Skip to main content

Crushed Dreams

By Anonymous
Joseph Hsu
Hopes were high as Dalat’s varsity boys’ volleyball team travel to Hong Kong for the Asia Christian School Conference (ACSC) tournament; however, tragedy struck, crushing the team’s hopes and dreams of winning the tournament.

Bump. Set. Spike! On Wednesday, October 19, the Dalat Eagles ran their usual plays against Faith Academy. After a killer spike by Andrew Kim (12), which tied the set 14-14, a loud, resounding snap echoed through the court. Joseph Hsu (12) and Noah Graves (12) were the first to notice Kim tumbling to the ground. Hsu initially thought that Andrew Kim had torn a ligament. Upon closer inspection, Hsu noticed that Kim broke his leg. The entire team was traumatized by the sight of Kim’s disfigured leg. As the paramedics lifted Kim on a stretcher and took him out of the gym, the Dalat Eagles were discouraged by the fact that they lost their captain early on in the tournament. Unable to clear the tragic event from their minds, the team lost the next two games. Dalat managed to defeat Kunming International Academy, ending the day with a win.

After a long day, the team took the metro to Prince of Wales Hospital to visit Kim, moments before he went for the first of two surgeries. The team was encouraged by Kim’s positive personality. He told jokes and was laughing even through his pain.

On the second day of the tournament, Dalat was evidently still affected by the previous day as they fought hard but still lost all four games that day against Christian Alliance International School (CAIS), Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS), International Christian School Hong Kong (ICSHK), and Grace International School (GIS).

All games were cancelled on Friday, October 21, due to Typhoon Haima. The athletes enjoyed the sauna and steam rooms and relaxed in their cozy rooms at Marriott Courtyard, the four-star hotel they stayed at for the duration of the tournament. They also had the opportunity to enjoy local food at a mall nearby.

Due to the cancellation of games on Friday, Dalat was put in the loser’s pool after their loss against GIS on Thursday. They were robbed of a chance at achieving their goal to place at the ACSC tournament. Despite the disappointment, the Eagles managed to perform well and win three of the four games they played on the final day of the tournament.

Keito Wantanabe (12) said, “The tournament was an invaluable experience. We were able to push through agony and play our best. Also, I was able to make new friends from other schools. I have gained many irreplaceable experiences from this tournament.”

Overall, the ACSC trip was a great experience. Staying at Marriott, learning to overcome adversities as a team, and making new friends with students from other schools in other countries made the trip to Hong Kong worth it.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DINGBAT DALAT STUDENT SPENDS PRECIOUS TIME CONJURING UP SELF-REFERENTIAL SENIOR SCRIBBLE RATHER THAN GATHERING LEGITIMATE WORK

By Anonymous
Yusoof Monawvil PENANG, MA - As the deadline drew near and the stars aligned in the night sky above the majestic waters of the Strait of Malacca, one particular Dalat student—Yusoof Monawvil (12), despite a plethora of school events to select and report on—opted instead to spend a remarkably well-wasted 24 minutes staring at a blank Google Docs page, fruitlessly drawing up and shooting down brainstormed ideas.  In a moment of sheer and undeniable epiphany, Monawvil deemed it only fitting to self-referentially satirize his own ingrained incompetence and dingbattery. Commenting on the flash of insight, Monawvil quoted himself, saying: “It all just kinda made sense. I went on DISCourse to look at the little rubric thing Ms. Grad and Mr. Hieber posted, and I checked if I was following all of the guidelines... And I technically am/was; [N]ot like there’s any specific direktive [sic] prohibiting self-quoting.”  In a turn of events, Monawvil did come to find his self-quoting en...
6 comments
Read more

"Spikeball, Swimming, and Sickness: The Remnants of Senior Sneak" by Ee Rynn Ong

By
“Guys, I think we’re here,” said Jonathan Ooi (12) as he peeked out of the lorry to catch the first glimpse of our Senior Sneak location. This year’s Senior Sneak was held in Nomad Adventure, Gopeng, and the organizers planned many activities for the Class of 2026, ranging from traditional games like congkak and batu seremban to adrenaline-pumping ropes courses and whitewater rafting. These scheduled activities proved to be some of the best highlights of the trip, but top of that, the seniors were also given some daily free time to chat, explore, and relax. Josh Stevens (12) had come prepared for this with two spikeball nets, which immediately attracted attention from people eager to spend time in the outdoor sun. The next five days saw spikeball veterans and newcomers alike, spending their precious one and a half hours daily around the unassuming circular net, smashing the yellow ball in hopes of a victory.  Caleb Evans (12) was one of the newbies to spikeball, learning how the g...
Post a Comment
Read more

“I Miss Her” by Nikhil Pillay

By
While most people had a fun week for mid-semester break, whether it was spent with family, or with friends on impact trips, no one had a more emotionally confusing week than Judson Kenneth Robert Nosker (12).  In the light of recent events, Judson, despite all odds, had gotten in a relationship with one of his classmates, and as the break started, he had started to spend a lot of time with her. While with her, he started to experience a new level of joy and completeness that he had never felt before. In the words of Judson Nosker, “The first half of the break was good, but the rest of it was horrible.”  The reason for such a quote and the roller coaster of emotion was because half way through the break, disaster had struck. Judson’s girlfriend had gone on a trip with her family to Thailand, leaving Judson all alone. For the rest of the week, Judson was in a state of longing for her presence.  His friends have reported numerous occasions when Judson would be sitting with t...
Post a Comment
Read more