Hosting is Quite the Feat
This WAISAL was particularly important and special as our school was the host this year. Our staff worked really hard to set up the tents, the nets, and all the other materials needed to welcome the other teams and make it a pleasurable experience for everyone involved. The setup was appreciated not only by ICSA students, but also by the visiting students as well.
“I feel like ICSA did a good job aT hosting. a lot of people welcomed us, and it was very nice.”
ISD students, Abigal and Aissatou
Supporting Each Other Goes a Long Way
During the week we hosted WAISAL, the atmosphere was completely different. Suddenly, the entire school community came united to chant, scream, and support our team. When our school won a point, the court was shaking and when we won a set, it shook some more. Studies show that support from the crowd boosts the players’ confidence, which leads to better decision making and feelings of strength and invincibility. Also, the mutual sense of pride between the crowd and the players provides them with more motivation and has a great impact on their endurance. As a matter of fact, many of our older, more experienced students believe that it is the support that really helps the team play better.
“Yeah, I think it always encourages you, especially when you’re playing against someone that is notoriously good, and you know since it’s our turf, I feel like the students should be encouraging their players,” say Qianrong Yolanda Bu, 10th grader.
Blockbuster Performance by our Boys
The ICSA boys won first place! With only one loss, the boys dominated the tournament smashing their way to the win. This is impressive as it’s the first year the school had a middle school volleyball boys team. Surprisingly, some of the boys didn’t even know how to play at the beginning of the year, but they grew and got better together to become the best team at the tournament. Their collaboration and communication throughout the tournament was exceptional.
“You know, it was expected. we had a very good team. we all had great chemistry and treated each other like family, so I think that’s the reason we won.”
-Murad Balogun, 8th grader & Boys’ Volleyball team All Star
Gold Medal for our Girls
The ICSA girls won first place! They didn’t play so well in the first matches, but thanks to their resilient mindset and the support they received, they united as a team and managed to come out on top. It is extraordinary how they used teamwork and collaboration to climb their way to the top winning two very tough games on the final day to earn that first place trophy.
“I feel like we did a really good job. the crowd was helpful. The first day, we kind of played bad, but in the end we believed in ourselves and we did it.”
Marta Rosiello, 7th Grader & Girl’s team Libero
There’s Always Room for Improvement
This middle school volleyball WAISAL was a success overall, and the school did a great job hosting this year’s tournament. With any event, however, there’s always room for improvement and growth. Players from other teams thought we could improve our food, our songs, and our sportsmanship, as they found the over the top support a little unsportsmanlike. The real concern though was the court itself.
Qianrong Yolanda Bu, 10th grader expresses her concern. “I feel like in the long term, they should improve the flooring. Since a lot of people aren’t wearing knee pads, it’s easy to scrape their knees. When I went to AISL for volleyball WAISAL this year, they had wooden flooring.”
Overall, at the end of the day, many people appreciated and liked the results.
Congratulations to our boys and girls for winning. Go Panthers!
