The following recaps are provided by the Athletic Council.
Volleyball Girls
From October 19 to October 21, the SASPX Girls’ Volleyball team played at the Super-APAC tournament, which is a special APAC event hosted once every four years, in Brent, Manila. In a swift 3-0 finals victory, the team defeated their rivals, SASPD, to claim SAS’s first ever Super-APAC title. A total of 12 teams – Brent, CA, ISB, WAB, SASPX, SASPD, AISG, CISS, HKIS, SFS, TCIS, and UNIS – competed at the event. The teams played each other in preliminary round-robin matches, with the top teams facing each other off in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. SASPX finished with a win-loss record of 4-1 to claim the Super-APAC trophy.
The team’s first match was against CA, who they beat without conceding a set (2-0). Their first loss came when they played their sister school SASPD in a nail-biting three-set thriller (1-2). The team then went on to defeat Brent (2-0), WAB (2-0), and ISB (2-0) to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
SASPX’s first game was against TCIS, who they beat in three straight sets (3-0). Their next match was against Brent (3-0). The team triumphed their opponents with ease to play a rematch against SASPD in the finals. Driven by both a desire for revenge and a hunger for the Super-APAC title, SASPX played marvelously, and with their teamwork, energy, and wits, they defeated their rivals in a brisk 3-0 victory.
Karina Kaypaghian, SASPX’s team captain, was overcome with joy at the moment of their victory. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said, “I was so happy we swept our toughest competitors in three sets.” Karina was also proud that her teammates played as well as they did. “Everyone was on their game and was playing their best,” she commented, “I’m extremely proud of my team and how far we’ve come.”
Being a senior this year, Karina could not be happier to finish high-school with a Super-APAC title: SAS’s first one too. Karina hopes that after she leaves, “[she’ll] be remembered as a teammate and a captain,” and she hopes that “[her] team can continue their winning streak and stay in the finals for many years to come.”
This year’s team set the precedent for many more successes to come by winning SAS’s first Super-APAC trophy. Although the team will be losing Karina, Cathy Cheng, Angela Loh, Rebecca Shao, and Celina Tala next year, there is still plenty of talent to carry their legacy. With this year’s volleyball program coming to a close, the players have already set their sights on next year’s APAC title, and when it comes along, they’ll be stronger than ever to snatch it once again.
Leonard Lee
Volleyball Boys
On October 19th, the SASPX Boys’ Volleyball Team began their three-day Super-APAC tournament at UNIS, Hanoi. For the first time in many years, the team made it to the finals of the event, only to suffer a valiant defeat to Brent in four sets (1-3). There was a total of twelve teams – Brent, CA, ISB, SASPX, SASPD, WAB, AISG, HKIS, CISS, SFS, TCIS, and UNIS – the teams were separated into Asia and Pacific Divisions where they played a round-robin format against each other. The teams then entered the quarter-final stage where they would try and progress up a ladder ranking. SASPX finished as finalists, losing only Brent.
SASPX’s division win-loss record was 4-1, playing CA (2-0), ISB (2-0), SASPD (2-1), WAB (2-0), and Brent (1-2), which secured them a spot in the quarter-finals. The team first beat AISG 3-0, which brought them to the semi-finals against SFS, who they also beat 3-0. The finals against Brent was a heated game, neither team seemed to gain the upper hand until the last set. SASPX eventually fell short of victory, and Brent, with a score of 3-1, took home the Super-APAC trophy.
Ben Wang, SASPX’s team captain, was heartbroken by the loss, but he was still prideful that his team made it so far. “There were more people congratulating the losing team than the winning team,” he remarked of the audience’s reaction, “we gave it our best and should be proud.”
Next year, much of the team will no longer be at SAS. Those leaving are: co-captain Mike Chen, Nathan Lang, Robert Tang, Nicholas Tuang, and Alex Zhou. Ben, too, is graduating this year, and he hopes than the team next year will be able to continue this year’s legacy; possibly also to win APAC.
Even without many of their seniors, the younger players have a repository of talent and are currently training hard. When APAC rolls around again in a year’s time, they will be ready to bring home the golden trophy.
