Tuesday 29 November 2022

The Dorm’s Annual Adventure at Adeline’s

By KyuHwi Han

On November 25th, the school campus echoed with the sound of suitcases rattling across the concrete road as the dorm students shuffled themselves toward the bus that would drive them off to their two-day retreat at Ipoh.

“The food. I can’t wait to have those buns again,” sighed Joycelyn Fung (12).

“With the condensed milk,” chimed in Micah Pickett (10). 

After the four-hour bus ride, we clambered into the back of a truck, clutching onto the rusty metal rails, preparing for another bumpy journey ahead.

The mountains resounded with whoops and shouts of giddy students standing at the back of the truck. There were a few shrieks and “ow’s” here and there due to some of the leaves having the audacity to smack our faces. By the end of the trip, our hairs were in disarray, but our hearts thumped in excitement: we’d arrived. 

But when we got off the truck, our hearts dropped with disappointment. It wasn’t the same Adeline’s we were used to. A simple house had replaced the beloved resort. 

“Well, at least the food will be the same,” I said. However, none of us could spot the long table hosting the long-awaited buffet of our dreams. We trudged our way into the dining hall, hoping against hope that the food would taste just as well as we remembered. Luckily, lunch satisfied our ravished stomachs. Most of us lamented the loss of our buns with condensed milk, though.

After our meal, the girls prepared to head into the residence, readying ourselves for more disappointment. But when we walked in, the room filled with delighted gasps. It was a beautiful house with a tall ceiling, filled with cozy bunkbeds, each by a lamplight. The metal stairs spiraled up onto a wooden platform where there were more snug mattresses to sleep on. 

“It’s like the hills are alive with the sound of music,” said Keilah Pickett (12). It really did feel like we had just stepped into a movie. 

Some of us sprawled across the beds, tired from the journey, while the rest gathered to play some card games. The relaxing mood lulled us to sleep. 

When we woke up, it was time for some white-water rafting. 

We exhausted ourselves for the next two hours: paddling across the river, jumping off boulders, laughing at Uncle Keith’s spluttering face as he resurfaced from getting dunked in the water. The dorm retreat still retained the charm most of us held dear to our hearts. For the seniors, it was a moment of closure and appreciation: 

Ellie Guffy (12): “It was fun. It also gave me a chance to connect with my younger dorm siblings.”

Sharon Kang (12): “I liked it. I’m glad I could bond one more time with my dorm.” 

Joycelyn Fung (12): “Once again, the food was bussing.” 

I’m thankful to have had this retreat, making lasting memories to take with me for when I leave this place that I called my home for the last four years. 

The Greatest Show

By Joshua Emmanuel

On November 23, 2022, Dalat had its first concert of the year, where all the parents, elementary choir, Concert Choir, and Show Choir gathered in Harbor Hall.

To start the night, the elementary choir sang "Silent Night," "Go Tell It On The Mountain," and "Feliz Navidad." All three of these songs and the concert choir were all conducted by the choir teacher Ms. Joyce Goh. 

The concert choir sang "Rev 19," which is a song based on Revelations chapter 19, the next song was "Sing Your Song," followed by "HUXI," which had a solo by Christal Teoh, and finally, they sang "All I Want For Christmas." 

The Greatest Showman was the last piece performed by the show choir. Adam Lim, who portrayed the greatest showman, did an amazing hat flip at the beginning of the performance, followed by a solo. Mr. Hans Kanagaraj (teacher and creator of the magic that was witnessed during the greatest show performance), who helped with the lights, said, "The show overall was a great show, true to its name." The greatest show had a few solos sung by Lauren Worten (12) and Adam Lim (12). There was also a duet sung by DJ Yost (11) and Kyuhwi Han (12). 

Some of the people who attended the concert said that is was, "extravagant and an eye-opening experience and changed my whole world view" (Aaron Andrews, 9). 

Natalie Khor (12) said, "It was really cool when the whole stage turned red, and the spotlight showed on Adam. It was really dramatic and helped add to the song they were singing."

The choir performance was the highlight of the week. They were also the perfect way to end the short week of school. Thursday and Friday were holidays for the Dalat community as they celebrated Thanksgiving. 

Over the weekend, news came that Monday would be a public holiday as the governing party won the elections. To the joy of some and the dismay of others, the whole community enjoyed a very long weekend. After what seemed like a short weekend, everyone returned to school on Tuesday, slowly wrapping things up as the semester comes close to an end.

