Representing in Red, White, and Black

Is there any better way to end Winter than to travel somewhere tropical? For the SFS swim team, that is exactly what they did. Traveling 3,720km from home, our swimmers arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on March 7th. However, the purpose of this trip was not to enjoy vacation. The swimmers were on a mission to represent SFS and compete against hundreds of swimmers from all over the world. The swimmers trained endlessly for the past several months, improving in monstrous scales. The trip spanned over 4 days and the competition stretched over two. This competition was special in that not only were the high school swimmers allowed to compete, but people of all age groups were eligible to swim at ISB. Marek Repovský (10), Yesa Hyun (10), and Ryan Chang (9) agreed to share their experiences with swimming and with the ISB Splash.

The training regimen for ISB Splash was no different from that of the high school team. Despite ISB Splash being just a couple of weeks after APAC in Beijing, the swimmers tried their very best to attend the morning and afternoon training sessions, totaling an average of around 10 hours in the pool per week. Usually, the distance covered during the week equates to around 40,000 meters. Before departing, Yesa Hyun expressed that this ISB Splash would be a special one for her because she would be able to swim “strokes that [she] couldn’t do during the [high school] season” and enjoy the atmosphere of a long-course-meter pool (50 meters), especially because KAIAC only offered short-course-meter (25 meters) pools. This swim meet would also be an opportunity to meet new people from unfamiliar schools. For Ryan Chang, this swim meet last year was his first international swim competition and proved to be “really fun.” “Everyone got to encourage each other from other schools.” 

The swim meet went amazingly well. Not only did all of our swimmers break personal records, but many won medals among the hundreds of swimmers who participated. Marek Repovský, a new addition to the SFS swim team this year, exceeded expectations and won 5 medals: two silver and 3 bronze. Considering that he had been sick for 2 weeks and trained for only a few weeks, Marek said that he is “very happy with [his] performance, as [he] did make some PBs (personal bests).” Yesa commented that the accommodations were much better than those of last year’s ISB Splash, expressing that “the food and the hotel were so much better than last year.” She also performed exceptionally well, breaking five of her previous records. Ryan enjoyed the “camaraderie.” Through this trip, he was able to learn more about teammates who he would not usually hang out with. Overall, he commented that he enjoyed this “amazing trip.” Additionally, the tropical climate served as a perfect refresher from Korea’s cold and dry environment.

International competitions are always packed with adventures. Whether for athletic, academic, or creative purposes, overseas endeavors always provide fun and diverse experiences that activities taking place in Korea can not satisfy. Unfortunately, these events are not publicized nearly as much as local events, and the student-athletes do not receive the appreciation they deserve for their efforts. The good news is that our hallways are packed with hard-working students, athletes, and artists who represent our school with their prowess. Like the swimmers who recently returned from ISB with sunburnt skin, let’s take a moment to appreciate these representatives of SFS.