Leonard Lee
Baseball
On Thursday, November 19th, APAC Baseball commenced, with APAC teams from all over Asia travelling to Shanghai to participate in this three-day tournament. The meet, co-hosted by Concordia International School Shanghai and Shanghai American School Pudong, was held on SAS Pudong’s baseball fields. The 8 teams present were Brent, CA, CISS, SASPX, HKIS, ISB, SASPD, and SASJV. These 8 teams were split into 2 groups of 4, wherein they competed to advance to the semi-finals and finals. The top 2 of each group advanced to the semi’s, and the winner of that advanced to the finals.
SASPX was in Pool A (alongside Brent, CA, and CISS), and strongly advanced to the finals by winning every game in their pool. In the semi finals, SASPX played SASPD, and continued their winning streak by beating Pudong 9:4. And so, SASPX advanced to the finals for the first time in 12 years! After a hard match, they came out with a silver medal.
The team is proud of what they have accomplished, and believes they played well. Notable highlights of the tournament include Clifford Lin’s spectacular diving catch and hits in the finals, Teddy’s consistent batting, Eric Yao’s clutch 8 pitch at bat that drew the walk for the comeback in the semis, and freshmen Carter and Aiden’s reliable pitching throughout the tournament.
Captain Clifford Lin remarks about his last APAC, “Obviously I would have loved winning APAC baseball my senior year, but I’m proud that we got second place. I’m pretty sure no one thought we would go this far in APAC, not even our coaches. We got last in the baseball invitations in CA and got destroyed by both Pudong and Hong Kong multiple times during the season. Being through that and coming in at second place, I am ecstatic about the fact that we got second.”
He also believes that “the key factor that allowed us to succeed was definitely our team spirit. We bonded well as a team right from the get go so we improved together. That was crucial as the team improved as a collective, allowing everyone to hit better, pitch better, and field better. We are only losing two seniors this year so I expect the younger guys to win APAC in the next year or two.”
The baseball team has set the stage for a bright future ahead by advancing to the finals for the first time in recent years. Although the team will be losing Captain Clifford Lin as well as Peter Park, the baseball team is a young team and has plenty of remaining talent to carry on their legacy. They have another year to get ready for the next APAC, and will surely return even stronger when it rolls around again.
Evian Chai
Cross Country
On Friday, November 20th, the SASPX Cross Country team flew to Guangzhou to attend APAC XC, hosted this year by American International School Guangzhou (AISG). The race course this year was located at the campus of Utahloy International School ZengCheng, an international school located in the fields outside of Guangzhou. Due to the abundance of natural space there, this year’s race course was dynamic and challenging with plenty of hills, offering runners a true “cross country” course. This year’s meet was the biggest yet in APAC Cross Country history, with a total of 8 schools participating, and an approximate of 60-70 runners per gender. The schools present were SASPX, SASPD, Concordia, AISG, SFS, HKIS, WAB, and ISB.
On the day of the event, everyone was pumped and the air was abuzz with the energy of the runners. After a walkthrough of the course, the girl’s race kicked off at 11:15, with the boys racing soon after the girls finished. Each SASPX runner fought the pain and ran their hardest for their team, leading to commendable results. The girls were a dominating force, with 3 top 10 finishes including juniors Renee placing 3rd, Evian placing 6th, and Gloria placing 9th. The boys had similarly strong show outs, with junior Raj placing 5th and Hanson placing 6th. In the end, the boys SAS team placed 3rd overall, behind SFS and SASPD. The girls team came out as triumphant champions of APAC XC, for the first time in SAS history!
Co-caption Renee Pearce said, “I couldn't be more proud of my girls. I nearly was in tears by how well everyone ran. I believe the key factors that allowed us to succeed was staying positive and strong minded through the pain,” with co-captain Evian Chai adding that, “We’ve really grown tight as a team this year, and I’m so happy that everyone got a chance to push themselves and see their dedication throughout the season pay off. Other than our win, the thing I’m most proud of is the girls’ constant desire to improve throughout the season, and our support and love for each other. As all the runners will be here next year, I can't wait to see what we accomplish next.”
