From the Head of PE and Sport 29.02.2020

Primary & Secondary Offsite Lessons: Week beginning Monday 2nd March

Parents please be advised that this is the last week of swimming for KS2 Primary and all of Secondary. 

KS2 Primary students will go back to having 2 x 1 hour PE lessons at school for the final 4 weeks of the term and Secondary students will change to Badminton for their offsite lessons. 

The U13 FOBISIA Team were full of excitement to travel to Phuket and the FOBISIA Games on Sunday Morning. It was a seamless travel day with games of Monopoly deal and chess to keep minds occupied whilst waiting around the airport lounges. Arriving at Thanyapura, new students to FOBISIA were surprised at how lovely the accommodation was and especially excited by the pool to use at a later time. Sent off to their beds to rest and dream of the medals that they might be fortunate to win over the coming few days. 

Led out by team Captains Natie and Jack during the opening ceremony, the Vipers took their place in the tent and prepared themselves for the swimming with a quick warm-up. Starting the day with the Boys Medley relay it was a very positive start to the event when the boys took 2nd place on the podium. There were some very competitive races, particularly in the girls events where our younger and smaller Year 7’s were sometimes just pipped for medals. However, it was a pretty constant procession of Vipers to the podium picking up medals in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and even butterfly events. Nicholas picked up 2 golds in the 25m fly and 50m Backstroke A events in addition to a silver and bronze in his other individual race to go with his Medley relay from the first event. 5 medals from 5 events earned him the ‘Super Swimmer’ prize for the boys while Natalia who had a demanding individual program and picked up 2 Bronzes in the 100m IM and 50m Fly was the girls ‘Super Swimmer’. Overall across the 36 events that were entered the team collected 2 x Golds, 7 x Silvers and 12 x Bronze medals for a total medal haul of 21! A great start to the competition!  

Having to come back out in the heat of the afternoon sun to also do Athletics after a big swim program makes for a tough day. As always, it was the high jumpers who got the action underway early and our Vipers started the afternoon strongly picking up 2 bronze the A events and 2 golds in the B events. Students rotated through track and field events, giving it their all in their events. One of the wonderful benefits of FOBISIA competitions is watching students take on new challenges, pushing themselves out of their comfort zones and push their limits. Some standout personal successes in the Athletics was watching Sofia complete the 1500m without pause and manage a sprint finish in front of the cheering grandstand. Ken Zi, gained the admiration of his fellow competitors when he sent the Javelin flying far and was rewarded with a Bronze medal. Jack competed in all three A throwing events and had a perfect record of 3 Bronze medals. Amos and Julia were named the ‘Athletics All Stars’ due to their impressive medal haul.

All throughout the afternoon, the students could be heard with their thunderous cheers from the grandstand for all Vipers as well as compassion for those that had had a tough race. By the end of the day, the team had accumulated 3x Golds, 4 x Silver and 13 Bronze medals. An effort worthy of feasting on pizza, burgers and brownies with ice cream at dinner!

Girls football on the Tuesday was a massive event. When I checked my ‘stress levels’ on my Garmin app for that day, unsurprisingly they had hit extreme levels! The girls competition had been very close with all matches won or lost by a goal or 2. The team had started with a 0-1 loss to St Andrews before winning their second game 2-1 against Garden Bangkok with goals from Julia and Maxine who scored the goal of the tournament when she received the ball with back to goal, gracefully turned then skilfully manoeuvred the ball around the last defender before calmly slotting into the back of the net to secure the win. In the 3rd game of the day the team battled a physically stronger Sri KDU side but did not buckle and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. The final match saw the Vipers lose by a single goal again to Garden Rayon. This put the team in the 3rd and 4th place play off up against Sri KDU whom they had previously drawn with.

I would need to delve into the English Departments ‘Word of the Week’ archives to find the most suitable adjectives to describe the thrilling, tense, and ultimately exalting finish that unfolded. More prepared this time for the bigger and more physical opponents the Vipers ran fast and tackled hard all over the pitch. After an exhaustive day playing 4 matches with only 1 sub in 35 degree heat and where you could see the heat waves shimmering above the astro turf, it was truly impressive to see the grit and stubborn determination that the girls had as their chant said – “always fighting makes us proud!” Natalia was tenacious in the midfield, while Isabella and Hope stood strong in the back. After 20 minutes of normal time, neither team had succeeded in scoring and the match went into two more 5 minute halves of extra time. Half way through and the scores were still level. Then Sri KDU scored in the 2nd half but that made no difference to the Vipers who kept their heads high and legs running. Maxine found her way through the defence in the last minute and scored to send the game into a penalty shoot-out! 