Run it Back

 By Jordan Suen

With a roaring crowd and people on their backs the Dalat Varsity Basketball team commenced the first official basketball game in two years— a game against the local club team PBA. A highly anticipated event that everyone from around the school came to watch whether you were in 5th grade or 12th grade. 

The five players for Dalat stepped onto the court with fire in their eyes and a hunger for a victory. Luke Ng (12) was jumping for the favorites of the game. As the ball was tossed, all spectators had expectancy in their eyes.

The game had commenced; however, it did not go as everyone hoped for. Dalat had started the game taking bad shots and all around looking fairly lost. This led to the boys being at a deficit for a greater portion of the first quarter.  However, by the 6th minute of the first quarter, the Dalat Eagles hit their stride and made a two pointer, pulling them in front of PBA.

The second quarter was a complete wash. The quarter opened up with familiar faces such as Noah Kaney (12) and Soo Wei Goh (12) followed by the other starters: Darryl (12), Luke (12), and Shaun (10). This resulted in an extremely large lead half way through the second quarter. With Dalat pulling ahead, PBA coach John opted to take a timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, Dalat picked up right where they left off, firing off basket after basket with no sign of relenting. This surge of energy and success went all the way through to the fourth quarter. With the lead growing every minute, the Dalat community considered this game a done deal, and a done deal it was. With a final score of 53-24, the game had ended in a dominant fashion.

With the Varsity Boys collecting their first win of the season, and first win in two years everyone who had watched was hopeful for what was to come. 

“For their first varsity game in two years, I think that the boys played very well, scoring a great win against the PBA. Hopefully, this win will allow our varsity boys to have a good season and bounce back into it after COVID,” said Julien Goh (12).



Season Opener After 2 Years!

By Dominic Cheang 

February 6th and 13th, 2020 - The former was the last time the Dalat Varsity Basketball Team had a home game against an outside opponent and the latter was the last time the Dalat varsity basketball team had a game against another team. As we all know, the weeks following came with daily headlines of the then-unfamiliar COVID-19. Eventually culminating in the full lockdown of Malaysia, along with the rest of the world.

Basketball has always been a core part of the identity of Dalat, often being the sport that has the largest audience and largest group of players trying out.

Fast forward to November 17, 2022, and Dalat is finally hosting a home basketball game for its boys varsity team against the local PBA (Penang Ballers Association) team. The excitement and enthusiasm for the Basketball season was unparalleled throughout the campus. 

For a sense of scale of how important of a game this was, the class of 2023, the current seniors, were freshmen the last time there was a varsity basketball game. Not only that, this was the season opener, so it had to be good.

By the time the teams were warming up, the bleachers in Steinkamp Court were already packed with spectators anxiously waiting for the action to begin. The new speakers recently installed onto the walls of the court only amplified the excitement for the highly anticipated game. 

As the whistle blew and the players gathered with their respective teams to have a final briefing before starting the game, the audience quieted down a bit to allow the players to listen to their coaches. This was shortly followed by the classic “1! 2! 3! Eagles!” by the team captain Soo Wei Goh (12) and thunderous applause and cheers from the bleachers. 

The game itself was intense, with both teams giving their all on defense and offense. Team Captain Soo Wei Goh had several injury scares with his constant cramping. Post Player Luke Ng (12) racked up his stats with getting over 5 offensive rebounds in 3 seconds to finally score the basket. And Co-captain Noah Kaney (12) helped lighten the mood with his barking on offense.

The game ended with an euphoric 53-26 win for Dalat.

When asked about his opinions of the game, Mr. Issac Lee, assistant coach had some criticism but was happy with the overall results. “Since the last game played at Faith Academy back in February 2020, Dalat basketball is finally back. Stat wise, it wasn’t the best performance, but our season is very young. At least we got our first game out of the way, and we look to improve going forward."

Team Captain Soo Wei Goh and Co-captain Noah Kaney also have some words to share respectively. The team “demonstrated [their] effort and hustle as a team, and we’re looking forward to working hard and getting better before island shootout in December” (Noah Kaney, Co-Captain, ‘23). And “Last Thursday was a night to remember. It was the first basketball game in almost 3 years and we started off the season with a huge win. Proud of my boys, I’m looking forward to a great season ahead” (Soo Wei Goh, Team Captain, ‘23).

The season is still young and there is much more to look forward to for the rest of the season. This is only the beginning.

