So, here's the final segment of the Competitions post. Enjoy!
Our competition continued on 11/11/11. It was another rainy day, but we did our best not to let it bother us. The day started with live performances by three student-based bands. My classmate, Lin Yiyu, was the bass player in two of these bands. The performances got better as we went. The final band played 2 songs, one in English (Holiday by Green Day) and one in Chinese; both were very well-received.
Next were the class relays. Each class had 20 people on their team, each of whom would run 100 meters and pass the baton to the next person. We were given about 20 minutes to stretch and get organized; my team used this time to play Ninja [if you don't know this game, ask Celia Robinson to explain it to you], chat, stretch, and put on our numbered jerseys (my team got the green ones, which was exciting for me). When we were finally ready and were all in position, our race was postponed for several minutes because of the heavy rain. Students and teachers did their best to push all the water off the track, using various tools, some more effective than others. After about 20 minutes, we all got lined up again, and this time the race went without any unfortunate incidents. My team finished 3rd in the heat and didn't place overall, but I felt we ran quite well.
Following these races, there was one more, slightly more lighthearted competition. In this race, each class had a team of about 20 people, paired according to height, and the object of the game was for each of the pairs to get a large inflated ball (like an exercise ball) across the play area and back to their team without dropping it. This was made tricky by how they had to hold the ball: the partners would stand back to back with their arms linked and hold the ball between their backs. My team did okay in this competition, but other teams were definitely better-prepared.
When I wasn't competing, I was having a good time socializing with my classmates and friends. I lost count of how many pictures I posed for, but my smile was genuine in all of them. I especially enjoyed my time with two very fun, silly girls who go by the names Red and Kiki. They are both very sweet, pretty girls who made me laugh and smile throughout the day.
After the games (lunch happened sometime in here, without a nap this time) came the awards ceremony. The principal gave out the awards for all the competitions. My class got 3 awards. One of these was a 1st place, which was for "Most Creative Entrance." As we did in the cheer leading competition, we received food products as our prize. Various class members also received individual awards for their races.
Thank you all for your patience, and I hoped you enjoyed these stories. Please comment!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
School Competitions - Part 2
As promised, here is part 2! However, I have decided to put only the first day of the sports event into this post. Part 3 will cover the second day, and should be published very soon. Enjoy!
This two day event was a very big deal! My class didn't prepare for it for as long as the cheer leading competition, but we did prepare how we would walk in during the opening ceremony. Every class had a sign with the class name, and we were allowed to decorate our signs, dress up, and/or use music for our entrance. My class decorated our sign as a lion and everyone dressed up in the class shirt, along with black headbands with gold tinsel (designed to look like a lion's mane) and strings of tinsel emerging from the seats of our pants (as our tails). We walked in and did our class cheer (the clapping and screaming we started our routine with in the video from Part 1), but instead of jumping at the end, we turned and showed the people on stage our tails. Then we watched the other classes do their entrances. Many classes had short (15- to 30-second) dances. Only a few chose to do nothing special.
After everyone had walked in with their classes, we ate lunch. After lunch, we had about an hour to nap. This naptime was entertaining for me, because I finally got to see my classmates sleeping on the floor (or rather, on cardboard and newspaper) instead of in their chairs (because our chairs were outside). One girl even slept laying across several desks! I found it very entertaining.
After this intermission, the classes returned to their seats (which were covered) and watched several demonstrations. First there was a demonstration by the Aboriginal Dance group, in full costume and utilizing various props (including baskets). Despite the rain, it was a good performance; a few dancers fell, but they got up and carried on. It was very impressive. Afterward, the winners from the cheer leading competition, our sister class, performed their routine for everyone again. It was, as one might expect, a very good routine. Then we had another cheer leading performance, this time from about 20 of our female teachers. They had been practicing for over a month, and were extremely good - synchronized, confident, etc. Following these presentations, the sports teams walked in. The volleyball team (of which I am a member) wore our uniforms (all Mizuno products; I had received mine the previous day) with short blue shorts, sleeveless shirts with our numbers (I'm #10), high black socks with red flames up the sides, and carrying blue-and-yellow volleyballs (with our numbers on them) under our left arms. The track, basketball, and cheer leading teams followed. Then the flags were presented (as ROTC does in NM) by several students while students from each class presented their class signs.
The remainder of that day consisted of a jump-rope competition where each class had a team of approximately 20 people attempting to jump over the rope as many times as possible during the given time. My class didn't do very well, but we weren't horrible.
Please comment!