Three Vipers were quick to put their hands up to take a penalty while Dania who has been brilliant all day in blocking and making many a save in goals had the unfortunate pressure of going in goals. Natalia and Maxine both converted their penalties and after a miss and a converted penalty from Sri KDU’s first 2 spot kicks it came down to the last kicker. A save and the Vipers would win, a goal and it would go to sudden death. The ball was struck well and aimed in the left hand corner but Dania made a tremendous lunging save low to her right to prevent the ball from passing over the line! The Vipers let out a resounding scream as they rushed to embrace Dania in celebration. A truly well deserved result for the Vipers who had battled so hard throughout the day. MVP for the tournament, DANIA!!

The Vipers started the Boys basketball competition with a convincing 16-7 win in their game against opponents Garden International School Bangkok. The boys ended the game strong, after a rusty start. The Vipers kept the momentum rolling with a 20-0 win against Garden International School Rayong. A perfect team performance by all players attacking but amazing defense from both Amiel and Nicholas held the opposition to zero points. After a short break, the Vipers faced Sri KDU. Determined to remain unbeaten the Vipers started the game conceding only 2 in the first half. A good shooting performance from Ken Zi and Logan, who hit a deep three pointer, pushed the Vipers to another large 22-4 win. The next game saw the unbeaten Vipers match-up against the also as yet unbeaten St Andrews, a strong team with a big squad. The game went back and forth, with many lead changes. Nicholas rallied the team to take the lead in the 3rd quarter making some important big shots and some strong rebounding by Jack. The Vipers fell victim to fatigue during the fourth quarter and lost by 4 points in a close 14-10 match. Despite the loss the Vipers qualified for the first-second place playoff. They were to face St Andrews in a rematch for the 1st place trophy. 

The first two quarters saw an even performance with no team leading by more than 4 points. However, St Andrew’s gained a large lead in the 3rd quarter and despite a barrage of baskets from Logan and good defence from Jonathon Vipers lost the final 27-16. The boys’ performance was admirable with many other coaches praising the performance of all players. A well deserved 2nd place. 

Boys football on the 3rd and final day of competition is always tough. The Vipers had left nothing on the court following their 2nd place finish in the Basketball the day before and there was more than a couple of moans and stiff legs as the boys warmed up at the start of the day. The quality of football in some of the other schools was also of a very high standard and so it was evident that the competition would be a test of physical and mental toughness for the team. 

The team started with a pleasing performance against St Andrews who with a much larger squad it was evident they had a lot more energy still in the reserves as they played a very good passing game with a lot of movement off the ball. Amiel made some good saves and Logan and Jack thwarted many an attacking opportunity while Nicholas’s running in the midfield ensured the Vipers had a couple of scoring opportunities of their own. The final result was 3-0 to St Andrews but it was a good game from the Vipers. In the second match however things didn’t seem to go the Vipers way and a few errors in front of goal led Garden Bangkok to capitalise and take the win in a game where the scoreline was not reflective of the match 4-0. Third game in quick succession saw the Vipers come up against a very physical and skillful Sri KDU side. The boys did their best to try and stand up against them but not much could be done against such a strong football side. 

After an extended break the boys had one more match and still had an opportunity to move into the 3rd place play off with a win against Garden Rayong. The team started the first half looking like a new side with lots of energy and movement with Logan taking on defenders in the midfield and combining well with Nicholas and Amos up front. Nichoas was rewarded for his tenacity throughout the day with the Vipers first goal which gave the team a real mental boost. They continued on and were able to score a 2nd goal with Amos finding the net for a second goal and what the team hoped was a then safe lead. Unfortunately, as we all know, anything can happen in sport and in fact the Rayong team fought back and managed to score 2 goals themselves for the game to finish in a draw which saw the Vipers knocked out of the competition. 

It was a challenging day for the team but hopefully a valuable learning experience in the ways of competition and the importance of adequately preparing in advance. Jack and Jonathan still walked away with a bronze medal for football though as they kindly offered to help the Rayong team who were short of players in their final. Jack after not having missed a minute all day for the Vipers then played a very instrumental role in defence for Rayong which earned him the football MVP award!