As for the boys, co-captain Hanson remarked that the “guys ran gritty races on a hard course and of course I was super proud that it paid off in a trip to the medal stand. Honestly it was quite surreal; almost all of us set personal bests at APAC-you can't make that up. Co-captain Jacob Earley added that “I think the key factors that allowed for our success was how we always were able to make fun of each other and use each other’s spirt to create an atmosphere that allowed for spirit and joy to thrive in. I think ultimately we respected each other and knew what the other teammate needed to run faster and harder than before. And when it comes to running, this is what matters; its only 10% physical and 90% mental. I think for the future there is a lot of raw talent that I can't wait to see step into leadership positions on the team. It will be exciting to see how the underclass men choose to lead the team, because however they do it will take the team in a new direction.
Overall, the SASPX Cross Country team has really grown this year to become a commendable force united in their passion for running. They plan to continue training hard, and run their way to more victories in the future.
Evian Chai
Rugby Girls
On Wednesday, November 18, the SAS Puxi Girl's Rugby Team took off for APAC. This year, APAC Girl's Rugby was hosted by Hong Kong International School, with SAS Pudong, ISB, WAB, HKIS, and TCIS participating in this competition. TCIS did not have a girl's team, and thus the girls' side of the tournament commenced with only 5 teams. Each team was to play each other once, then each team would be placed to play either consolation matches or a championship game.
According to the Athletic Council, this would be the legendary year etched into SAS Girls Rugby history: the "3peat". APAC champions, three years in a row.
From a 17-14 defeat against Pudong at APAC, the girls fought harder for their championship. After a 36-10 win against HKIS and a 57-0 shutout against WAB, the girls made sure they were back on track to winning APAC for a third year. With their 19-0 shutout against Pudong in the finals, they brought home the trophy once again.
"I'm really proud of the team winning for three years in a row, especially with this team," said Ashley Tang, a junior on the team, "There were many ups and downs this season, and to end as APAC champions is something I'm very proud of."
One of the factors that lead to their success was their teamwork. By the end of the season she notes that they were "able to work together as a team", and that their "chemistry had improved dramatically since the start of the season". But that was not the only factor.
"As cheesy as it sounds, we just needed to believe in ourselves," she said. Because there were quite a few new players in rugby this year, the team was prone to "being nervous and frantic". In their finals though, they really grew as a team. "During our finals, we stayed really calm," she says, "and I think that's partly why we won."
Looking ahead to next year, she has very high hopes.
"Well obviously, we're out for a '4peat' next year as well," she says, the team's goal being a four time APAC champion, "it won't be easy though." The team will be losing many seniors this year, including Sofie Fella, Beatrice Ho, Vanessa Li, Erica Liu, Kelly Liu, Helen Lo, Chae Hwan Moon, and Angela Zheng, all of whom will be sorely missed by the team. Even so, the team remains ecstatic for next year.
"We still have a very solid team left, and we are going to come back stronger next year."
Luca Lee
Rugby Boys
It was undeniably one of the Rugby Boys' best performances in the past four years. On Wednesday, November 18, the SAS Varsity Rugby Team travelled to Hong Kong International School to participate in APAC. Among the teams that attended were SAS Pudong, HKIS, ISB, WAB, and TCIS. Each team was to play each other once, and then placed into either consolation matches or the championship match.
Although they finished fourth, they defeated last year's APAC champions 17-5, and among all the teams, they had the closest point margin to HKIS, the APAC champions. The team had a slow start, losing to Pudong 35-5, but they bounced back by defeating TCIS 56-0 and ISB 28-21. They played through the championship fully embodying the Eagle spirit. Though they had the same number of wins and losses as both WAB and Pudong, they were not able to advance into the finals.
"Fourth place does not accurately reflect the heart and quality of Puxi Boys Rugby", said Ben Chow, a senior on the team, "we were among the three contenders to be in the finals, but unluckily, due to point differential, we did not go through."
