From the Head of PE & Sport 11.05.2024

Congratulations to Dasha Ong from 10K who was informed this week that she has been selected to represent Sabah at the National U17 Basketball championships to take place later this month. Dasha was selected following her strong performance in the recent state tournament where she represented Putatan. I am thrilled to report on this recent achievement as it comes as a result of a great deal of commitment and dedicated hard work on Dasha’s part over the past 12 months and reinforces how talent, together with drive and dedication can result in a winning formula. 

I am sure the entire KIS community will join me in wishing Dasha all the best for the upcoming tournament, and I look forward to being able to share her experience at a later time. Good luck, Dasha! 

Early Years Sports Morning!

Parents of students in Early Years, please don’t forget about our very exciting Pirate Sports Extravaganza taking place on Monday morning in the Hall. 

The students have been refining their skills under the close supervision of Captain’s Denyer and Richie and are looking forward to showing you their plundering ways!

8:00-10:00am in the Hall Monday 13th May

Primary FOBISIA Games 

Last week my FOBISIA ‘highlights’ focused in on the many and varied life skills, attitudes and behaviours that involvement in competitive sport can promote and develop. Today’s is more about just highlighting the team’s experience and journey. 

The team arrived at “The Mansion” at Patanna Sports Resort on the Monday evening after a rather long, but thankfully smooth travel day which included having an ex-KIS student, Jordan, Kong fly the team out of KK to KL!

On the Tuesday morning, it was a far more subdued group of 24 students who made their way to breakfast at basecamp then we were used to seeing. Understandably nervous about the competitions to come and keen to do themselves proud and achieve their best. 

SMW, the organisers of FOBISIA do a fantastic job in creating a fun and exciting environment for the competitors and one highlight for me to watch each time is the athlete march past. Led by team Captains, Sophia and Aydan the Vipers took their place alongside Uplands (Penang), RIS (Hanoi), KTJ (KL) and TBS (Kathmandu) to be welcomed and enjoy a short Thai dance performance. In the stands were some of the many parent supporters who had made the trip to cheer on the team. 

Day 1 is always a monster task! With the first events starting at 8am for athletics, it was non-stop with students sometimes moving between track events, throwing events and jumps. Mr Denyer, Mrs Clifford and myself moved around the events trying to provide coaching tips and encouragement, while Ms Goldie supported the students in the stands making sure eveyone was where they needed to be at the right time. What I loved, and mentioned last week was hearing the Vipers cheers reverberating around the stadium throughout the morning, showcasing that phenomenal team spirit. 

So many medals were won during athletics. A grand total of 30 in fact! There were some truly impressive performances, not only from those who found themselves standing proudly on the podium but from all who competed and pushed themselves to achieve their personal best. 

Some of most impressive performances included Vivian silencing all watching with her incredible 20m throw in the discus! Thomas took out gold in high jump despite it being the first time he had competed. While Kaye broke her 4th place curse from last year taking out 1st place in the girls standing triple jump. 

Temperatures were roasting at Patanna and thankfully the students were able to have a brief pause after lunch to cool down in the A/C of their rooms before heading back out for more racing, this time in the pool for swimming. 

The girl’s medley relay team comprised of Clemence, Vivian, Sophia and Kaye got the energy and excitement levels going at the start of the swim programme, narrowly missing out on 2nd to claim bronze and the first medal of the day. Silver was the preferred colour of the afternoon with 9 silver medals and 3 bronze medals won by the Vipers. Special mention to Sam and Dongchan who took on the difficult task of completing all the toughest races against some extremely well-trained swimmers. They were a fantastic example to the rest of the team, showing amazing resilience, perseverance and team spirit over the course of the afternoon. Well done to them and all the Vipers for their collective efforts in the pool!

The ‘MVP’ or ‘All-star’ for the 1st day of competition though was Sophia who amassed a grand total of 9 medals throughout the course of the day with gold, silvers, and bronzes in her collection following a packed athletics and swimming event program. 

