From the Head of PE and Sport 11.05.19
PRIMARY FOBISIA Games 4th-8th May
Last Saturday, 26 very excited KIS Vipers arrived at the airport ready to travel to Phuket for the Primary FOBISIA Games being hosted once again at Thanyapura Health and Sports Resort in Phuket, Thailand. It always feels like a long day traveling to Phuket when you have to transfer in KL and it was early evening when the team finally arrived at the hotel. It was straight to dinner to sample the extensive buffet, to fill up and fuel up ahead of what is always a very exhausting 1st day of competition with swimming and athletics on the first day. After a quick team talk it was off to bed with the teachers hoping that some sleep would be had that night and not too much fun in the rooms being had!
Captains, Pierre and Maxine led the team into the pool area waving the KIS Vipers flag high during the opening ceremony. As the squad took their seats in the tent you could clearly see a mixture of nerves and excitement upon the young faces. It was the girls medley relay team that collected the first medal of the day coming 3rd. This certainly helped give the rest of the team a big boost of confidence. Yi Chen was a standout during the swimming competition picking up 3 medals from her 3 races and Sophie despite being one of the youngest in the field was beaming with pride as she received her silver medal for the 25m Freestyle. Medals were spread across the team with Bella, Amiel, Tony, Sunny, Maxine, Julia and Pik Yen all picking up individual medals. The last event of the day is always the most exciting as teams of 10 take on the Tyre Relay! There were lots of different techniques on display as swimmers had to try and keep themselves inside the tyre while kicking and scooping water to propel themselves across the pool. More medals to the A team and also some Vipers who helped out one of the other schools in the B race! With the temperatures already quite intense, everyone was jumping in the pool, including the coaches at the end of the session for an extra cooling off swim!
On the back of Primary Sports Day, we had high hopes for some standout performances in both the track and field and the team certainly delivered with a massive 20 medal haul! Harry picked up the team’s first gold medal of the competition in High Jump and from then on a KIS Viper was frequently seen on the podium collecting a prize. With both track and field events taking place all afternoon, it was exhausting work for both athletes and coaches alike It’s no surprise that without a track to train on, it was the field events where the team picked up the most medals. Aaron, Tony, Jayden, Victor, Yi Chen, Javy, Sandra and Pik Yen all collected medals in various throwing events. While in the Triple Jump, Long Jump and High jump; Julia, Betsi, Tiggi and Maxine all placed 2nd or 3rd in their respective events. Leroy managed to use his small size to his advantage in the 800m weaving in and out of any gap he could find in the last 100m to pick up a bronze medal and despite already competing in a number of events throughout the day, Julia was done year as she finished 3rd in the Girls 800m. It was a real disappointment to everyone when a storm blew in in the afternoon resulting in the relays having to be cancelled. However, it did mean the team made it back to dinner a little earlier than expected to make the most of the pizza, chips, burgers …and salad on offer!
On Day 2 of competition, decked out in their Vipers training shirts the teams were ready for a big day of striking and fielding in the t-ball competition.
The Viper’s had two teams in the t-ball tournament and both teams were full of energy and enthusiasm. The teams worked so well together and were a credit to KIS. During the tournament we had many home runs, fine diving catches, dropped catches, run-outs, slips and mistakes which made all the games very exciting and full of drama. The ‘A’ team was first to play a game and had a narrow win with some fine work in the field. The A team then had a few loses and ended with a well earned draw. In between the games we had a a delay while a huge storm passed which made the pitch very wet.
The ‘B’ team started the tournament with two losses but soon came back with a fine win and in our last game with had a thrilling draw. Tony had hit a huge home run to set the Vipers up with some big points and in our last innings Noah ‘the thrower’ then produced a sensational throw to get the opposition’s last man out. It meant we ended the day on a huge high.
Both T-Ball teams finished 4th in the competition which is a great result and shows the excellent work rate and commitment the KIS Vipers had during the day. The children really enjoyed the long day and were rewarded with a fun swim in the swimming pool before a well-earned dinner. We then had a team meeting in the ‘suite’ before lights out in preparation for the last day of the games.
These competitions are known as ‘The Friendly Games’ and in the spirit of this, 3 Vipers graciously and happily spent the T-ball competition assisting the British Vietnamese School of Ho Chi Minh in order to ensure that everyone got a chance to play. Bella, Tiggi and Betsi were wonderful additions to the team. Their consistent batting meant that they not only got themselves onto bases but also got their teammates home. In the field, Bella covered the infield while Tiggi and Betsi made sure any balls hit into the deep were returned as quickly as they could to the home plate. I’m extremely proud of the sacrifice they made to forgo playing for KIS and instead demonstrate wonderful kindness to help others. One of the many positives is that the girls walked away from the day having made new friends!