Though disappointed that they could not play in the finals, Ben is not at all disappointed with the team. He couldn’t stop praising rugby's tendency to "require each player to literally put his body on the line for his teammates", the type of risk that creates "a chemistry like no other". With such a bond created among each other, the one thing that could not go unnoticed are "the players' hearts".
"I can see it in all of their eyes", said Ben, "each loss, each mistake, is taken personally; everyone wants to learn and wants to get better."
He not only praises his teammates, but also recognizes the coaches who have devoted enormous amounts of time and energy for the team. He believes that the coaches are effectively "molding a Rugby culture at SAS Puxi", one that will soon be "undeniably strong".
Being his last year here, he now looks towards the future.
"The future of SAS Boys Rugby is very bright, with lots of young talent," he says. "Our program is gaining more and more athletes with a competitive spirit and with the passion to play rugby." He, like many others, hopes that this trend continues for the foreseeable future. Now, as he looks back at his time with the rugby team, he has "absolutely no regrets". Ben is not the only senior on the varsity team; they will have to say goodbye to Miles Dycaico, Tim Kim, Tae Joon Jeong, David Zhou, and Jae Jin Shin, all of whom will be sorely missed by those who played alongside them this season.
Luca Lee
Tennis
2017 APAC tennis was hosted at Western Academy Beijing from October 19th till October 21st. This year was like no other APAC, it was Super APAC where all schools in both the Pacific division and Asia division came together to compete. Super APAC only occurs every so often, the last occurred in 2011, making this year a very important APAC to the tennis players. The 11 other schools that participated in this competition included: UNIS, BRENT, AISG, HKIS, SASPD, CISS, CA, SFS, TCIS, ISB, and WAB. Within tennis APAC, there are 4 categories: Singles 1, Singles 2, Doubles and Mixed doubles (which consist of one boy and one girl from the team). This totals up to 10 players, 5 girls and 5 boys, that represented SASPX over the weekend.
This year the girls brought home the gold, with Seoul Foreign school placing 2nd and Hong Kong International School coming in 3rd. Individually, the following were the results for the girls:
Singles 1: Tania Tan — 4th place
Singles 2: Claire Huang — Champion
Doubles: Tina Yin and Wendy Xu — Champions
Mixed Doubles: Nirvaan and Annika — 3rd Place
Girl's captain, Tina Yin felt that "As a senior it was the best way I (she) could possibly imagine to end my (her) 4 year tennis career." That the "best part of winning this competition was in how much of a challenge it was." With 12 matches each, playing against 11 different schools over the 3 days, made it both mentally and physically challenging. According to Tina, who could not be more proud of her team, believes that what brought them their success this year was the combination of players.
She says, "in tennis only some play singles and some play doubles, some players are better at singles and better at doubles. The way the slotting of players into each of the respective slots worked out to create the strongest combinations, which in turn allowed us to win the most points for our team championship." Tina advises future teams to make sure to have fun, "winning APAC champions is very cool, a gold medal is great, but taking the dub isn’t the most rewarding part of playing an APAC sport, its in the people and the community and the experience of competition. It’s the challenge and the memories that come with being on team and playing a sport."
The boys came in 3rd place after tough battles between a few ITF level players. Seoul Foreign School placed 1st and Hong Kong International School placed 2nd. According to the coach Phil Kittower, the boys "sustained a high level of play and as well as playing the mental game exceptionally well." Individually these were the results for the boys:
Singles 1: Edward Chen — 4th place
Singles 2: Jerry Qiao — 4th place
Doubles: Timothy and Nick Tan — Runners up
Mixed Doubles: Nirvaan Malkani and Annika Wang — 3rd Place
Boy's Captain Tim Tan felt extremely proud of his team's performance considering the level of their opponents. He believes that what allowed his teammates to "strive to the top this year was not only the players, but the placing of these players in different events. We (they) managed to arrange the players in a way that not only helped us make up for each other's weaknesses, but amplify our (their) strength as an entire team. Tim also believes that "practicing hard and making full use of practice time is one thing; however, being a part of a TEAM is another. Sweating together, eating together, traveling together, and crying together" is what makes the sport worth while.