The girls basketball started with a close, nail biting game against Garden International School of Bangkok. The Vipers played with a lot of energy after two long days of competition and gained an early 1 point lead in the first half. GIS rallied back, finally breaking the tough Viper defence to take a one point lead late in the third quarter. Mid-way through the last quarter, Natallia dribbled up the court and made a mid-range jump shot from the three throw line to secure a 3-2 win for the Vipers. A great start to the basketball tournament. The next game saw the Vipers face a strong, and tall, Garden International School Rayong. The overpowering height made it difficult for the girls to defend and rebound. The Vipers were down 10-0 in the first half. The girls’ willpower overcame GIS in the second half outscoring them 4-2 with great rebounding from Isabella and off ball movement from Hope, finishing the game 12-4. Fatigue set in and the girls struggled offensively in their next game against Sri KDU. Maxine and Julia had a great game passing and creating some great opportunities but failed to score. However, the Vipers held an unbreakable zone defence concedeeding baskets at the end of each half due to a good full court press from Sri KDU. Their next opponent St Andrews, had a large squad and posed a challenge for the Vipers. Dania and Sofia contributed on both sides of the court and the Vipers had many free throw attempts but could not convert, losing 10-3 in the final group game.

The Vipers finished 4th in the group stages and faced Sri KDU for the 3rd place spot. Sri KDU’s defence was strong and pressed Natalia early in the half court but the Vipers still managed some great chances close to the basket. Great passing led to some excellent opportunities for Isabella, who also had a couple of chances at the free-throw line. Unfortunately, the Vipers conceded two points late in the first half and in the third quarter and lost again 4-0 to Sri KDU earning a good 4th place finish in a very competitive group of schools. The girls gained a lot of experience for their first FOBISIA basketball competition and will return next year as year 8’s to earn some silverware. Let’s go Vipers

In addition to the sports competitions, the students were also engaged in a fight to accumulate the most room points throughout the week. Mr. Baxter in his role as ‘Points Master’ who could award or take away points at the push of a button. This meant that the coaching staff were treated to the royal treatment being waited on at breakfast and dinner, coffee and tea made to our liking, plates cleared almost before our cutlery had come together. It was the creative and entertaining evening shows from Julia and Maxine upon rooms inspection that set them apart from the competition and led them to receive the price for highest points score.  It definitely was not their ‘bribery bar’ of snacks that were also offered to the teachers!

The other competition was not nearly as close as Amiel gave Mr. Baxter a lesson in chess throughout the week. The final score can not be published to protect Mr. Baxter’s reputation but let’s just say that if there had been a mercy rule limit it would certainly have been enforced, multiple times.

On the Wednesday night the students had the opportunity to enjoy a little fun and loosen their aching muscles on the dance floor with the rest of the athletes. Jumping up and down with their hand by their sides seemed to be a popular move. Perhaps they were just too tired to lift their arms above their heads. 

Travelling home is always tough as the students start to feel the ‘post-FOBISIA blues’ of leaving Thanyapura and its amazing facilities, food and also the new friends they have made from other schools. However, it was wonderful to arrive back in KK and be welcomed home by all the parents. Even better to see them go home with their parents smiling and already telling stories about what they had experienced.

I’d like to thank the parents for their support in sending their children on the trip and a special thank you to those parents who travelled to Phuket to also brave the sun, heat and long days of stressful competitions to cheer on the vipers from the sidelines.

Thank you to the staff who have helped prepare the students for the competitions. Mr Bromley and Mr. Baxter did a wonderful job in training the students in a very short space of time.

We are, as always, extremely proud of the students sporting performances throughout the competition, but also what shone through in their character, commitment to the competition, team spirit and sportsmanship that led to many a comment from opposing team coaches.

FOBISIA (and other similar international trips) are about so much more than the sport competition itself as you will see from the students responses below when asked the question about what they enjoyed and took away from their FOBISIA experience.

“FOBISIA was amazing!!! It was so fun competing and socialising with other schools and it just feels so good to be competing with all your friends together in a team.” – Natalia

“I really enjoyed FOBISIA because it was very challenging and it gave each student that came a new opportunity to make friends and learn about their old ones.” – Logan

“I enjoyed FOBISIA because I met new people and was able to look back on what I have achieved and now I will never forget this experience.” – Jack

“I really enjoyed FOBISIA because it was challenging yet exciting and fun. We got to meet new people from other schools and we could cheer on our own school. I would definitely like to go back as it is a memorable experience.” – Julia

Congratulations to the 2020 U13 FOBISIA Vipers Team that was comprised of the following students: Jack (Boys Captain), Amiel, Ken Zi, Nicholas, Logan, Amos, Jonathan, Natalia (Girls Captain), Julia, Maxine, Isabella, Sofia, Dania, Hope

V for Victory

I for Integrity

P for Power

E for Excitement

R for Respect

Goooo VIPERS!!!