Basketball Season and Thanksgiving Weekend in the Dorm

By Keilah Pickett 

We are three weeks into the basketball season so far, and it’s somehow felt a lot longer. During tryouts, there were a lot of nerves going around, surrounded by the question of who will be on what teams. Chika Tsumagari (12) said she was “a bit anxious because I haven’t been in an official team in so long and none of us really have.” 

Now that it has started up a bit more, it has given players a chance to grow personally, despite having played for such a short time so far. Arielle McIver (11) said, “It has helped me to keep persevering and to not give up.” This basketball season continues to grow girls from different grades closer and bond over the common interest in the sport. 

Tsumagari (12) also said, “There’s so much chemistry, and I already see progress and our teamwork improving!” 

Although tiresome, I think the season has been fun, or as Haylee Douglas said, “It’s been slayful,” and something to look forward to playing in and watching.

Along with basketball season, it is also Thanksgiving soon. During this time, the dorm puts on a big Thanksgiving dinner. In preparation for this, all the dorm kids sign up to make one dish, appetizer, or dessert that is on the menu. 

Amy Park (11) said, “My favorite part is cooking in the dorms with my dorm mates because it is a good bonding experience.” 

In some cases, like preparing the roast turkey, we have to start cooking a week in advance. Kyuhwi Han (12) is making our roast turkey this year and defrosts it a week and a half in advance so she can start preparing it on the day everyone else will be in the kitchen preparing their own meals or desserts. It is a day full of a lot of bonding and chaos.

Tuesday 15 November 2022

David K vs. Chris B

By Yoseph Yang

On November 10, 2022, a large crowd, mainly Dalat seniors, gathered at the backboard by the playground area for the most anticipated BBA game of all time; David Kilgo (12) vs. Chris Bell (12).

BBA, established by Kai Ru Bok (12) and Mark Ho (12), initially began as a minor event during lunchtime. 

“To be honest, I did not expect BBA to grow this big because it was meant to be ‘casually competitive,’” explained Ryan Chew (12), another founding member of BBA. 

However, it quickly gained popularity throughout high school, and more people began to join the roster. Two new players were added to the lineup: David Kilgo (12) and Chris Bell (12).

BBA arranged the game for the new players on the roster, and soon enough, the schedule was released on the official Instagram page. There, they announced the debut match of the new players, and the crowd was surprised when they first saw it. The upcoming game on Thursday, November 10, was between David Kilgo (12) and Chris Bell (12); the debut game of new players was against each other. The news quickly spread around seniors, and soon enough, the two players were under the spotlight. 

On the day of the match, there were more spectators than ever. Some teachers and students from different grades and even the seniors who always go out for lunch stayed on campus to watch the game. When everything was ready, with the crowd cheering, the two players stepped into the court, and the fun began. It was an intense game between the rookies. They traded points back and forth, and each time the ball made it into the basket, the cheers from the people echoed throughout the school. However, the game ended as 3-3, a tie, so a rematch game was scheduled the next day.

The next day, people gathered around the backboard to spectate the game, perhaps even more than the day before. The match started again, but Chris Bell (12) was indeed taking the lead this time. Starting with the 3-point shot at the beginning, he had complete control over the game. The game ended 5-0 as Chris’s victory.

“I always had a passion for playing ball. It was about hard work, effort, enthusiasm, and work ethic. He [David] was a great opponent, and I saw room for improvement from him,” said Chris Bell (12).

High Schoolers go to War

By Owen Lai

On November 10, all of Dalat’s high school gathered on the outdoor basketball court during AHOD for a tug-of-war match between the four houses. 

For the first time, competition between the four houses or teams: Bolt, Wave, Quake, and Blaze, was extended beyond the traditionally held Eagle Games. This year’s Eagle Games was a tight competitive event in which Quake took the victory. However, PAL proposed that the houses continue to compete with each other throughout the year during AHOD, where they could compete in a myriad of events. This would allow the three other teams that fell short to get revenge and potentially claim victory. 

Each house competed twice in tug-of-war, and two students, one boy and one girl, from each grade level, volunteered or were peer pressured into participating. The crowd fell silent, anticipating Mr. Penland’s call for the match to begin. 

As the match began, cheers from all teams echoed around the basketball court as each team tried their hardest to pull most of the rope to their side of the court. Some competitors who were wearing slides for slippers found it difficult to find footing. This created a comical scene where they either lost their shoes in the midst of battle or were at the mercy of the rope. Each match was close and fierce, but a clear winner was determined for all of them.

