White Rock Spring Games: A Primer

Thanks again for participating in the 2024 White Rock Spring Games on Sunday, May 5th at Bishop Lynch High School! We are honored to have so many schools and families joining us for what we are sure will be a great day of fun, friendship, and friendly competition. The Games are made possible through the extraordinary generosity of our community sponsorship partners, our in-kind donors, our host Bishop Lynch High School, and most important of all, our volunteers. We are excited about the day we have planned and wanted to provide you with more information on what to expect during your day.

A Day At The Games: What To Expect

• About 30 minutes before the beginning of the first event, participants and their parents will be entering the Bishop Lynch playing fields through the main entrance of Roffino Stadium (i.e., the football field). For security reasons, this is the only entrance to the event site.
• Announcements over the public address system will remind attendees how to check their schedules, the amount of time remaining before the start of the Games, and where participants should be throughout the day. If you get separated from your child or lose/find a personal item, simply make your way to the press box and we'll make an announcement to the crowd.
• Be prepared for a little bit of chaos: as many as 500 families are expected during each session. It's usually best to take some time before the games begin to wander around, check out the field layout, and (for you parents) scope out a spot in the stands, if you aren't the designated adult for your group who accompanies your team from field to field. (You can also bide your time in our new Biergarten if you like!)
• Our handy ‘app' can be found at whiterockgames.com/info on your mobile phone. WE CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW HELPFUL THIS FEATURE IS. Nearly every question you might have—“where should I be right now?”, “what kind of food do they have?” “where is the 50-yard dash?”—can be answered by checking this app. It will tell you exactly where your grade/gender group should be at any given time, and it's important that your team be at the starting lines for the start of each event.
• Over the ensuing two and a half hours, teams will cycle through 5 events, all of which are set up in proximity to each other on the Bishop Lynch football field. Teams will start a new event every 25 minutes as outlined on the schedule, and each group will have one 25-minute break period included to grab some food and drink.
• The games all kids will play this year are Tug of War, Warrior Run (obstacle course), Sack Race, the 50 Yard Dash. For the fifth event, Grades K-2 will compete in the Ball Hop Relay while Grades 3-5 will compete in a Team Sprint Relay. All games are team events with the exception of the 50-yard dash, which is an individual competition. The top three finishers in each event will receive medals (Gold, Silver, Bronze) which will be handed out by the Field Manager immediately following each event.
• If a team finishes their event early, participants and families are encouraged to stay and cheer on their friends, rest, get food or play the extra activities outlined above.
• Keep in mind that each new event will only begin at the scheduled time. And if one of your events runs long and you are late for the next starting time, don't worry: our volunteers will be informed and will wait for everyone to arrive.

IMPORTANT: The Spirit of the Games

• As a reminder, the main objective of the Games is for our kids to have fun and to raise money for our community's schools. Naturally, our volunteers will do everything in their power to ensure that each game is played fairly. However, keep in mind that they are volunteers and not professional referees, and as such are likely to make an occasional mistakes oversight. We ask you to keep the concept of ‘fun and friendly competition' in mind as we spend the day together, and that we all seek to model the right behaviors for our kids.
• Throughout the day, you'll be able to identify games officials by their black WRSG t-shirts, while volunteers will be neon yellow versions of the same. All of our game officials have either officiated these events many times in the past and/or run such events for a living (as with our partners from the White Rock Y).

GAME DETAILS

Tug of War

• All participants will gather at the field entrance, and a Field Manager will greet them and instruct all participants to take a seat on the grass while he counts the number of teams. (This is an important step to ensure the event runs smoothly, and we ask for parents help in getting their kids to pay attention to the instructions).
• Once this check in process is complete, the Field Manager will instruct each team to take up a position at one end of up to eight available ropes. Once all teams are in position, the field manager will start the round with the instructions “On Your Mark, Get Set, Pull”. Volunteers will monitor each rope and declare a winning team, who will be instructed to immediately sit down and await further instructions. (The losing team will exit the field immediately and are encouraged to cheer on their remaining friends).
• The competition will continue to progress in this manner over subsequent rounds until a gold, silver and bronze winning team are identified and their medals distributed by the Field Manager.
• No cleats and gloves are allowed.

Relay Events: Warrior Run, Team Sprint, Ball Hop and Sack Race Relays

Each of these events works on the same set of rules and principles:

• After the game manager seats all of the teams down and explains the games to the kids and parents, the Field Manager will identify the first 8 teams to compete and direct them to step forward to the starting line. 2 of the team members will be instructed to to go to the opposite end of the field for the relay exchange, since each participant will only run the course in one direction.
• The Field Manager will direct the first runner from each team to take their starting position at the line and will start the heat with the prompt “on your mark, get set, GO”; the back and forth relay then takes place with the exchanges taking place at either end of the field BEHIND THE LINE. (Competitors who leave early and fail to remain behind the line until tagged will be subject to disqualification).
• During the opening heats of the competition, the Field Assistants positioned at the starting line serve as Spotters and identify the first and second place finishers in each heat. These first and second place teams are each provided with a single blue disk, which essentially serves as their ‘ticket' into the next round. These two teams will also be instructed to take a seat nearby and wait for the next round of competition, at which point the Field Manager will summon them to the start line and ask for their blue disks.
• The Finals are run like the previous heats, with the first, second and third place teams receiving Gold, Silver and Bronze medals from the Field Manager.

Additional game-specific information:

Ball Hop

The Ball Hop Relay calls for each competitor to go from one end of the field to the other while holding a kickball between their legs. If a competitor drops the ball, they must pick it up and start from the place where they dropped it.

Warrior Run

Each competitor will complete a course consisting of car tires, agility poles, a wall barrier and a crawl under track hurdles. Competitors are required to crawl UNDER THE HURDLES and not over them.

Sack Race

Each competitor is required to put both legs into the sack and hold it up as they jump across the field to the opposite line.

50 Yard Dash

All individuals participating in the 50-yard dash will queue in the gated lanes near the starting line, located on the scoreboard end of the track on the visitors side. Once all the participants have gathered, the Game Manager will explain the event. A series of six-person heats will then be run in rapid succession, with spotters identifying the first and second place finishers in each heat and providing those individuals with blue discs, which will serve as their ticket to compete in the next round. Subsequent rounds will be run under this format until a final heat of six participants is reached, after which gold, silver and bronze medal winners will be awarded for first, second and third place.

Sprint Relay

To prevent competitors from ‘leaving early' on baton exchanges, hurdles will be placed at either end of each lane. Competitors will be required to stand directly behind those hurdles until the baton is passed to them.