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Sports Award Winners 2024


At the Sport Awards each year, six students are named overall winners in their age category. They are selected for their commitment and attitude to sport and they are very good at what they do. The Lion Rock meets the 2024 overall sports award winners and asks them for their sporting highlights.


Skye


Swimming is my sport. I train 4-5 times a week either at school or outside school. I want butterfly to be my main stroke, but breaststroke seems to be my form at the moment. I believe the swimming team is literally like a family. I encourage others, and they encourage me and it helps me keep going. Luckily, I haven't had any injuries, just bruising around my eyes from tight goggles.


The Meet

At competitions, when I’m on the diving block there is a lot of pressure. I look at the competitors around me and think about who might be better than me. When I get in the water I just go, go, go. Sometimes one night before a meet I can't sleep but I just do my best and try to get a good time. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose as long as you try your best. At Victoria Park this year; I was against people from all over Hong Kong who can swim 50 meters freestyle in 30/29 seconds. I swim 50 meters in about 31 seconds in a 25-meter pool. The tumble turn on the wall means I have something to push-off against in the 25 meter pool. A 50-meter pool is harder because there is nothing to push-off from.


At Victoria Park I swam 32.34 seconds and I came fourth! That's probably one of the best times I've done in a 50 meter pool. I was able to work with that time and keep pushing myself to go faster and faster.


During a race I am thinking about not wasting my breath. I tell myself to keep moving my arms and legs and that I will be fine. I keep setting goals and I keep training to hit my goals for myself.




William


I play soccer and I do athletics with the school plus running club in the mornings. Recently I did a couple of touch football sessions. I play soccer outside school four or five times a week and sometimes tennis. In total I am maybe doing 12 hours of sport a week but soccer is my favourite. I just love sport and I have been doing it since I was four years old. I am committed because I want to be in the team. I think playing sports helps me in school. I have less time to procrastinate and I have to plan out my time well. I have to be organised.


The Tournament

In October at the Southern Delta Region Conference (SDRC) Soccer Tournament in Shenzhen, China, I scored the winning goal in the semi-finals and finals. The whole trip was amazing. There were two days of qualifying games and one day of the final round playoffs. We won the entire thing!


We won all our matches that weekend except for one. We drew one game and we met that same team in the final but we won the final 1-0. The final went to extra time with both teams yet to score. In the first half of extra time the ball came to me and I put it in the goal! I had scored better goals that tournament but that last goal was the most important one. Our team had possession of the ball a little more than the other team, but they had loads of shots on goal that came close.


It was amazing to win in October because the first time we played in an SDRC tournament we lost. It was surprising to win which made the feeling of winning even better. Knowing we can go from last to the champions is good!



 Phoebe


Sports is one of my strengths. I really want to continue with sports and maybe pursue sports as an athlete, teacher or coach. I do a lot of sports for school, swimming, soccer, netball and basketball. Basically, I train for about an hour or two every day depending on the season. If I am swimming that day, I wake up at 5am to travel to school.


The Meet

The night before the meet I made sure I had something super intense in carbs to eat and I went to sleep at 9 o'clock so I woke up full of energy. I don't really get nervous, it's very mild, I do not let nerves distract me and I like to stay focused. The morning of the international swimming meet at HKIS in April, I was thinking about my coach’s advice (coach Eric Yeung, Aquatic and Swim Programme Manager). Eric gives me a lot of good technique advice about gliding in the water and getting my tumble turns faster. I pushed really hard that day and I came third! I was really proud of myself. I got a new PB [personal best] 34 seconds for 50 meters breaststroke. I couldn’t stop talking about it. I use my success to get better, it motivates me.


I think Eric is a really good coach. Training is not stressful. I can just enjoy swimming and getting better. Eric is a kind person. He gives me personalized advice and it really has made a difference. I really appreciate that.



 Kester

 

Last year I played volleyball, soccer, touch rugby, cricket and basketball for school. I also represented the school at the ISSFHK athletics and cross country carnivals. In addition to this, I train two or three times a week and play rugby and soccer outside of school. I might be training and playing sport for maybe 10-12 hours a week.


The Match

The rugby season starts in September or October. At a recent game I scored the winning try! That was significant for me and my team, URSC Tigers. We were playing against the Hong Kong Football Club, which is a good team – they rarely lose. In the 60th minute of the game my teammate passed the ball out of the scrum. I collected the ball, beat a few defenders, ran 50 meters down the pitch and shrugged off a cover tackle to score a try. We ended up winning so that felt great! It was our first game of the season and it was important to have a good start.



 Lilian

 

I play volleyball, netball, soccer, touch rugby and basketball for school, I train around three times a week depending on the schedule and I often have games after school. I also play rugby outside of school.


The Tournament

In March, I went to a volleyball tournament in Guangzhou. I felt really connected with the other players from the other schools, as my friend and teammate had attended one of the other schools taking part in the tournament. That made it easier for us to make friends with the other players.


We played two or three matches a day over the course of three days. In our last game of the tournament, we all "tied up until the 3rd set." It was my turn to serve. I felt the pressure and I was really nervous, I missed the game serving point. Our team lost all our matches but at the end of the day it is just a game.


I felt all the support and love from my teammates and friends knowing that it's okay we lost, and we will get better together. The experience we had as a team was much more important than winning. We [the AISHK volleyball players] feel like a team because we have come a long way. We’ve improved so much and created a healthy environment for each other.


Volleyball is different to other sports because you have to play as a team. Recently the team came second at the ISSFHK season. One of the big events for our school in Hong Kong.




 Charlie


I play touch football, rugby, volleyball, basketball, and cricket for the school. Maybe I play too much sport but I enjoy it and I would like to apply for a sports scholarship when I go to university.


The Tournament

At the AIS Association, (AISA) Basketball tournament in November 2023, we got hit by the “semi-final curse.” This is where we lose the semi-final to a team we had already beaten in the qualifying rounds. But at the ACAMIS Basketball tournament in Xiamen, China at the beginning of 2024 we broke the curse! We lost our first game and I guess the morale was low, but we then went on to win all the games. We met the same team in the final that beat us in the first game!


It was a very close game and each point was tit-for-tat. We ended up getting a good lead within the last two minutes of the game and won by four points. Beating the opposing school was quite significant for us because we overcame the challenge and the "curse." I get nervous before games because I have quite high expectations. It was the first time AISHK has won an ACAMIS basketball tournament. Mr Pilgrim, Secondary PDHPE Teacher, and our coach was quite excited. The opposition were much bigger than most of the AISHK team.


Mr. Pilgrim sat us down and had a talk about how to counter them. He explained that we just couldn't let them get the ball, we had to change the way we play defense, bringing the play in closer. It was good advice, they couldn’t score, and I was ecstatic when we won. I like team sports; the vibes are really high after a win, and there is lots of laughter.

 

 

 


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