The matches were Bolt vs. Blaze, with Blaze winning. Bolt vs. Wave, with Bolt taking the win. Blaze vs. Quake, with Blaze going two for zero. Finally, Wave vs. Quake, with Wave taking the win. 

This would make Blaze the overall winners as they won both of their matches, making up for their defeat and 4th place finish in Eagle Games. Bolt and Wave tied for second, with Quake coming in last, a far cry from their first-place finish in the Eagle Games. 

The most important thing about the tug-of-war event and the continuation of the competition between the houses was not who won and who lost, but the experience of competing or cheering on your team. Noah Lee, a senior, and member of Blaze, summed up the experience, “It was fun. I was really glad I could gain some points for my team by winning.”

Impact Trips

By William Johnston

Over this first semester, a group of Dalat students went on an Impact Trips to both Perak and Johor. Last week during chapel, Mrs. Ailee Chan decided to bring two groups of students from both trips up on stage to interview them about their experience during the trip. 

Each team took their turns to speak and spoke about their experiences. The students had come from many different backgrounds their intentions and opinions on the trip varied greatly. While some had felt that they were prepared and others said they weren’t, but a common theme emerged of them finding that their decisions were the right ones.

One student, Lei Tee (12), had a positive attitude towards the trip during a later interview about his trip over fall break.

WJ: “What did you do during the trip?”

LT: “We planned and organized activities for the children in Perak and spent time with the community. The primary goal was to have fun with the children and expose them to English.”

LT: “In addition to service, the impact team also dedicated a lot of time for reflection, went tubing, and ate a lot of good food.”

WJ: “Did you know who you were going on the trip with? How many people were there?”

LT: “The team was composed of 17 people, led by Mr. Yoo, Ms. Keister, and Mr. Chin.  We did not know whom we would be going with when we signed up, but I was glad to learn that there was another senior guy coming along the trip with me: Trevor Nichols (12). All members played a valuable role in the trip, and there are several memories that stand out to me when I think about the trip. Nicole Khor (12) was our photographer, Judson Nosker (9) fostered good music, and Abraham Latham (10) drank a lot of juice.”

WJ: “What made you decide to go on an Impact Trip?”

LT: “I signed up for impact because I wanted senior year to be memorable, and I hadn't done service in a while and thought it would be a good opportunity.”

WJ: “Would you recommend for anyone to go on an Impact Trip?”

LT: “Impact really connects you with other people and cultures in a way other service methods don't. For those who are considering going on an Impact Trip, I definitely recommend it. I went on 4 multi-day school trips this semester, and Impact was the most fulfilling.”

Now that Impact Trips are back after a long period of the virus preventing travel, many students can impact those outside of their community in a positive and meaningful way. The next set of Impact Trips will be in semester 2!

 

Wednesday 9 November 2022

The BBA Season Continues

By Michael Hsu

As the lunch bell rings, seniors flock off to eat off-campus. But a small group of flamingos foregoes these lunch privileges, for they have a purpose. These are the student-athletes of Bozo Ball Association, the Class of 2023’s very own semi-amateur basketball league.

BBA started on October 17th, following an inspirational best-of-3 showdown between Yoseph Yang (‘23) and Owen Lai (‘23). Managers Mark Ho (‘23) and Kai Ru (‘23) expanded the roster to include seven players. Week 3 will see the addition of two new players to the lineup: Chris Bell (‘23) and David Kilgo (‘23).

The BBA season started with round robins to eventually seed the league’s player in the playoffs. Games are 1v1 and consist of two five-minute halves at the end of lunch. The jerseys are sweaty pink polo shirts, and each game is presided over by two match officials: Mark Ho (‘23) and Luke Ng (‘23). Statistics are recorded by the official statistician, Ryan Chew (‘23), and posted every week. Photographers Julien Goh (‘23) and Adam Lim (‘23) alternatively snap photos of the intense, comedic matches.

The season started rockily. Two players forfeited the match within the first two weeks: one forgot; the other simply could not finish lunch in time. But game attendance flourished in the backdrop of the ACSC volleyball tournament. Pink shirts could be found on the tarmac practicing their shots during lunch and after school.

The first week ended with the much-anticipated showdown between Taewoo Song (‘23) and Owen Lai (‘23). Almost a dozen seniors gathered around the two players, leading to the impression of bullying. But it was all good nature fun, as explained to Mr. Penland. “Oh!” exclaimed Julien (‘23) as the HS principal approached him about unauthorized phone use during school hours.