To be continued…

KIS in action at local Karate competitions

Over the course of the year we have been fortunate to see Karate added to our ECA programme with students being instructed by Sensei Simon. Recently, some of his students (who also happen to double as his children!) took part in a beginners Karate competition. Read below for a report from Serene in Year 7 of the experience and what her key takeaways were for going forward. 

” A couple of weekends ago my brother Luke in Year 4 and I participated in the Shotokan Karate Open.We participated in both Kata and Kumite event. It was a huge 2-days tournament with over 400 participants from Sarawak, Sabah, Indonesia and Brunei ! 

It was only Luke’s second tournament experience and this time he won a bronze medal for the kumite (sparring) category.

Although I managed to win one kumite match, I  ended up not getting any medals. Nevertheless, It was a huge learning experience and privilege to be competing against accomplished karatekas who have represented their district and states.

For kata (a sequence of steps to memorise and perform) both Luke and I gave our best , but sadly did not manage to win any medal for our team. 

The next day, I came back to watch my friends in the Junior and Cadet categories fight. For the 16-17 year old team kumite, my karate team won 1st place! It was thrilling to watch the matches with my friends and to cheer really loudly for them because the other team’s chant was really, really loud!

The whole tournament exposure was a real eye-opener and has helped us build more confidence, resilience and made us realise that a lot of hard work is involved . I managed to note down many of the techniques that the older and more experienced participants used, so I’m going to start practicing them to prepare for the future! As a sport, karate is really competitive – It trains your focus, discipline, patience and stamina! I will train harder and when I come back next year, I hope to win a few medals!”

Liga SupaRimau Season B – Round 1 wrap-up

After what seems like an eternity, our Viper Liga SupaRimau teams were back on the pitch at Likas representing in a much expanded league which sees the Under 10’s, 12’s and 14’s now split into two separate divisions. This is very positive for not only KIS’ involvement going forward but also football development at thr grassroots level across KK. 

All teams got their seasons off with a flourish and some very promising results, again, highlighting the progress being made behind the scenes as a result of our dedicated volunteer coaches and the players themselves at training.

U12 Report

The Vipers U12 team kicked off Season B with an energetic start, despite facing some tired players who had just landed from the FOBISIA  trip. The enthusiasm was palpable as the team took to the field, eager to showcase their skills after a hiatus.

In the first half, the Vipers seemed to struggle against their opponents, who appeared to be more organised and well-drilled. The rustiness was evident as they found it challenging to break through the opposition’s defence. However, the team showed resilience and determination, refusing to let the early setbacks deter their spirit.

As the second half commenced, the Vipers came back with renewed vigor. Their passing game improved significantly, and they began to find their rhythm on the pitch. With some fantastic teamwork and clever moves, they managed to find the back of the net twice, narrowing the scoreline to just one goal.

But as the midday sun beat down relentlessly, fatigue started to set in for the Vipers. Despite their valiant efforts, they conceded a couple of goals due to lapses in concentration. However, the team remained undeterred, displaying admirable sportsmanship and a fighting spirit until the final whistle.

Although the result didn’t go in their favour, there were plenty of positives to take away from the match. The Vipers showcased determination, resilience, and commendable teamwork throughout the game, leaving us optimistic about what lies ahead in the season. With lessons learned and spirits high, the Vipers look forward to their next challenge with optimism and determination. Go Vipers!

Match report for U14’s from Captain Naollin:

What a first game to start off the season. We played TABS, from which you probably remember we played in U12. Unlike the first time we played against them, we only lost 5-0 and with only had 13 players. A reminder to all KIS Vipers to make sure you are showing up to matches to support the team. 

A very well played game to all the U14 Vipers. Everyone got Player of the Match for a very well played game. We got two chances to score, but we missed both of them. Very well done on every player of the team. 

Special mention to all those Vipers who only returned from Thailand the day before the match on Saturday, and still made their way onto the field or the sidelines to support. It showed exactly the kind of team spirit and commitment that we expect to see from all players.

Congratulations to the following players on receiving the player of the match award this week:

Under 8’s – Eden R.

Under 10’s – Kohalu

Under 12’s – Caelan

Under 14’s – The WHOLE team!! 

Matches for Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May:

Miss Catriona Watt

Head of PE and Sport