The cliffs of Skomer are a long way from London and the excitement of the Olympic games, but this week we put together our own Olympic celebration; the SkOlympics. There were a mixture of events taking place through the week, from welly throwing to the round island race - a gruelling 6 km run around the Skomer coast. The mid-week swimming event in North Haven held some unexpected thrills, with a large bull seal taking a close interest in the progress of the competitors (too close for comfort in some cases!). In the end Bridget, one of the weeks volunteers, came out victorious, overcoming the tide and the wildlife to win by a big margin.
The last day of events yesterday looked in doubt for a while, as we struggled to put the obstacle race together in driving wind and rain. Luckily things brightened up, and the egg and spoon race, tug of war and obstacle race provided a good deal of entertainment. The tarpaulin obstacle was a unique challenge in the wind, but in the end everyone managed to find their way out! I finished with a bronze, although I opted for forward rolls instead of cartwheels for the gymnastics section! With a much more elegant effort Annette got the silver, with Dan (on the island for the week as a volunteer) coming in to claim gold.
The day ended with a medal ceremony in the picnic shelter, and a BBQ prepared indoors as a result of the worsening weather; Dan won overall (by a large number of points), I finished with silver and Lewis with bronze. So the Olympic spirit has not been absent from Skomer, and the backdrop of St Brides and the rugged beauty of the island have been a match for any state-of-the-art stadium in London!
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