It’s a good thing that so many of our Vipers are keen footballers which made it a little easier to get up on the last day of competition with tired legs and muscles starting to ache from the rigours of the past 2 days competition. The boys got off to a fantastic start with 1-0 wins in their first 2 games thanks to some wonderfully energetic play on the pitch and strong defence at the back. There were some very accomplished footballers and teams at the competition and the boys did well in their subsequent matches but were unable to get back on the winning side of the scorecard. Nathan and Victor were work horses on the pitch creating chances and scoring goals while Leroy threw himself at everything as striker and goalkeeper, putting his body on the line to protect the goal. Whilst I know the boys were disappointed to finish in 4th place, they should all be incredibly proud of the way in which they fought so hard in each and every match and the improvement in their performances throughout the competition.
In the girls first 3 matches; they’d had a draw, a loss and a win which meant that they had to win at least 1 of their last 2 matches to be in the running for a medal and trophy. The girls defense was phenomenal throughout the day with Maxine ‘the wall’, Pik Yen ‘clearinator’ and Hope ‘the rock’ deflecting attacks from everywhere. In their 4th match of the day the team were against St Regents Bangkok and they certainly had the better of the attacking opportunities as they were ‘camped in front of the Regents goal for a good 5 minutes at one point with Sophie ‘the terrier’ chasing down every loose ball as she’d done all day. Finally, it was Maxine who had moved into an attacking position who broke through and managed to get the 1 much needed goal to win the match. In the last game against Garden, everything was to play for. The girls started the match with some of their best football of the day and it was disappointing when a heavy rain storm blew in causing play to stop. After resuming play, it was an incredibly tight match with scores still 0-0 at half time. Unfortunately, Garden just managed to get the better of KIS and win the game 2-0.
Thankfully, this result was enough to still secure 3rd place and the looks on the girls faces as KIS was announced as having come 3rd was priceless! Led by Cap’ Max, the girls proudly collected their medals and trophy!
Again, I have to make special mention to Jia Yuan, Sunny, Yi Chen, Bella, Hope and Sophie who took turns playing for BVS to make up their teams numbers for the day. Although, it was a nerve wracking moment when their assistance in winning the last game threatened to push the Vipers out of the 3rd place!
In the evening, the team dressed up in sequins and sparkles ready for the final presentation and eagerly awaited disco! After viewing the wonderful video presentation (which will be shared with parents as soon as we receive it) it was down the market stalls to buy some souvenirs and also use up whatever energy they had left boogying on the dance floor. A special treat was seeing Miss Watt flailing her arms around attempting to Floss!
It was a pretty tired group that had to make their way back from Phuket on the last day. Upon arriving in KK, most of the students remarked that they wanted to turn around and get back on the plane and return to FOBISIA having had such a wonderful time.
The team were lucky enough to enjoy the support of a few family members cheering them on to success from the sidelines and in some cases losing their voice as a result. But it was the reception that awaited the children upon their return to KK that was truly impressive. All the athletes got to experience a true hero’s welcome home as they were greeted with a thundering Vipers chant from mums, dads, brothers and sisters when they stepped out wearing their medals on Wednesday evening.
I cannot praise the efforts of the coaching staff of Mr. Green and Miss Westaway enough. Their commitment throughout the whole year to running ECA clubs and giving up lunch times for additional practices and meetings was instrumental in ensuring the children were prepared across all four sports. They ensured that throughout the 3 days of competitions the children were well cared for, learning from a myriad of experiences and most importantly always smiling and having FUN!
I would also extend my thanks and gratitude to Mrs. Colbeck for accompanying the team on the trip. ‘Mrs. Medic Colbeck’, provided much needed support for both students and staff. Attending to any and all ailments as well as being on hand to capture all the crowning moments of medal presentations and keeping a tight rein on the herd when moving through the airport. She also proved very handy with a hairbrush as all the girls were lining up for an appointment in her salon.
I know all the staff who accompanied the students are in agreement that we were truly blessed with the most amazing group of children to spend the week with. They were a credit to their parents and the school. As Miss Westaway said “the sportsmanship and team spirit they showed helped inspire all within the team and they should all be incredibly proud of everything they have achieved.”
Since joining KIS last year, without question, the highlight of my year is the undeniable privilege of being able to accompany our students to FOBISIA Games events. From a teacher perspective, trips such as these are invaluable as not only are we able to see the students in a completely different environment outside the classroom and school setting, but we are able to bear witness to them growing and learning so much about themselves as they overcome challenges and achieve success in tasks they previously believed to be impossible. To have students confide in you that they never thought they would win a medal and to be so incredibly proud that they have surpassed their own expectations is a truly special experience to share in. Win, lose or draw, these trips add such value to students lives and personal growth.
I have previously reported that we have seen a tremendously positive growth in student participation at FOBISIA Sport competitions this year. It is my hope that the students returning from these events and sharing their stories will only encourage others to want to come on future trips and we can continue to work hard within the PE Department to develop both widespread participation and competitive sport for all students at KIS.
A final huge congratulations to our incredible Primary Vipers; Aaron, Amanda, Amiel, Bella, Betsi, Harry, Hope, Javy, Jayden, Jia Yuan, Joshua, Julia, Krish, Leroy, Maxine (Girls Captain), Nathan, Noah, Pierre (Boys Captain) Pik Yen, Sandra, Sophie, Sunny, Tiggi, Tony, Victor and Yi Chen.
Miss Catriona Watt
Head of PE and Sport