This two day event was a very big deal! My class didn't prepare for it for as long as the cheer leading competition, but we did prepare how we would walk in during the opening ceremony. Every class had a sign with the class name, and we were allowed to decorate our signs, dress up, and/or use music for our entrance. My class decorated our sign as a lion and everyone dressed up in the class shirt, along with black headbands with gold tinsel (designed to look like a lion's mane) and strings of tinsel emerging from the seats of our pants (as our tails). We walked in and did our class cheer (the clapping and screaming we started our routine with in the video from Part 1), but instead of jumping at the end, we turned and showed the people on stage our tails. Then we watched the other classes do their entrances. Many classes had short (15- to 30-second) dances. Only a few chose to do nothing special.
After everyone had walked in with their classes, we ate lunch. After lunch, we had about an hour to nap. This naptime was entertaining for me, because I finally got to see my classmates sleeping on the floor (or rather, on cardboard and newspaper) instead of in their chairs (because our chairs were outside). One girl even slept laying across several desks! I found it very entertaining.
After this intermission, the classes returned to their seats (which were covered) and watched several demonstrations. First there was a demonstration by the Aboriginal Dance group, in full costume and utilizing various props (including baskets). Despite the rain, it was a good performance; a few dancers fell, but they got up and carried on. It was very impressive. Afterward, the winners from the cheer leading competition, our sister class, performed their routine for everyone again. It was, as one might expect, a very good routine. Then we had another cheer leading performance, this time from about 20 of our female teachers. They had been practicing for over a month, and were extremely good - synchronized, confident, etc. Following these presentations, the sports teams walked in. The volleyball team (of which I am a member) wore our uniforms (all Mizuno products; I had received mine the previous day) with short blue shorts, sleeveless shirts with our numbers (I'm #10), high black socks with red flames up the sides, and carrying blue-and-yellow volleyballs (with our numbers on them) under our left arms. The track, basketball, and cheer leading teams followed. Then the flags were presented (as ROTC does in NM) by several students while students from each class presented their class signs.
The remainder of that day consisted of a jump-rope competition where each class had a team of approximately 20 people attempting to jump over the rope as many times as possible during the given time. My class didn't do very well, but we weren't horrible.
Please comment!
Friday, November 18, 2011
School Competitions - Part 1
In the last several weeks, Stella Maris has held two school-wide competitions: one for cheer leading, the other for general "sports." I found both to be highly entertaining and interesting. In part 2, I will address the sports event. For now, here's the scoop on the cheer leading!
My class prepared for the cheer leading competition for several weeks. Every class was given the same music (Best D*** Thing by Avril Lavigne) and the students choreographed their own routines and chose outfits. Some classes chose the stereotypical cheer uniforms, sometimes including pom-poms, while others got creative. In my class, most of the girls wore red ribbons in their hair, our class shirt, and short shorts. (I didn't have a ribbon.) The boys wore the class shirt with their blue uniform sweatpants. There was one exception: one boy wore a ribbon in his hair and wore shorts, which weren't as short as the girls' but were made shorter with paperclips along the hem. In essence, he was dressed as one of the girls. This was not uncommon, however. I noticed that almost every class had at least one boy dressed as a girl or vice versa. One class was particularly daring: they had two boys wear fishnet stockings and boxer shorts rather than pants. The routines were as widely varied as the outfits. Some were exactly what you think of when you hear the phrase "cheer leading"; others, like my class's, were more dance-based. The event was led by 2 student Masters of Ceremonies (one female and one male) and featured small, fun contests during breaks, such as a competition of which team's representative could do the most push-ups in the given time period. My class came in 4th place, while our sister class took the title. For those of you who want to see my class dancing [I'm right up in the front for most of it!], here's a link to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/
And I promise you won't have to wait long for Part 2!
My class prepared for the cheer leading competition for several weeks. Every class was given the same music (Best D*** Thing by Avril Lavigne) and the students choreographed their own routines and chose outfits. Some classes chose the stereotypical cheer uniforms, sometimes including pom-poms, while others got creative. In my class, most of the girls wore red ribbons in their hair, our class shirt, and short shorts. (I didn't have a ribbon.) The boys wore the class shirt with their blue uniform sweatpants. There was one exception: one boy wore a ribbon in his hair and wore shorts, which weren't as short as the girls' but were made shorter with paperclips along the hem. In essence, he was dressed as one of the girls. This was not uncommon, however. I noticed that almost every class had at least one boy dressed as a girl or vice versa. One class was particularly daring: they had two boys wear fishnet stockings and boxer shorts rather than pants. The routines were as widely varied as the outfits. Some were exactly what you think of when you hear the phrase "cheer leading"; others, like my class's, were more dance-based. The event was led by 2 student Masters of Ceremonies (one female and one male) and featured small, fun contests during breaks, such as a competition of which team's representative could do the most push-ups in the given time period. My class came in 4th place, while our sister class took the title. For those of you who want to see my class dancing [I'm right up in the front for most of it!], here's a link to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/
And I promise you won't have to wait long for Part 2!
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