Our first day of competition… and Opening Ceremony
Full set of pictures from today’s matches… Not perfect as I was trying to photograph and wrangle my Kodak which decided it was too hot to film more than one match… Videos might take a little longer to post… Also have some pictures from the Opening Ceremony tonight…
I haven’t checked the tweets but I am sure everyone is aware how close the girls game was… and how well the boys acquitted themselves against the Philippines who from memory of my time there seem to treat basketball as a religion…
Our boys managed a number of 3 pointers of which I managed to capture most of on the camera… which overheated and stopped a few times during the boys’ game. (Such was the intensity!!)
The spirits of the teams are high and now they have started playing, they know where they stand and should be very proud of where that is and what they are achieving…
There is no doubt that Essington has the most vocal and yet polite cheering teams who celebrated each effort of the boys and girls – welcoming subs onto the court like they were Michael Jordan and cheering for every point. The atmosphere was indeed moving and I suspect both elite teams may never play basketball quite the same again.
For the practical folks out there… yes team laundry sorted and dispatched! Team will be playing in fresh clothes tomorrow!
I now have to get ready for the opening ceremony. Steady rain here in Kedah, lovely wet season evening.
Stop Press!
The opening ceremony was held and I think it put more context for us around the schools and scope of the competition. It was fantastic that the Phillippines team came across and asked to be photographed with our team. I hope over the coming days our students mingle as much with other teams off the court as the do on the court.
I made a point of speaking to the team that played the girls in Mandarin, saying what a great and close match it had been and those few sentences in Chinese opened doors to a closer relationship. Our own players who are studying Indonesian and Mandarin are practising in the restaurant ordering food and talking to players from other countries.
The teams may or may not bring home trophies, but they will not only bring home memories of this event, but leave behind a firm bond with the people and countries they have played against.
Having participated in this brief, friendly and wonderful ceremony, our students and supporters have gained a new insight into what being more than an international citizen, but an international sporting ambassador, player and contributor is all about.
Kepada teman-teman kami dari Malaysia dan Indonesia kami senang sekali deberi kesempatan ini untuk berpartisipasi dalam pertandingan ini dan semoga tahun depan ada kesempatan lagi… Kami mau menucapkan terima kasih atas persahabatan yang diterima oleh tim kami.
[I tried to enter some Mandarin here… but it didn’t work…]
Link to photos from Opening Ceremony
https://picasaweb.google.com/112030085864269577929/Day3OpeningCeremony20141124?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_v0LHLyMz9Ig
