Yet another Fiji Finals, or the Coca-Cola Games came to an end yesterday.
And with it we have to ask what was it all about? Were any future stars unearthed? Did we lose talented individuals along the way? And how much did it contribute to the holistic development of our young people?
As we ponder upon these questions, we cannot dispute the fact that some athletes who train at the National Stadium, the very venue of the games, under qualified national coaches would have an edge over their rivals.
Apart from coaches, there is a difference in the resources schools can draw upon. Some parents earn more than others, some schools are backed by very active parents' groups while some can always count on the unwavering support of former students.
Without going into the debate of how fair that is, we can say with conviction that there is equality in opportunity for all to come out and show their talents and the fruits of their preparations.
For some, that opportunity is all over too quickly, for some it lasts longer as they are spotted by schools that are interested in their sporting prowess which allow them into an environment of study and sports they otherwise would not have experienced.
Adi Cakobau School in Sawani have won the girls' division for 12 years in a row. How have they achieved this? Amidst all factors that make champions, we are sure the only factor that mattered is hard work. In this case, by all involved.
The boys of Marist Brothers' High School yesterday ended Suva Grammar School's five-year reign as champions in the boys' division.
And they did it without Banuve Tabakaucoro. They didn't let their star athlete's absence affect their outstanding performance.
It was team work, team spirit, courage and good sportsmanship that played a huge role in their success รน values we could all learn from.
That's exactly what the Coca-Cola Games is about other than taking secondary schools athletics to another level.
Kudos also to our law enforcers for keeping the peace and maintaining a watchful eye during the two-day event.
We've learnt from the past that bad sportsmanship and rivalry after the Fiji Finals never did anyone any good.
So after many years of encouraging good sportsmanship, it is pleasing to hear from the director of operations, Senior Superintendent of Police Rusiate Tudravu, that this year's games were incident free.