Column by MaeleeSmith

When I was little, I went to watch Field Day almost every year, starting when I was in preschool up until eighth grade. I loved it because it meant I got to skip school and watch high schoolers dressed in fun colors sing and dance to represent some crazy theme. 

At first, I didn’t really understand how the event worked or how much work goes into making it happen. My mom, a Marian alumna, would talk about her Field Day experiences and try to explain the different committees and rules to me. The whole concept of it seemed crazy. I remember thinking: how could they do all of this in one week? 

I used to imagine what my class’ themes and colors would be and what committee I was going to be on, even before I knew for sure I would be attending Marian. I remember thinking I would be a part of the Cheer committee. Looking back now, I can’t believe I thought that because I am not a good dancer and wouldn’t be able to do most of the moves. 

I have been a part of Judges Booklet, Demo, and Mascot. I used to think about how I could never perform a skit in front of so many people like the girls in Judges Booklet, and yet I was in the skit my freshman year. Watching Field Day, I was always so impressed with the demo and mascots and getting to actually create them was a lot of fun. 

The amount of work that goes into Field Day is insane. All that you see when you’re watching Field Day are the end results, like the full demo and the finished mascot. The countless before school meetings and extra hours of work after school during Field Week don’t seem to matter to the audience. 

Watching Field Day, I always just thought about how fun it would be to be a part of. I never realized how exhausting it would be or that my voice would be gone after. Don’t get me wrong, I love Field Week, but it is a lot of hard work.

Some of the most memorable—not necessarily the best—themes from the past few years include Freshmen at the Fair, Sweet Dreams Sophomores, Junior Genies, and Seniors at the Station. 

I can still remember some of the chants and songs they sang, even after all these years. 

Now, I get to remember not only past themes, but the ones that I got to be a part of.