Renee Pearce
Volleyball Girls
From October 19 to October 21, the SASPX Girls’ Volleyball team played at the Super-APAC tournament, which is a special APAC event hosted once every four years, in Brent, Manila. In a swift 3-0 finals victory, the team defeated their rivals, SASPD, to claim SAS’s first ever Super-APAC title. A total of 12 teams – Brent, CA, ISB, WAB, SASPX, SASPD, AISG, CISS, HKIS, SFS, TCIS, and UNIS – competed at the event. The teams played each other in preliminary round-robin matches, with the top teams facing each other off in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. SASPX finished with a win-loss record of 4-1 to claim the Super-APAC trophy.
The team’s first match was against CA, who they beat without conceding a set (2-0). Their first loss came when they played their sister school SASPD in a nail-biting three-set thriller (1-2). The team then went on to defeat Brent (2-0), WAB (2-0), and ISB (2-0) to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
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| Courtesy of Athletic Council |
SASPX’s first game was against TCIS, who they beat in three straight sets (3-0). Their next match was against Brent (3-0). The team triumphed their opponents with ease to play a rematch against SASPD in the finals. Driven by both a desire for revenge and a hunger for the Super-APAC title, SASPX played marvelously, and with their teamwork, energy, and wits, they defeated their rivals in a brisk 3-0 victory.
Karina Kaypaghian, SASPX’s team captain, was overcome with joy at the moment of their victory. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said, “I was so happy we swept our toughest competitors in three sets.” Karina was also proud that her teammates played as well as they did. “Everyone was on their game and was playing their best,” she commented, “I’m extremely proud of my team and how far we’ve come.”
This year’s team set the precedent for many more successes to come by winning SAS’s first Super-APAC trophy. Although the team will be losing Karina, Cathy Cheng, Angela Loh, Rebecca Shao, and Celina Tala next year, there is still plenty of talent to carry their legacy. With this year’s volleyball program coming to a close, the players have already set their sights on next year’s APAC title, and when it comes along, they’ll be stronger than ever to snatch it once again.
Leonard Lee
Volleyball Boys
On October 19th, the SASPX Boys’ Volleyball Team began their three-day Super-APAC tournament at UNIS, Hanoi. For the first time in many years, the team made it to the finals of the event, only to suffer a valiant defeat to Brent in four sets (1-3). There was a total of twelve teams – Brent, CA, ISB, SASPX, SASPD, WAB, AISG, HKIS, CISS, SFS, TCIS, and UNIS – the teams were separated into Asia and Pacific Divisions where they played a round-robin format against each other. The teams then entered the quarter-final stage where they would try and progress up a ladder ranking. SASPX finished as finalists, losing only Brent.
SASPX’s division win-loss record was 4-1, playing CA (2-0), ISB (2-0), SASPD (2-1), WAB (2-0), and Brent (1-2), which secured them a spot in the quarter-finals. The team first beat AISG 3-0, which brought them to the semi-finals against SFS, who they also beat 3-0. The finals against Brent was a heated game, neither team seemed to gain the upper hand until the last set. SASPX eventually fell short of victory, and Brent, with a score of 3-1, took home the Super-APAC trophy.
Ben Wang, SASPX’s team captain, was heartbroken by the loss, but he was still prideful that his team made it so far. “There were more people congratulating the losing team than the winning team,” he remarked of the audience’s reaction, “we gave it our best and should be proud.”
Next year, much of the team will no longer be at SAS. Those leaving are: co-captain Mike Chen, Nathan Lang, Robert Tang, Nicholas Tuang, and Alex Zhou. Ben, too, is graduating this year, and he hopes than the team next year will be able to continue this year’s legacy; possibly also to win APAC.
Even without many of their seniors, the younger players have a repository of talent and are currently training hard. When APAC rolls around again in a year’s time, they will be ready to bring home the golden trophy.
