Eye On IASAS Issue 3 by Singapore American School

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EYE

SAS seniors Jack McCabe and Alex Schindele spike the ball during a game against JIS. Both eagle teams took home the gold for volleyball with a block from McCabe being the winning point during the boys’ game. Photo by SAS Photography Club.

Season closes with two double golds for ISB, SAS

By Ed Khoo With every championship game comes a polarity of emotion—from the numbing excitement of victory to the crestfallen woe of defeat—and on Oct. 22, both moods resonated among each IASAS team. Starting the first of three championships, the cross country finals—spanning 2.7 kilometer around the SAS campus—saw the persistence and drive of both boys and girls teams. The JIS boys team earned gold followed by SAS and ISM. Sealing their lead with the race in Bedok, the SAS girls placed first with ISB in second and JIS with bronze. The High School gym held the finals for both the boys and girls matches. A block from SAS’s middle hitter, senior Jack McCabe, guided the Eagles to a well-deserved gold. Taking the third set into additional points and ensuring a thrilling match, ISKL ended with silver and TAS with third. Following in the boy’s footsteps, the SAS girls finished with gold in three straight sets, ISB arrived in second and JIS in third, coming back from two sets down against TAS. Closing the night on the fields, the soccer finals kept crowds cheering with its adrenalin and suspense conjured from the balanced skillsets of both teams. Ultimately it was ISB who took gold from SAS, the reigning champion, in a goal during extra time that resulted with both team’s crowds storming the field. ISM came third, stealing bronze from JIS, in a 3-2 victory. ISB girls took gold in the last match of the tournament, with an early first goal against the ISM defense followed by another in the same half—making it a 2-0 victory. The SAS Lady Eagles earned bronze in a muddy match against JIS. With the final whistle blown, goal scored, ball spiked and stretch sprinted, the 30th IASAS came to an end. “With all the spirit and the sports together in one place, it’s really different from the other IASASes,” JIS’s Dinesh Ganesan said. “There is a lot of passion on the field and on the courts, and a lot of support… a lot more support than normal. We were a bit disappointed in our loss but we were proud in the end.”

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April 18, 2011

SAS’ youngest cheer for all visiting athletes

By Monica Chritton The students of Chris Hobson’s third grade class wore black and yellow and carried banners and flags with an ISB panther drawn on them. When the ISB girls volleyball team scored against ISKL, the third graders recited cheers they had composed. “S-T-A-R, that’s exactly what you are,” Hobson’s twenty shouted. Hobson’s students used their recess time to make posters and compose cheers for the rival Panthers. “SAS has lots of fans here, and a lot of people to cheer them on, so we thought the other teams could use a cheer base to cheer them on and make them feel more welcome,” Hobson said. A day earlier, the ISB girls volleyball team visited Hobson’s classroom where students met the players and asked questions. The team also said “kap khum kha”, a Thai greeting, to Hobson’s class as they entered the gym yesterday morning. ISB volleyball player Jayna Milan said that the unexpected fan base helped improve the team’s performance. “They came in right as we were about to play and it really pumped us up,” Milan said. SAS primary school students also cheered for other IASAS teams. JIS Cross Country coach Julie Richards said the extra support was, “gener-

SAS third-graders cheer on the ISB girls volleyball team in a game against ISKL. Photo Monica Chritton

ous, sweet and unexpected.” “I think it is a great idea because it makes you feel like the other school that is hosting really cares,” Richards said. Richards said that if this level of support continued in future IASAS tournaments, it would create a completely different atmosphere. Fourth-grade teacher Donna Hinton’s students cheered for JIS at the three games they attended. “I love sports and I am very passionate about it as my kids all know,” Hinton

said. “I want them to understand the joy of sports, but I also want them to know how important it is to have good sportsmanship under any circumstance, to be good hosts, to show the core values of our school.” Jocelyn Blass, a student in Hinton’s class, said her favorite part of IASAS was watching girls volleyball. “It was cool to see high-schoolers and it was almost as if they were professionals because they were so good,” Blass said. chritton17911@sas.edu.sg

Profiles: meet the player behind the jersey Grace Suprakob

By Theresa Ellsworth Sophomore Grace Suprakob is a returning member of the ISB varisty volleyball team. She initially started the sport because her brother played for the school’s varsity team. Her choice in sport paid off when ISB won gold last year in their home stadium. She describes this as her favorite season memory. The ISB volleyball team trains five days a week, like all of the other IASAS varsity sports team, but Suprakob does not consider their training “intense”. Besides volleyball, Suprakob busies herself with touch rugby during second season and singing in choir. ellsworth31719@sas.edu.sg

Alexander Piers

By Sana Vasi As a senior, this will be Alexander Piers’s second and final year in IASAS volleyball. He enjoys playing volleyball because of its intensity and also the girls. He hasn’t had any major injuries other than a couple of rolled ankles and fingers. Piers believes his biggest competition for IASAS is SAS. “They’re really good, and their hitters are so much better than every other team,” Piers said. His favorite IASAS memory was two years ago when he was a sophomore. “After every game, wewould walk to McDonalds, get McFlurries and sit in the kid’s play area,” Piers said. vasi32302@sas.edu.sg

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April 18, 2011

Anniversary sees reunion of mascots

By Tyler Stuart

IASAS is a cat fight of Panthers, Tigers and Bearcats, where Eagles circle and Dragons prowl, both hoping to dine on feline carnage. Of course, the fight is civil and respectful, the ‘carnage’, the result of a win or a loss. Mascots are essential elements of a team. They can motivate a team to victory. “I think that a mascot for any school is a symbol of the values and the characteristics of their players,” TAS Boys Soccer coach Carl Lochrin said. ISB Boys Volleyball coach Cameron Macky agrees. “The Panther is intended to strike fear into the heart of every opponent. The Panther is strong, powerful and crafty creature,” he said. “You never see it

