Value within the Session

Darian Yeap

Another tiring Wednesday swung by, and the students gathered in the school chapel for an assembly. The topic was on the innovative idea, presented by Principal Brewster and StuCo, known as the Eagle Games. The assembly ended and the emotions amongst the students were greatly mixed. Students remained skeptical towards the upcoming event which replaced the worn-out event known as Track and Field.

But after the Eagle Games had concluded, Rainbow Chan (11) said, “Teamwork is more important than winning.” Are these the words of a noble sportsman? Or could these be the words of a humble loser?

On Friday, November 4^th, I was satisfied with my team and set out to our first station. Our first activity was an obstacle course. My team and I did an excellent job and completed the course first. But, apparently, a minor error in the information given by the teachers actually led to a second place finish and a quick apology. As noble and as sportsmanlike as we were, we left the station with minimal salt levels.

We then proceeded to the second station where we had to throw balls from one side of the pool to another. With tremendous luck, we faced a rather cunning team who did not follow the rules yet were awarded first for their effort, or effort beyond necessity.

For the remaining activities (scootering, Captain Ball with a rubber chicken, towel volleyball, tire “river crossing”, and human checkers) my team and I had our fair share of victories and defeats. Up till our final event, tug of war. On our first round, our opponent won effortlessly, and we were crushed. On our second round, David Chinn (11) and I decided to both enter the hoop at the end of our side of the rope. We both had our backs facing the rest of the team, and as soon as the whistle went, so did the two of us. We attempted to dash in the opposite direction, and it worked...for literally one second. Then we were abruptly tugged, and our backs were used to wax the dirt. 

I had my fair share of discussions with Christy Chow (12) and Kimberly Horton (12). Christy shared, “As one of the seniors in my subgroup, I learned how to lead and how to stay organized while trying to get around from activity to activity. But most importantly, I learned how to have fun and just enjoy the moment while participating in the event.” Kim followed by stating, “I felt like the event showed us that we could work together and have fun even with those we didn't know very well. It was so much fun getting to know people and working with them for the day.”

The Eagle Games has concluded and the victor was Quake. Just as Rainbow said, "I learned to believe that winning isn’t as crucial. Two common themes were found from my classmates: fun and teamwork. If these themes were the initial values [the creators] had in mind, then they’ve done a fantastic job. For at the end of the day, I truly had fun."