Chapter 273: sports fest opening I
By seven in the morning, Saint Albion University already looked nothing like it usually did.
Banners bearing the university crest hung from the buildings.
Flags representing the different sporting events lined the walkways leading toward the main oval.
Large signs had been placed throughout the campus, directing students toward the various venues.
Music played through speakers positioned around the grounds, while students streamed toward the oval in groups.
Some wore their team colors.
Others carried flags, banners, and handmade signs for friends competing in the day’s events.
The entire university seemed to be moving in the same direction.
And unlike an ordinary Monday morning, there was no rush toward classrooms.
There were no lectures.
No professors waiting at the doors.
For the next week, Saint Albion belonged to the Sports Fest.
The university had gone all out.
Temporary grandstands had been erected around the main oval.
Large screens had been positioned around the field so that even students seated farther away could follow the ceremony.
The participating athletes were already gathering in designated areas around the field, organized by sport.
There were hundreds of them.
Swimmers.
Track and field athletes.
Tennis players.
Basketball and volleyball teams.
Fencers.
Archers.
Equestrian riders.
And, farther along the field, the polo teams.
The rest of the student body filled the stands.
With nearly three thousand students gathered together, the oval had become a sea of movement, color, and noise.
A smaller section near the stage had been reserved for university officials, faculty members, and a handful of distinguished alumni invited for the occasion.
But the vast majority of the crowd was made up of students.
Saint Albion had never been a university that did anything halfway.
Its Sports Fest was no exception.
By the time Vivienne, Claire, and Amelia finished getting ready, the dormitory corridors were already nearly empty.
Eleanor had left earlier to report to the fencing team.
Vivienne gave herself one last glance in the mirror.
Her outfit was simple enough for a day at the Sports Fest—a fitted top, a light cardigan, a pleated mini-skirt, and comfortable shoes.
She adjusted one earring.
Then picked up her bag.
"Ready?"
Claire nodded.
"Ready."
Amelia appeared at the door.
"Let’s go before we lose our seats."
Vivienne smiled.
They headed downstairs and joined the stream of students making their way toward the main oval.
The closer they got, the louder the sound became.
Cheers.
Music.
Announcements.
Laughter.
Somewhere ahead, the opening ceremony was about to begin.
The three girls entered the oval with the crowd and made their way toward the stands.
They found seats together with a clear view of the field.
Vivienne settled into hers and looked around.
She had seen Saint Albion crowded before.
But never like this.
The entire oval was filled.
Students leaned over the railings, waving flags and calling out to friends below.
Athletes stood in organized groups around the field.
The banners of the various sports moved gently in the morning breeze.
Everything looked polished.
Organized.
Almost ceremonial.
Claire leaned closer.
"Quite a difference from an ordinary Monday."
Vivienne smiled.
"Definitely."
A few minutes later, the noise began to fade.
The lights around the oval gradually dimmed.
The chatter quieted.
Vivienne turned toward the field.
The enormous screens went black.
For several seconds, there was complete silence.
Then a deep musical note rolled through the stadium.
The university crest appeared on every screen.
A cinematic sequence began.
The first image showed a runner exploding from the starting line.
Then a swimmer cutting through the water.
A tennis racket striking a ball.
A basketball arcing toward the hoop.
A volleyball player leaping above the net.
A fencer lunging forward.
An archer drawing her bow.
An equestrian rider guiding a horse over a jump.
And finally—
A polo player riding across the field.
The crowd erupted.
The images dissolved into one another until every sport appeared together beneath the Saint Albion crest.
Then the screen faded.
A voice echoed through the stadium.
"Excellence is not achieved in a single moment."
The crowd fell silent.
"It is built through discipline."
The screen showed athletes training.
"Through perseverance."
A runner continuing despite exhaustion.
"Through courage."
A fencer stepping onto the piste.
"And through the willingness to stand beside one another, even when competition divides us."
The screen went dark.
A single light appeared at the center of the field.
Vivienne leaned forward.
A ceremonial procession began.
Students dressed in formal university colors walked slowly toward the center.
At the very end came an archer.
The crowd recognized what was happening almost immediately.
Cheers erupted.
Vivienne’s eyes widened.
"Oh my God."
Claire laughed softly.
"They really went all out."
The archer stopped at the center of the field.
A ceremonial arrow was placed into the bow.
The stadium quieted again.
The arrowhead glowed.
The archer drew the string.
For one suspended moment, everything seemed still.
Then—
The arrow flew.
It crossed the field in a brilliant arc.
The crowd gasped.
The arrow struck the ceremonial structure.
Flames erupted.
The enormous torch at the center of the oval ignited.
The stadium exploded.
Music thundered through the speakers.
𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Lights swept across the stands.
Then fireworks burst above the far end of the stadium.
Vivienne laughed, caught completely off guard by the spectacle.
The sky filled with light.
The crowd screamed and cheered.
Claire grabbed her arm.
"Look!"
Another burst of fireworks illuminated the morning sky.
Students all around them were on their feet.
Flags waved above the stands.
The noise was deafening.
For several moments, the entire oval seemed to vibrate with excitement.
When the fireworks finally faded, the university crest appeared once more across the enormous screens.
The university president stepped onto the stage.
The applause gradually quieted.
He stood before the students for a moment, allowing the excitement to settle.
Then he smiled.
"Students of Saint Albion University."
His voice carried easily across the entire oval.
"Today, we gather not simply to determine who will win."
The crowd quieted.
"We gather to celebrate what it means to strive."
He spoke of discipline.
Of sportsmanship.
Of friendship.
He reminded the students that some would win and others would lose, but that neither victory nor defeat would define their worth.
Then his expression became warmer.
"For the next seven days, this university will belong not only to classrooms and lecture halls, but to every field, court, pool, piste, track, and arena where our students challenge themselves."
Applause broke out.
He waited.
"And so, on behalf of Saint Albion University, I am honored to declare the Sports Fest officially open."
The crowd erupted.
The university anthem began playing.
Students rose from their seats.
Flags lifted around the oval.
And somewhere below them, the athletes began preparing for the next part of the ceremony.
The parade.
--
Tbc
(Ok the archer was inspired from 1992 barcelona olympics opening hahaha)