Andrew Detwiler

coming until it is right on top of you.” There are some schools in IASAS who’s team characteristics are not represented by their mascot. Bearcat is a nickname for then binturong, an animal native to the Philippines. “The Bearcat sounds like a fierce and vicious animal, like a panther,” ISM Superintendent David Toze said. “It is actually a small, nocturnal, foul-smelling, quiescent creature that just snarls badly.” Toze said the binturong does not represent ISM characteristics, and that he thinks the mascot choice is “quite funny.” “I think it is a part of Manila and the Philippines. It is a bit of the madness that besets us. We

By Olivia Nguyen JIS sophomore Andrew Detwiler played volleyball for two years before being recruited to play for IASAS. Detwiler said the reason he picked up volleyball in the first place was because of a vivid dream he had one night. “I was trekking in the jungle and I got lost when a ghost-like figure appeared; it said if he saved me, I would have to play volleyball and sit on the bench exclusively,” Detwiler said. To train for IASAS, he religiously practiced volleyball and bench-pressed a train in addition to daily practices. Detwiler said his favorite season memory this year would be roofing the ball from a back row hit. Detwiler also enjoys playing basketball and softball. nguyen35543@sas.edu.sg

like it,” he said. The Panther duo is the focal point in the rivalry between originality and . ISB laid claim to the mascot before ISKL, who were previously called the Cobras. “I do think ISKL should have some pressure on them to switch their mascot since there should be only one Panther per conference” Macky said. ISKL Boys Soccer coach Erik Richardson didn’t disagree. “It is a little awkward having two schools with the same mascot. Maybe ISKL should go back to the Cobras,” he said. But he said there was no reason the two could not continue to coexist in IASAS. The fight which stretched over the weekend left teams jubilant and distraught. And yet the IASAS predators will meet again in three months as fierce competitors, but still friends.

stuart42156@sas.edu.sg

Margaret-Anne Smith

By Monica Chritton SAS cross country runner Margaret-Anne Smith placed fourth in the 5k. SAS coach Ian Coppell said he was pleased with Smith’s progress. “She certainly rose to the occasion,” Coppell said. “She is a minute and a half faster on the same course that she ran last week.” Smith said changes in practice did not cause improvement. “I think I just slacked off on the other races and put a lot of effort into [IASAS]. I was saving my energy,” Smith said. Smith also plays varsity tennis during second season. “I like tennis better because you do it for the fun. You do cross country for the pain and the fun comes later.” Smith said. “But the cross country team is way cooler.” chritton17911@sas.edu.sg

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April 18, 2011

IASAS in pictures Ms. Molchan leads the first stretch of the girl’s cross country race. SAS captain senior Ruby Hohensee was the first girl to cross the finish line of the 5k race. Photo by Quin Reidy.

ISKL senior Conor Neudorf and the rest of the ISKL boys volleyball team congratulate the JIS boys volleyball Dragons for their 2-1 win. Photo by Octavia Fuller.

Student Council provided face paint for Eagle supporters. Photo by Monica Chritton.

ISB sophomore Courtney Ballard blocks SAS freshman Rachel Kim’s shot. The game resulted in a 2-0 win for the ISB Panthers. Photo by Klara Auerbach.

The ISKL boys soccer team lost 2-4 against the ISM Bearcats. Photo by Pamela Chan.

The audience during the lunch Break Gig was filled with SAS students as well as IASAS athletes. Senior Ian Go sang “All These Things that I’ve Done” by The Killers. Photo by Pamela Chan.

JIS senior Sahira Idris finishes the last 500m of the girl’s Saturday cross country race in SAS. Photo by Monica Chritton.

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April 18, 2011

ISB Sophomore Cha Patra-Yanan throws the ball back into play during a round-robin game between SAS. Photo by Klara Auerbach.

SAS Freshman Sydney Lay runs through the tunnel created by supporters after tying a game against ISM. Photo by Olivia Nguyen.

SAS seniors Robert Barber, Jack McCabe and Kyle Sansom prep to return a serve from the ISM Bearcats. Photo by Klara Auerbach.

SAS captain senior Monica Sciezka bumps the ball over the net as an ISB panther blocks it. Photo by Klara Auerbach.

The SAS Eagles continued their round-robin winning streak with a 2-0 win against ISM. Photo by Octavia Fuller.

The girls start their first race in Bedok Resevoir. SAS won gold for the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; race, and JIS came out victorious for the boys. Photo by Quin Reidy.

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April 18, 2011

That time you derped Wait, No, Come back.. Photo by Ed Khoo.

Guys Look! My shadow looks like a crocodile! Photo by Pamela Chan.

What are you doing?! Photo by Jacqui Geday.

It’s called the bend and snap...oh snapped too far! Photo by Octavia Fuller.

It’s coming right at me! Photo by Olivia Nguyen.

I just love you so much. Photo by Octavia Fuller.

Hey, calm down. We can work this out. Photo by Olivia Nguyen.

If dancing were any easier, it would be called soccer. Photo by Pamela Chan.

I just love you so much. Photo by Octavia Fuller.

the eye

April 18, 2011

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April 18, 2011

The final standings Results of the IASAS 30th tournament

Soccer

Photo by Pamela Chan

GIRLS

1. ISB 2. ISM 3. SAS 4. JIS 5. ISKL 6. TAS

1. SAS 2. ISM 3. JIS 4. TAS 5. ISB 6. ISKL

BOYS

1. ISB 2. SAS 3. ISM 4. JIS 5. ISKL 6. TAS

1. SAS 2. ISKL 3. TAS 4. JIS 5. ISB 6. ISM

Volleyball

Photo by Monica Chritton

Cross Country

Photo by Monica Chritton