In elementary school in my 6th grade year, there was a year end event called the Pentathlon. It was a fun and challenging competitions in 5 different areas. I looked up Pentathlon on the internet and laughed. We didn’t do those events.
The events in the Olympics are: Fencing, swimming, riding (horseback), shooting, and running. I’m sure because we were a small town school those in charge just came up with events that could be done with little to no expense.
Fencing-is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre; winning points are made through the weapon’s contact with an opponent. The equipment alone is expensive and not an option for a lot of people.
Swimming-This is a single 200 meter freestyle swim. The faster you swim the more points you get. A time of 2 minutes 30 seconds gets you 250 points. Of course we had no pool, which meant no swimming.
Riding Horseback-Athletes attempt a show-jumping course with 12 obstacles. Athletes do not bring a horse to the event; they are assigned an unfamiliar horse and have 20 minutes to practice with the animal. Completing the course scores 300 points with points deducted for penalties.
Shooting and running-The times for this race are staggered based on the competitors scores from the first three events. Athletes run 3200 meters (not quite 2 miles), with four stops to shoot at targets with a laser pistol. They must stay at the stop until they hit five targets (with an unlimited number of shots) or until 50 seconds have past. The placing in the overall modern pentathlon is based on position across the finish line. Pistols aren’t allowed in schools, so that one is out too. It sounds so fun, but would be such a challenge after you’d been running. Being still and aiming to hit the target would be hard.
Our Pentathlon consisted of: a 50 yard dash, a basketball shoot, high jump, long jump and something so memorable that it slips my mind.
I had so much fun! I ran so fast. I made lots of baskets. I jumped so high, and jumped so long,
and the thing I cant remember? I must have done that good too, because I took first place in all the girls in the school!! And 2nd place in the school counting all the boys!
I was so amazingly athletic in elementary school, but not quite as much so later in junior high and high school. I did compete in gymnastics and diving for the swim team in high school. I loved working my muscles and feeling like I pushed myself to be better.