school and for Old Blues:
Saturday lessons could continue as normal - they finish around midday I believe. Tell OBs that they can turn up from 12/ 12.30 onwards; they could watch band parade plus a brief march past and then OB lunch could be taken in Big School. Others could picnic on big side. There would then be a full range of matches; cricket, tennis etc, around the school for people to see. I spoke to a number of teachers about this and they seem generally amenable to the idea - what do people think? This then means that people can then go down the Bax in the evening or go to the wood for the camp etc and travel back to their homes on Sunday if necessary...
Fantastic evensong, I have to say... i had to sight read my way through the Dyson and I had sung the other piece as a treble but it was good busking... good to see the Tenors augmented by two generations of Eastburn as well...