I had the privilege last weekend of flying up to Tamworth to judge the New England zone champion girl and team competitions.  The two things that struck me most were the sportsmanship of the competitors and the friendliness of the teachers.  What a wonderful zone for everyone to be part of – girls, teachers and parents too.

The girls enjoyed performing and projected this throughout their work, making them a joy to watch.  While waiting to go on, they sat in a section of chairs reserved for them, showing a respect for the competitors on the floor that I have rarely seen in young girls.  Parents and teachers formed a paparazzi after every section, genuinely proud of their daughters achievements, regardless of what colour award they received. Would that this were so for every physie girl, everywhere…

The “can-do” attitude of all the teachers and helpers is inspiring – they smiled all weekend, even after 33 teams and 45 heats of champion girl. They even got us onto our Dash-8 flight with a whole minute to spare – breathtaking!

But the highlight of the weekend occurred behind the physie hall during a judging break, when a tiny competitor said “excuse me, are you a judger?”  I admitted that I was and was summarily escorted to the chook pen where I was told to photograph the chickens. So I did.  And here they are…And here’s some other snaps from the weekend…