Cedar Hills Elementary student wins regional sports poetry slam

Cedar Hills student Udayveer Bhatt won this year's Canada SCORES poetry slam.A Grade 5 student from Cedar Hills Elementary has won this year's Red Carpet Poetry Slam. 

Udayveer Bhatt was recently named the 2023 winner of the annual poetry contest, which is organized by Canada SCORES, a charitable organization dedicated to providing free after-school programs for children that emphasizes soccer, poetry and community projects. In Surrey Schools, the program is facilitated by Community Schools Partnership (CSP) at five schools across the district for students in Grades 4 and 5.

"Each year, our students are tasked with creating a poem that brings together the ideas of community and sports," explained CSP program facilitator James Daniels. "This year, Udayveer was selected as one of five students to represent Surrey at the red-carpet event, which also brought in students from Richmond, Burnaby, New West, and Vancouver."

With his poem "Soccer = Fun” Udayveer presented in a slam poetry style that resonated with the judges, earning him the top honour. In past years, the winner of the Red Carpet Poetry Slam has also been invited to travel to the United States to compete against the winners of America SCORES, but due to COVID-19, that portion of the Canada SCORES prize has not resumed since 2020.

"Because there is no travel component to this year’s win, Udayveer will be receiving a different prize that is still to be determined by organizers," said Daniels.

As for the benefits of Canada SCORES, CSP manager Meredith Verma said the program is unique in that it merges sports and physical literacy with poetry and social and emotional learning.
 
 "On top of the poetry and soccer aspects, the Canada SCORES program also emphasizes community, and we've seen that manifest through a variety of initiatives over the years," said Verma. "One year we had students designing reusable grocery bags that were then sold to raise funds for the Surrey Food Bank."

While the program is run out of five district sites around Surrey, the participants come together at the end of each month for a friendly soccer tournament.

"So that's an opportunity for them to mingle with other students from around the district and form connections with others outside of their normal school network," Verma said. "It's a great program for our students to get outside of their comfort zone and develop a range of skills."

To learn more about Canada SCORES, click here.

Udayveer’s winning poem:

Soccer = Fun

By Udayveer Singh Bhatt
 

If you see me on the field, you better be scared.

Or else I’ll have you looking like a pear with care, I swear.

If you tackled me down, I’ll get back up faster than a cheetah, then I’m gonna beat ya.

Don’t eat food and dribble away, or else the cramps won’t go away, and you still want to play!

When Walter shot the water ball it went into the Wednesday field, where it was very wet.

When he got hit in the face, he turned apple red, so he went to bed.

After he woke up, he went to the wedding to meet your Uncle Fred.

After I run, my shoes are hotter than the sun.

And the other team is looking at me like I’m ruining all the fun.

When I score a banger, it’s better than a goal from Lionel Messi when he’s full of anger.

Don’t look at me like I cheat because the only thing I do is beat.

If you shoot the ball, I’ll block it so fast that you’ll think I use gas.

When I shoot with my boot, it always goes in like whoosh.

The Drake-themed soccer ball drifted into the dirty field.

Don’t play like a goof before you start saying woof-woof.

Don’t play too rough or else I won’t play like a piece of fluff.

You need legs to do a nutmeg, just like your Uncle Sheg.

The day you play soccer in the sun is the day you have some real fun!

When you dribble and wobble, I know that you’re just as nervous as your second Cousin Jarvis.

When I shoot the soccer ball, it storms into the sports store.

I don’t like boats, but can we all agree that Cristiano Ronaldo is the goat?