St. Xaviers College hosted its 59 Annual Sports Meet on 8 February, 2025 on the sprawling college grounds and was widely attended. “It is not a simple day in our college routine, rather on this day we celebrate the sporting talents with which God has blessed our students …” was the resounding welcome address of the administrator, Fr Antonio Salema. The customary flag hoisting ceremony had the chief guest Ms. Maymol Rocky take the salute flanked by the Principal Ms. Ursula Baretto. Soon after, the air was rent with the nostalgic Hail You Oh St. Xaviers – the college anthem. The Principal in her address, spoke of how St. Xaviers promotes sports activities, the highlight being as she puts it “to get every student on the ground to participate in one or another physical exercise.”
The march-past that followed, was a vibrant display, with students from different streams carrying colourful flags and marching to the cadence played by the college brass band. The gifted Ashmeet Parsekar, Richa Gawade, Shaviz Khan Pathan and Puspa Parab, participated in the torch relay which highlighted their sporting prowess in the fields of badminton, beach volleyball and football . St Xaviers’s sporting accolades was read out by Ms. Joslyn D’Souza, the physical education and sports director.
The track and field events highlighted inclusivity as thanks to the efforts of the Divyangjan Cell of the college, youngsters were invited from six special needs institutions in Goa, who participated in the 100 meters running race for girls and boys respectively. The periphery of the Xavier’s ground was dotted with cheerleaders – colorfully dressed, waving attractive pom poms as they executed a short rhythmic and synchronized performance to popular sporty tunes. The Layzim and the Hula Hoop Drill enthralled the audience with their precision, color and synchronization executed by the TY BSc and TYBA, while the Pyramids were brilliantly executed by the NSS students. The crowd puller was the Tug of War which saw the clash of the Titans, TY BSc v/s TY BCom with the former emerging winners in a closely fought battle.
As always, the jumble march past, drew an enthusiastic and engaging responses from the different classes who showcased the theme of sustainability waving banners, placards, flags and sustainable materials. The chief guest Ms. Rocky Maymol congratulated the participants of the different sporting events and wished them a bright future in all their endeavors. The curtains came down on a very well accomplished day with the prize distribution at the hands of the chief guest, evident that the TY BSc emerged champions in the interclass tournaments as also in the drill, and the march past events followed closely by the TY BCom. After the solemn flag lowering ceremony, the singing of the national anthem brought the Sports Meet to a decisive close. Truly it was passion, perseverance and teamwork that ruled the roost at St Xavier’s annual Sports Meet.