Leonard Lee
Baseball
On Thursday, November 19th, APAC Baseball commenced, with APAC teams from all over Asia travelling to Shanghai to participate in this three-day tournament. The meet, co-hosted by Concordia International School Shanghai and Shanghai American School Pudong, was held on SAS Pudong’s baseball fields. The 8 teams present were Brent, CA, CISS, SASPX, HKIS, ISB, SASPD, and SASJV. These 8 teams were split into 2 groups of 4, wherein they competed to advance to the semi-finals and finals. The top 2 of each group advanced to the semi’s, and the winner of that advanced to the finals.
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| Courtesy of Athletic Council |
SASPX was in Pool A (alongside Brent, CA, and CISS), and strongly advanced to the finals by winning every game in their pool. In the semi finals, SASPX played SASPD, and continued their winning streak by beating Pudong 9:4. And so, SASPX advanced to the finals for the first time in 12 years! After a hard match, they came out with a silver medal.
The team is proud of what they have accomplished, and believes they played well. Notable highlights of the tournament include Clifford Lin’s spectacular diving catch and hits in the finals, Teddy’s consistent batting, Eric Yao’s clutch 8 pitch at bat that drew the walk for the comeback in the semis, and freshmen Carter and Aiden’s reliable pitching throughout the tournament.
Captain Clifford Lin remarks about his last APAC, “Obviously I would have loved winning APAC baseball my senior year, but I’m proud that we got second place. I’m pretty sure no one thought we would go this far in APAC, not even our coaches. We got last in the baseball invitations in CA and got destroyed by both Pudong and Hong Kong multiple times during the season. Being through that and coming in at second place, I am ecstatic about the fact that we got second.”
He also believes that “the key factor that allowed us to succeed was definitely our team spirit. We bonded well as a team right from the get go so we improved together. That was crucial as the team improved as a collective, allowing everyone to hit better, pitch better, and field better. We are only losing two seniors this year so I expect the younger guys to win APAC in the next year or two.”
The baseball team has set the stage for a bright future ahead by advancing to the finals for the first time in recent years. Although the team will be losing Captain Clifford Lin as well as Peter Park, the baseball team is a young team and has plenty of remaining talent to carry on their legacy. They have another year to get ready for the next APAC, and will surely return even stronger when it rolls around again.
Evian Chai
Cross Country
On Friday, November 20th, the SASPX Cross Country team flew to Guangzhou to attend APAC XC, hosted this year by American International School Guangzhou (AISG). The race course this year was located at the campus of Utahloy International School ZengCheng, an international school located in the fields outside of Guangzhou. Due to the abundance of natural space there, this year’s race course was dynamic and challenging with plenty of hills, offering runners a true “cross country” course. This year’s meet was the biggest yet in APAC Cross Country history, with a total of 8 schools participating, and an approximate of 60-70 runners per gender. The schools present were SASPX, SASPD, Concordia, AISG, SFS, HKIS, WAB, and ISB.
On the day of the event, everyone was pumped and the air was abuzz with the energy of the runners. After a walkthrough of the course, the girl’s race kicked off at 11:15, with the boys racing soon after the girls finished. Each SASPX runner fought the pain and ran their hardest for their team, leading to commendable results. The girls were a dominating force, with 3 top 10 finishes including juniors Renee placing 3rd, Evian placing 6th, and Gloria placing 9th. The boys had similarly strong show outs, with junior Raj placing 5th and Hanson placing 6th. In the end, the boys SAS team placed 3rd overall, behind SFS and SASPD. The girls team came out as triumphant champions of APAC XC, for the first time in SAS history!
Co-caption Renee Pearce said, “I couldn't be more proud of my girls. I nearly was in tears by how well everyone ran. I believe the key factors that allowed us to succeed was staying positive and strong minded through the pain,” with co-captain Evian Chai adding that, “We’ve really grown tight as a team this year, and I’m so happy that everyone got a chance to push themselves and see their dedication throughout the season pay off. Other than our win, the thing I’m most proud of is the girls’ constant desire to improve throughout the season, and our support and love for each other. As all the runners will be here next year, I can't wait to see what we accomplish next.”