The BBA official Instagram page lists official stats, game schedules, and player highlights. Watch as nine basketball superstars duke it out on the court in displays of luck, athletic ‘prowess’, and physical deficiencies. Come support our boys during lunch!

Tuesday 1 November 2022

It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey

By Mark Ho

 

During the week of Oct 16-18, Dalat hosted the boys volleyball ACSC, the biggest event of the season. This year, the varsity volleyball boys had it on our home court. There were six schools, including Dalat, that participated in the tournament. Schools like Grace International School, Faith Academy, ICS Bangkok, Yongsan International School, and SPH. All of them came from different parts of Asia.

Throughout the tournament, Dalat fought hard but came short of their own expectations. “Our team’s goal before ACSC was to try to come in either 2nd or 3rd place. We fought as hard as we could and tried our very best in every game we played,” explained Luke Ng (12). 

After playing through the round-robin and the playoff bracket, the boys came 5th. Despite this, they could have easily been higher as most of the games were close, only losing by 3 or 4 points. One of these games was against Faith, where the Dalat boys lost a set 27-29. 

Outside hitter Benjamin Yeoh (12) said, “Of course I felt disappointed that we weren’t able to close the game but it was still a great experience playing such a close game with the home crowd supporting us.” 

After going through the round-robin, Dalat was against Faith again in the double-elimination bracket. Unfortunately, they lost both sets 21-25 and 22-25. Now, the Dalat boys were in the loser’s bracket; one more loss and they wouldn’t be able to advance any further.

This time, Dalat would play ICS BKK. After losing the first set 21-25, the boys were determined to tie it up. In the second set, Dalat was down by 5 points, and the score was 14-19. After a timeout called by Coach Roylance, the boys quickly bounced back and tied the score 19-19. However, ICS continued to fight back and the game ended in their favor 25-23. This meant that Dalat’s run was basically over, and they would be playing for 5th place the next day. 

Benjamin Yeoh (12) said, “I’m not sad about the loss, I’m sad that my first season in volleyball is my last.” Many of the seniors on the team agreed with this. Covid prevented the seniors from participating in team sports for two years.

Apart from the volleyball games, ACSC week included other activities for the players. They got to tour Georgetown with the Dalat students as tour guides. ACSC was not just about playing the sport but also about getting to know other teams and hanging out with them. Many participants said they enjoyed spending time with the other teams and making new friends. 

Luke Ng (12) said, “Even though we failed to reach our goal, there were many other benefits that came out of the ACSC competition. We were able to connect with the players from the other teams during the night that we went to Georgetown, and from this, we were able to form new friendships that would hopefully carry on into our future.”

Although the Dalat boys got 5th, the team still viewed it as a great experience and really enjoyed it. 

Adam Lim (12) said, “We were also able to bond with each other as a team through the games that we played and continue to strengthen our friendship.” 

Aaron Andrews (9), the only freshman on the team, added, “Even if the skill of the team next year gets better, it won’t feel the same with the seniors gone.” Overall, it was an excellent end to the season, with players putting in the time and effort to improve their volleyball together.

THE RESCUE MISSION: SEW RECAP

By Ryan Chew

October 26, 2022 began the anticipated Spiritual Emphasis Week, also known as SEW. Hannah Williamson and Hannah Smith, two tireless and wonderful speakers, worked diligently to spread the word of God throughout nine different sessions from day to night. 

On day one, the high school was introduced to the SEW theme, “Rescue Mission,” by our speakers and learned the barriers that prevented us from reaching God. The speakers discussed three main points during this session which were expectations, religion, and lifestyle. It was a chilling and hooked-worthy experience that the Dalat high school experience that morning.

KyuHwi Han (12) described the first session as, “Exciting and a good start for the rest of the week.” 

During the evening, Hannah Williamson began sharing her first experiences with God. Her experience with God started with being in the crowd, Jesus entering her space, Jesus talking to her, and following Jesus. It was a heartfelt and warming experience that the Dalat community treasured and was exciting for the upcoming days of the magnificent week.

Julien Goh (12) said of the first evening, “I felt very touched in today’s evening session. I felt like God talked to me during SEW.” 

