Roberta Writes – Esther Chilton Writing Prompts: Sports #poetry #childhoodmemories #ostriches

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Ostrich Girl (shadorma prose)

When I was ten years old, my family relocated from Cape Town back to the small town of George in the Western Cape. I attended a convent with a limited number of children. Despite our small numbers, the nuns cajoled all of us into participate in sporting activities, including swimming and athletics. Our headmistress also entered teams into local sporting competitions.

I was two years younger than the majority of my classmates, so I had to participate in athletics with a class two grades below my own. At the running trials, Sister Agatha discovered that I was the fastest runner in my school, and she put me on the team. I didn’t want to run with a class other than my own, but there was no denying Sister Agatha.

It was at my first athletics meeting that I discovered I had a most peculiar style of running. I competed in several races and won them all but afterwards the other kids teased me. “Ostrich Girl,” they called, hooting with laughter. One boy demonstrated my odd running style, stretching his neck forward as far as possible and racing across the field.

I was so embarrassed I never competed in athletics again.

Ostrich girl

Head thrust far forwards

Legs pumping

Dust flying

Unkind moniker destroyed

Sporting confidence

Picture caption: Ostriches
Picture caption: A male (front) and female ostrich

You can read other entries for this challenge here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2024/08/21/writing-prompts-28/

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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94 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Esther Chilton Writing Prompts: Sports #poetry #childhoodmemories #ostriches”

  1. A sad story and a vivid poem. Children can be cruel. That’s so sad that you never competed again because of their taunting when you were so good at it. (I was totally NOT athletic as a child.) 😂

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          1. We also had Phys Ed classes but they weren’t graded either. Lucky for me because I wouldn’t participate. I have always had a very determined and unwavering personality. If I won’t, I won’t. I’m like this still, only worse – smile!

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    2. Thank you, Pat. I was quite good at running but I never participated in any sport in high school. I went back to sport in a big way after I left school until I had my oldest son. Then, I didn’t have time anymore.

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      1. I took up golf with my Dad and horseback riding–things no one had any desire to grade me on (and surprisingly, I was pretty good at both.

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      1. I’ve caught myself being jealous as an adult. But I hope I’ve never made anyone suffer because of it.

        I am ashamed of some of the ways I was mean as a child. I understand the group dynamics now, but I still feel bad about it.

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          1. I only changed seven times, you have me beat. So I really wanted to fit in. By high school I had given up on that, so I did not join the mean girls. I was invisible, so they pretty much ignored me too.

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  16. Poor you, Robbie. I suppose it could have been worse! He could have said a hippo or rhino?! Mind you, you’re too slender for that comparison…Kids can be so cruel… Tee hee. xx

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    1. Haha, Joy, it was a traumatic event at the time but I never really liked running so it wasn’t really huge in my life. I didn’t do any sport in high school. The Phys Ed teacher tried to make me but that didn’t work. How I am now is how I’ve always been. Determined and fearless in the face of authority.

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  17. Children are so cruel and often it causes beep scars! Such a shame that you lost your chances to shine….

    No one should suffer unkindness but it happens. I think they were just jealous! How did you convince Sister Agatha that you would not run for the school.

    They sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you….. Rubbish words cut much deeper.

    Heres a video about an Ostrich but it’s sent to make you smile not hurt you 💜💜

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    1. HI Willow, I adore ostriches and this memory no longer bothers me. It is just an interesting memory of how I allowed other peoples opinions to impact my life at that time. As for Sister Agatha, I always liked her a lot, but I am a very determined personality. Even back then I would not do things I didn’t want to. She told my parents I practiced silent insubordination. Haha, now I practice loud insubordination.

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  22. Hi, Robbie- I have a unique running style as well. Although I was never the fastest runner in our school (or anywhere else), as soon as classmates pointing out my uncommon running form, my crosscountry career ended before it had even begun. Great poem!

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  23. Robbie, this poem and story touches my heart. I think more of us than we realize have had embarrassing moments in sports or gym classes. I’ve had many. When I was in 7th grade, we had to walk around the gym and the teacher commented on the way we walked. I didn’t think anything about it until I had gone about a quarter of the way around the gym and I heard the laughter. Apparently the pleated skirt I wore swayed vigorously with each step. I was already conscious of my hips which were way to big for my skinny body, but that was horrible. I got a D in class one semester for refusing to dress down. I hated taking showers with the other girls. Gym didn’t have many good memories that I remember.

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    1. Hi Marsha, I am sorry to read this. I does seem as if sporting activities were not popular for most writers and readers. We are more academic than sporty I suppose. From what my sons have said, this hasn’t changed in schools which is a shame. It puts some people off sport for life sometimes.

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  25. Sometimes what we learn from the noise floor is that we are what we are. Or, to quote Popeye, “I yam whats I yam.” Glad you won the race, even if you looked ridiculous doing it🤣 Self editing is the same trap. A good response there is “I know what I meant.” Carry on.

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  26. Ouch! Sad that the teasings affected you so much that you stopped competing in sporting events. Especially since you were the fastest runner in your school! I was also quite sensitive as a child. I’m less so now, but teasings can still sting. I hope that when you were a kid, you still ran for fun 🙂

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    1. Hi Lauren, I am not a lover of people generally. I like my blogging friends because we are all creatives and a little different from most people. That makes me feel like I belong. I always feel like an outsider when I’m not with other creatives. We think and behave differently.

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      1. Thanks for sharing that part of you, Robbie. My friends don’t follow my blog. It’s another world that if you’re not into it, you’ll choose not to be a part of it. That’s okay though because I feel like you do regarding this warm community with like-minded people. 🩷

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  31. Robbie, for some, reason I m no longer getting notifications of your posts…had to search this one…will work to rectify this – don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you!

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