The winter sports season finally came to an end on the last week of January. Until the last game, both cheer and basketball teams demonstrated great performances with their passion and teamwork, bringing outstanding achievements at the tournaments. Throughout the season, athletes immersed themselves in their practices, and their hard training seemed to pay off as they triumphed in most of the games. As they finalized the season, athletes recalled one of the most memorable moments they experienced last year.
“I remember when Katie Lee, our flyer, first successfully stunted,” said Ashley Seong (10), a varsity cheer team member. “Although practices were challenging and tiring, one good stunt kept me going. It is disappointing that we did not get to participate in KAIAC this year since we practiced so much, even on Saturdays and during activity periods, but we hope we showed our best performance during the showcase.”
In January, both JV girls and boys ended the season successfully at Association of International Schools in Asia and KAIAC tournaments. However, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, varsity basketball was only able to participate in the AISA on Jan. 18. The KAIAC tournament, which was planned to take place on Jan. 31, was cancelled abruptly for both varsity basketball and cheer. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, the varsity cheer successfully held their showcase, and the varsity basketball continued to perform with determination and confidence, gaining their last victory at Chadwick.
“It is unfortunate that we were unable to finalize our season properly,” said Asuka Kurebayashi (10), varsity girls basketball player. “We practiced a lot, hoping to successfully mark the end of the year with a KAIAC tournament, so it was disappointing to hear that the event was cancelled. However, I still had fun during the season, and I am satisfied with how much I have achieved throughout the year.”
After the end of the winter sports season, students started to prepare for spring sports tryouts: soccer, swimming, and badminton. This year, track and field did not hold any tryouts, but it implemented a stricter system that requires higher participation from athletes in practices and meets. Soccer and badminton tryouts took place on the first week of February, taking 22 players and 10 players each for girls and boys, respectively. Badminton, now fully recognized as a varsity sport, is led by two new coaches, Mr. Green and Ms. Banas.
“More girls tried out this year than last year,” said Eunice Yang (10), varsity badminton player. “Therefore, I felt like I had to perform at a higher level and demonstrate various skills strategically. There is a higher standard athletes are expected to fulfill, and each practice seems to be getting more and more challenging. However, I think they will definitely help me improve the skills I lack right now.”