As for the boys, co-captain Hanson remarked that the “guys ran gritty races on a hard course and of course I was super proud that it paid off in a trip to the medal stand. Honestly it was quite surreal; almost all of us set personal bests at APAC-you can't make that up. Co-captain Jacob Earley added that “I think the key factors that allowed for our success was how we always were able to make fun of each other and use each other’s spirt to create an atmosphere that allowed for spirit and joy to thrive in. I think ultimately we respected each other and knew what the other teammate needed to run faster and harder than before. And when it comes to running, this is what matters; its only 10% physical and 90% mental. I think for the future there is a lot of raw talent that I can't wait to see step into leadership positions on the team. It will be exciting to see how the underclass men choose to lead the team, because however they do it will take the team in a new direction.
Overall, the SASPX Cross Country team has really grown this year to become a commendable force united in their passion for running. They plan to continue training hard, and run their way to more victories in the future.
Evian Chai
Rugby Girls
On Wednesday, November 18, the SAS Puxi Girl's Rugby Team took off for APAC. This year, APAC Girl's Rugby was hosted by Hong Kong International School, with SAS Pudong, ISB, WAB, HKIS, and TCIS participating in this competition. TCIS did not have a girl's team, and thus the girls' side of the tournament commenced with only 5 teams. Each team was to play each other once, then each team would be placed to play either consolation matches or a championship game.
According to the Athletic Council, this would be the legendary year etched into SAS Girls Rugby history: the "3peat". APAC champions, three years in a row.
From a 17-14 defeat against Pudong at APAC, the girls fought harder for their championship. After a 36-10 win against HKIS and a 57-0 shutout against WAB, the girls made sure they were back on track to winning APAC for a third year. With their 19-0 shutout against Pudong in the finals, they brought home the trophy once again.
"I'm really proud of the team winning for three years in a row, especially with this team," said Ashley Tang, a junior on the team, "There were many ups and downs this season, and to end as APAC champions is something I'm very proud of."
One of the factors that lead to their success was their teamwork. By the end of the season she notes that they were "able to work together as a team", and that their "chemistry had improved dramatically since the start of the season". But that was not the only factor.
"As cheesy as it sounds, we just needed to believe in ourselves," she said. Because there were quite a few new players in rugby this year, the team was prone to "being nervous and frantic". In their finals though, they really grew as a team. "During our finals, we stayed really calm," she says, "and I think that's partly why we won."
Looking ahead to next year, she has very high hopes.
"Well obviously, we're out for a '4peat' next year as well," she says, the team's goal being a four time APAC champion, "it won't be easy though." The team will be losing many seniors this year, including Sofie Fella, Beatrice Ho, Vanessa Li, Erica Liu, Kelly Liu, Helen Lo, Chae Hwan Moon, and Angela Zheng, all of whom will be sorely missed by the team. Even so, the team remains ecstatic for next year.
"We still have a very solid team left, and we are going to come back stronger next year."
Luca Lee
Rugby Boys
It was undeniably one of the Rugby Boys' best performances in the past four years. On Wednesday, November 18, the SAS Varsity Rugby Team travelled to Hong Kong International School to participate in APAC. Among the teams that attended were SAS Pudong, HKIS, ISB, WAB, and TCIS. Each team was to play each other once, and then placed into either consolation matches or the championship match.
 |
| Courtesy of Athletic Council |
Although they finished fourth, they defeated last year's APAC champions 17-5, and among all the teams, they had the closest point margin to HKIS, the APAC champions. The team had a slow start, losing to Pudong 35-5, but they bounced back by defeating TCIS 56-0 and ISB 28-21. They played through the championship fully embodying the Eagle spirit. Though they had the same number of wins and losses as both WAB and Pudong, they were not able to advance into the finals.
"Fourth place does not accurately reflect the heart and quality of Puxi Boys Rugby", said Ben Chow, a senior on the team, "we were among the three contenders to be in the finals, but unluckily, due to point differential, we did not go through."
Though disappointed that they could not play in the finals, Ben is not at all disappointed with the team. He couldn’t stop praising rugby's tendency to "require each player to literally put his body on the line for his teammates", the type of risk that creates "a chemistry like no other". With such a bond created among each other, the one thing that could not go unnoticed are "the players' hearts".
