The sporting exchange with the RIS Swiss Section Bangkok took place once again on the weekend of January 12 to 14. Almost 20 students from the Bangkok school arrived on Friday evening to spend the weekend with host families from our school.
On Saturday morning, we kicked off our “Lions Kick” with a show match between the U8 and U10 teams, followed by a game between the U12 and U14 teams from both schools.
Our grass pitch showed its best side and the trees around it were wrapped in a mat for extra safety and the lines were neatly drawn in by the janitors. Many spectators gathered at the edge of the pitch to watch the games. The U12s fought with all their might against the physically superior players of their opponents. Fantastic goals were scored on both sides. The games were played passionately and fairly.
Our U14s dominated the game after a more even first half. They really got down to business and fought for every ball, as there was still a score to settle from the tournament in Bangkok in November 23 and many of the students already knew each other and had played against each other several times. The efforts of our footballers were clearly worthwhile. The spectators saw some great football at times.
After the game, they sat in the canteen eating and the duels were long forgotten. You could tell that it was about more than just soccer and conversations were already turning to all the fun and exciting activities that the host families had planned for the afternoon off.
The 10th grade took care of the physical well-being with sausages and steaks. There was a goal wall, which some children and adults tried their hand at. A fantastic start to the first part of the tournament.
The CDSC grounds then emptied quickly and preparations were made for the adult tournament. In the afternoon, the parents, an all-star team from the student body, the volunteers and the Old Lions battled it out. There were more exciting matches that were hard to beat in terms of drama. This was reflected in the fact that all matches were decided in a penalty shoot-out at the end. “It’s a goalkeeper’s day”, one voice was heard to say, and indeed it was. With fabulous saves, the goalkeepers seemed to be difficult to overcome on this day. In the end, the students managed to achieve a well-deserved tournament victory, which they more than deserved.
All teams received footballs as a gift and the sporting part of the day was concluded.
Now it was time to move on to the social part of the day, with barbecues, chats and laughter. There was even a bit of karaoke. As the red evening sun of Chiang Mai set over the palm trees and rooftops of the CDSC, we were able to pause for a moment and be certain: such beautiful moments are what make our school and our school life special.
Everyone was certain that the exchange with RIS should continue and be repeated. And again at our beautiful CDSC.
Thank you very much to everyone involved for this wonderful weekend.
