Author: Luana Yo ('25)
Photographer: Meng Zhen Lo ('23)
Due to restrictions enforced after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, BAIS athletes have not been able to participate in the Indonesian International Small School Activity Conference, or IISSAC for short. However, BAIS student-athletes have managed to stay active and play the sports they love in spite of it all.
Maintaining their athletic capabilities, students have continued to stay active in doing various sports. On Mondays and Thursdays, there are two different clubs, the girls basketball and the boy’s basketball. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the badminton club meets, and on Tuesday and Thursday, the swim club meets.
Photo Courtesy of Ju Eun Song
“It’s been really fun and everyone there is nice and supportive in training and challenges,” said Darren Lie (‘25), a member of the boy’s basketball club.
Ms. Christensen, the BAIS girl’s basketball coach commented, “Playing together is the best way to learn the game, learn the fundamentals, have fun, and be active.”
Students have remained active in other ways, too. The BAIS Times asked students how they have stayed active in the midst of IISSAC uncertainties.
“Last year I did play basketball with other people, but now I don’t. Now, I do treadmill and follow YouTube videos for workouts,'' replied Sherin Chong (‘23), former IISSAC soccer and basketball player.
Stephanny Kusmana (‘22), former badminton player, responded that “During the pandemic, I honestly wasn't as active as pre-Covid, but I liked to dance and do short 15 minute workouts from YouTube. I also started to jump rope for 10 minutes 3x a week.”
Despite attempts to remain physically active outside of official school sports, athletes and coaches may feel like they are missing out on a lot of experiences that happen only during IISSAC.
“Students are left out on a fun opportunity to bond as a team and to learn the skills only a team sport is able to teach,” Ms. Christensen responded when asked about her feelings about BAIS students potentially missing another IISSAC.
Photo Courtesy of Meng Zhen Lo
Darren, who was also a former member of the swim team, told the BAIS Times about what he missed most from IISSAC events, “The fun part was training with my friends and using all that training by winning the relay race.”
It is not only student athletes that miss IISSAC events, though. All members of the BAIS community remember the sporting events in one way or another.
Ibu Dias, a member of the BAIS Athletic Department, told the BAIS Times that one of her favorite memories is “Cheering on the teams each game with the cowbell for the soccer and basketball IISSAC championships.”
Although it may be easier to only reminisce about the fun sides of IISSAC, it is worthwhile to note all of the work that had to be put in to make these competitions possible. “I was the one coming up with the torture, but you were the ones doing it, like running around the school, doing the extra 30 minutes of cardio, and it really paid off at IISSAC." said Ms. Christensen to the Times about her experience coaching the girls basketball team, “It was really awesome to see the growth, physical growth, and mental growth, growth of knowledge about the game from the first year I coached to the second year I coached.”
However, Ms. Christensen noted to The Times that coaching an IISSAC team is not only about the physical training of athletes. “As a coach, building relationships with your players is actually a two-sided answer. Finding that relationship to build can be a struggle, but by doing so it can help you, as a coach, gain a stronger bond with your players.”
Although nothing is certain yet, BAIS students and coaches alike are hoping that IISSAC events might resume before long. But until then, everyone is trying to make the most of a unique opportunity to improve their skills without inter-school competition.