By DJ Yost
Two weeks ago, the Varsity Track and Field Team took a thirty-hour round trip to the Philippines to compete in the ACSC Tournament.
There had been many frustrations with the season, with spring break wiping out an entire third of it, injuries plaguing many, and some teammates not being able to participate due to visa issues. But despite these frustrations, the team pulled together and came out stronger and better because of it. Some of their strategies were running the same hill thirty-two times, buying 100-plus freezies from the Junior Class Store, taking pictures of Kyle’s toes, adopting a bearded seventeen-year-old from another school, diving down a water slide as a human train, and going viral on Instagram.
The night before the meet, the Faith Academy team (the host school) put on a boodle fight for the athletes. Dinner (consisting of mangos, grilled chicken, spring rolls, and rice) was piled on banana leaves in bundles and lined up in rows of tables, and the goal was to see which team could (safely) eat all of their food. The Dalat Track team instilled fear into the hearts of the opponents even before the actual track meet by being the fastest team to devour everything.
After a chaotic twenty-four hours of competing in the Manila heat, both teams finished in second place, the highest placing for any Dalat varsity sports team this year. They also won the sportsmanship award, often looked down upon as a compensation prize, but the team’s affinity and optimism made them shoo-ins for the trophy. The coaches and seniors were definitely proud to lead their team to these achievements.
Kyle Tang (12), who placed third in men’s overall points, described the trip as “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had throughout all the ACSCs I’ve attended. Competing in over 35-degree weather, being badly sunburned, cramping up at the worst times possible, but still ending up on the podium on most of my events makes this trip one of my most significant achievements and best moments in my sports career.”
Kate Lee (12), one of the team's co-captains, fondly summarized the trip: “It was by far one of the most fun ACSCs I've been to. I'm so grateful to end my senior year with such an amazing team.”
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