By Nick Yates, ISB Communications
Who will win the ongoing Rugby World Cup? What of the legacy of the Japanese team, who became Asia’s biggest-ever success in the oval-ball sport after reaching the quarter finals? Who cares! What any true rugby fan round here wants to know is how the teams will fare in the upcoming APAC tournament at the International School of Beijing (ISB).
APAC (Asia Pacific Activities Conference) is among a number of prestigious school sports collectives that ISB competes in, with the school’s athletes concurrently traveling to APAC baseball, volleyball, and other meets hosted around the region this coming weekend.
ISAC (International Schools Athletic Conference) and China Cup also give throwers, jumpers, and tacklers plenty of freedom to explore, have fun, challenge themselves in their learning, and build strong relationships with their teammates and competitors. APAC brings together 12 international schools in the Asia Pacific; ISAC groups 17 international schools in Beijing and Tianjin; and China Cup involves ISB, Shanghai American School, Hong Kong International School, plus one more international school in Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong, depending where this mid-season tournament is held.
The year is divided into seasons, with different team sports – and many more individual sports – in each season. Whether it’s the elite or youth sporting action that’s got you excited right now, here’s the complete roster of team sports available at ISB:
Baseball
· Played in Season 1 (fall) in High School (HS) and Middle School (MS)
· 44 MS students and 23 HS students
· In MS, ISB has enough students for one Grade 6 team (mostly students new to the sport) and two mixed Grade 7 and 8 teams. There is a coaching staff of six, so students get lots of attention and personalized coaching. The ISB Dragons play games with two local baseball clubs as well as a couple of international schools.
· In HS, we have a Varsity and a Junior Varsity (JV) team. The Varsity team compete in China Cup and APAC and play weekly games with local club teams and schools, and travel up to two times per season. The JV team also compete in China Cup and participate in an annual invitational tournament with other international schools in the region. There are two coaches per team, and HS teams practice three or four times per week.
Basketball
· Played in Season 2 (winter) in HS and in Season 3 (spring) in MS
· In MS, ISB usually has three boys and three girls teams (Grade 6, and two combined Grade 7 and 8 teams), with over 70 students playing, and two coaches per team. Teams compete in ISAC, in a full set of season games including two weekend tournaments, with one being the end-of-season ISAC tournament.
· In HS, we have Varsity teams for boys and girls, two JV teams for boys, and one JV team for girls (around 40 boys and 25 girls in the program), with two coaches per team. All teams participate in China Cup, the Varsity teams play in APAC, and the JV teams in JPAC. JV teams also participate in ISAC.
· ISB also annually hosts the Tim Callahan Great Wall Shootout, an invitational event with international schools from all over Asia participating, started many years ago by ISB teacher Tim Callahan.
Rugby
· Played in Season 1 in HS and at the very end of the school year in MS
· In HS, there are around 25 boys and 25 girls in the program this year. Teams compete in APAC, as well as in at least one invitational tournament, with up to two trips in a season. Our boys team played in the Chinese national school championships last year and made it all the way to the final.
· In MS, we had close to 40 boys and girls involved in a short, month-long season, serving as an introduction to the sport for most of the students. Teams work toward playing games at the end of the season with local and international schools. The boys participate in an annual invitational tournament hosted by Dulwich.
Soccer
· Played in Season 3 in HS and in Season 1 in MS
· In MS, 45 boys and close to 30 girls are involved in the program. Teams compete in ISAC, in a full set of season games including two weekend tournaments, with one being the end-of-season ISAC tournament.
· In HS, around 50 boys and 30 girls are in the program. We have Varsity teams for boys and girls, two JV teams for boys, and one JV team for girls. Our Varsity teams play 11-a-side and JV teams play 7-a-side, with the exception being China Cup, which is 11-a-side for JV. All teams participate in China Cup, the Varsity teams play in APAC, and the JV teams in JPAC. There are up to two trips per season. JV teams also participate in ISAC.
Softball
· Played in Season 3 in HS and at the very end of the school year in MS
· HS teams compete in APAC and at least one invitational tournament, with up to two trips per season.
· For the MS girls, the month-long season serves as an introduction to the sport.
Volleyball
· Played in Season 1 in HS and in Season 2 in MS
· In HS, we have around 25 boys and 35 girls in the program – a Varsity and a JV team for boys, and a Varsity and two JV teams for girls. All teams participate in China Cup, the Varsity teams play in APAC and the JV teams in JPAC. Players enjoy up to two trips per season. JV teams also participate in ISAC. We just hosted this year’s China Cup tournament, with our JV boys winning it and Varsity girls losing in the championship game.
· In MS, there are around 40 boys and 50 girls in the program. Grade 6 teams play 3 Vs 3 volleyball with lower nets on a court the size of a badminton court – a format that’s great for skill development and exciting to watch. We usually have two Grade 7/8 boys teams and three teams for girls. Teams compete in ISAC, in a full set of season games including two weekend tournaments, with one being the end-of-season ISAC tournament.