"I can see it in all of their eyes", said Ben, "each loss, each mistake, is taken personally; everyone wants to learn and wants to get better."
He not only praises his teammates, but also recognizes the coaches who have devoted enormous amounts of time and energy for the team. He believes that the coaches are effectively "molding a Rugby culture at SAS Puxi", one that will soon be "undeniably strong".
Being his last year here, he now looks towards the future.
"The future of SAS Boys Rugby is very bright, with lots of young talent," he says. "Our program is gaining more and more athletes with a competitive spirit and with the passion to play rugby." He, like many others, hopes that this trend continues for the foreseeable future. Now, as he looks back at his time with the rugby team, he has "absolutely no regrets". Ben is not the only senior on the varsity team; they will have to say goodbye to Miles Dycaico, Tim Kim, Tae Joon Jeong, David Zhou, and Jae Jin Shin, all of whom will be sorely missed by those who played alongside them this season.
Luca Lee
Tennis
2017 APAC tennis was hosted at Western Academy Beijing from October 19th till October 21st. This year was like no other APAC, it was Super APAC where all schools in both the Pacific division and Asia division came together to compete. Super APAC only occurs every so often, the last occurred in 2011, making this year a very important APAC to the tennis players. The 11 other schools that participated in this competition included: UNIS, BRENT, AISG, HKIS, SASPD, CISS, CA, SFS, TCIS, ISB, and WAB. Within tennis APAC, there are 4 categories: Singles 1, Singles 2, Doubles and Mixed doubles (which consist of one boy and one girl from the team). This totals up to 10 players, 5 girls and 5 boys, that represented SASPX over the weekend.
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| Courtesy of Athletic Council |
This year the girls brought home the gold, with Seoul Foreign school placing 2nd and Hong Kong International School coming in 3rd. Individually, the following were the results for the girls:
Singles 1: Tania Tan — 4th place
Singles 2: Claire Huang — Champion
Doubles: Tina Yin and Wendy Xu — Champions
Mixed Doubles: Nirvaan and Annika — 3rd Place
Girl's captain, Tina Yin felt that "As a senior it was the best way I (she) could possibly imagine to end my (her) 4 year tennis career." That the "best part of winning this competition was in how much of a challenge it was." With 12 matches each, playing against 11 different schools over the 3 days, made it both mentally and physically challenging. According to Tina, who could not be more proud of her team, believes that what brought them their success this year was the combination of players.
She says, "in tennis only some play singles and some play doubles, some players are better at singles and better at doubles. The way the slotting of players into each of the respective slots worked out to create the strongest combinations, which in turn allowed us to win the most points for our team championship." Tina advises future teams to make sure to have fun, "winning APAC champions is very cool, a gold medal is great, but taking the dub isn’t the most rewarding part of playing an APAC sport, its in the people and the community and the experience of competition. It’s the challenge and the memories that come with being on team and playing a sport."
The boys came in 3rd place after tough battles between a few ITF level players. Seoul Foreign School placed 1st and Hong Kong International School placed 2nd. According to the coach Phil Kittower, the boys "sustained a high level of play and as well as playing the mental game exceptionally well." Individually these were the results for the boys:
Singles 1: Edward Chen — 4th place
Singles 2: Jerry Qiao — 4th place
Doubles: Timothy and Nick Tan — Runners up
Mixed Doubles: Nirvaan Malkani and Annika Wang — 3rd Place
Boy's Captain Tim Tan felt extremely proud of his team's performance considering the level of their opponents. He believes that what allowed his teammates to "strive to the top this year was not only the players, but the placing of these players in different events. We (they) managed to arrange the players in a way that not only helped us make up for each other's weaknesses, but amplify our (their) strength as an entire team. Tim also believes that "practicing hard and making full use of practice time is one thing; however, being a part of a TEAM is another. Sweating together, eating together, traveling together, and crying together" is what makes the sport worth while.
Renee Pearce