On the third day of SEW, the evening session was the last but a great ending to finish off such an enlightening and amazing week. It began with speakers from Dalat that spoke of testimonies where connections were made between them and God. Dominic Cheang, a senior, was up on stage first and talked about his struggle to find God in his life. He said he was lost and stuck but wanted to stay strong in his faith while ignoring the circumstances. The next speaker, Alyssa Kwok, a junior, talked about the importance of healing and how it impacted her life. It started with losing her sister when she went away to college, more memories, and her home. However, Alyssa got help from God and was healed by Him. The last speaker, Haylee Douglas, a senior, expressed her reflection on God. She said that God’s presence with her was fading away due to ignoring God’s signs to her. She realized taking a leap of faith in God was needed, and she couldn’t stay passive anymore. 

After the speakers were done, it was a time that everyone could settle and reflect with God. There were tables for confession to God, reflection papers, prayer requests, live prayer areas, and live worship music led by the Dalat worship team. The atmosphere was filled with healing and joy. A worthy ending needing a rescue mission.

“For me, Penang is amazing because of the culture, the food, and the people. The community of Dalat is incredible, and the young speakers that spoke were outstanding. The connections that everyone has made during this week were beautiful and spectacular. It was a blessing by God," said Hannah Williamson, the SEW speaker.


Thick. British. Accents.

By Sahana Selvaraja

Don’t get me wrong– the two Hannahs that spoke for us at MEW were absolutely enlightening, but their accents were the main thing that most of us could focus on. I lost count of how many times I was so immersed in their thick British accents that I would forget to actually focus on what they were preaching. 

I did listen! But their accents were my favorite part.  

“My mind is blown! I never really thought that I had barriers in my relationships until this,” said Yuna Lee (11) after the first MEW day where the Hannahs talked about how people put barriers in their relationships. 

They used an analogy where you take a friend out to eat but you keep putting your baggage on the center of the table. The first bag Hannah (with the glasses) put on the table was labeled “EXPECTATIONS” in bright red, and the second bag she put on the table was labeled “RELIGION.”

They weren’t wrong. Sometimes our expectations of people make us overestimate or expect them to be a certain way, but that really brings tension. Expectations cause us to mistrust people or not be patient with them. They cause us not to accept people. And this is really common in our world today, especially with how social media portrays certain people groups. TV shows love to exaggerate stereotypes of certain races, and some people actually take them seriously. As an Indian, I would like to clarify, I do not talk like Apu from the Simpsons. 

We also use religion as a way to distance ourselves from people because we think they are wrong. Muslims have a complicated relationship with Hindus, and even within a certain faith, like Christianity, certain denominations are hostile towards each other because of their differences (Catholics vs Orthodox Christians). 

“But we shouldn’t be doing that! They only make people uncomfortable with our differences, and we begin to assume things about each other,” said Annabelle Low (12). 

And I completely agree. I am so happy that the Hannahs decided to address this topic at an international school like Dalat, where we have a diverse community. Sometimes we might make generalizations about each other because of our different backgrounds (and not always intentionally!), but this MEW encouraged us to let go of those expectations and get to know each other more kindly. Thank you, Hannahs!


ACSC Tournament

By Enson Tang

In the 2022-2023 ACSC, Dalat's Men's soccer team successfully established themselves in Dalat's record books. Not only did they come 1st in the tournament, but they did it without losing a game, which has never done before in the history of Dalat. The weeks leading up to ACSC were very intense; Coach van and Coach Ben pushed the boys at every practice to give it our all with ACSC in mind.

ACSC (Asia Christian Schools Conference), which happens every year for Soccer, Volleyball, and Basketball, consists of schools from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. For the past two years, Covid took away that opportunity, but this year, with restrictions loosened, sports could happen again. Unfortunately for Hong Kong, their government restrictions still prevented them from competing. Soccer and volleyball ACSC happened from October 18-22; Men's varsity soccer in Bangkok, Thailand; men's varsity volleyball in Penang, Malaysia; and women's varsity volleyball in Manila, Philippines.

Men's varsity soccer was very successful in their expedition in Thailand, where they came 1st out of 6 teams. At the end of the tournament, Darryl Dwumfour (12), our star and only goalkeeper said, "First of all, this was many of our seniors' first ACSC tournament and first time being on a varsity team, and it was a great and incredible feeling to get 1st place. Our hard work and chemistry paid off as we played our best games of the season on that pitch, and I just want to relive the moment when the referee blew the final whistle and called it a game." 

For many of us, this was our first ACSC, and for us seniors, it is also our last, so to be able to play one last time for Dalat before graduating was an honor.