Volleyball and Beyond

Esther Kim

Despite needing to prepare a court, net, ball, and team, many student-athletes of Dalat International School adore the sport of volleyball for its rigorous yet exciting team play. The want for volleyball, however, extends far beyond the school team practices and open gyms, especially during longer school breaks. Teachers simply lack the time and energy to supervise more volleyball outside their schedules. So where do I go to satisfy my volleyball bones? I go to Youth Park.

Youth Park is a vast park at the foot of the mountains in Pulau Tikus. Every day hundreds of citizens visit to hike in the tropical mountains, play at the grand playground, or just run laps around a large field, which is often occupied with various events. In fact, Dalat annually reserves many areas of the park for our own event called The Eagle Games.

Youth Park even has an outdoor volleyball court. Every Saturday afternoon, a Penang local volleyball team attends a session there, and anyone else can join at any time. Although the club consists of mostly locals, several of the participants are international Dalat students, including me. One other Dalat student who was faithful enough to join the Youth Park ladies team is Elizabeth Horton, an American who is currently in 11^th grade. The team was created in order to participate in an upcoming local volleyball tournament (August 31^st, which is Malaysia’s Independence Day), and Elizabeth did not hesitate to join her team of Malaysians.

After attending for a few weeks, she said, “Though at first I was terrified to play volleyball with a bunch of strangers, I slowly got to know some of them and improved my skills at the same time. I love the fact that one simple sport I decided on a whim to play in 8^th grade has brought me together with people from all over the world, whom I never would have met otherwise. We are all incredibly different (especially me being the only white person), but we are brought together from our love of volleyball. It’s so easy and comfortable to get stuck in our little Dalat bubble, but I’m thankful I took the step out of my comfort zone!”

A few other notable Dalat students who attend these weekly sessions include Yi Yao Tan (12), Albert Jeong (12), and Seung Hwan Kim (10). I can safely say that all of these Dalat students—myself included—have maintained their athletic abilities from going rusty during school breaks or even improved after playing with skilled individuals.

The Dalat culture has been shaped to the extent where reaching outside the school community causes anxiety for many students. But that can change this instant. With their interest in volleyball, other student-athletes of Dalat International School can also take this opportunity to play at Youth Park every Saturday and create more friendships with the outside community of Penang, Malaysia.