Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Muscat: The American International School of Muscat (TAISM) will host the South Asian Inter-Scholastic Association (SAISA) Regional Girls Soccer Tournament this weekend at its campus in Ghala, Feb 9-11. Over 140 students from 10 schools throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia will compete this weekend at TAISM.
The event is one of three SAISA sports events happening during the same weekend in schools throughout the region, with teams representing schools from Nepal, India, Jordan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Through TAISM's participation in the SAISA League, Middle and High School students have the opportunity throughout the school year to travel internationally and participate in events such as swimming, volleyball, basketball, soccer, track and field, tennis, badminton, art and music.
While it's fun to compete and aim to bring home a trophy, the SAISA organizing committee has a higher-level mission in mind for all participating student athletes: “As educators committed to the ideal of realizing the full potential of each student, we believe the The fundamental aim of SAISA is to promote the ethical values of collaboration, creativity, sportsmanship, and fairness and competition.”
The mission and vision continues, “While acknowledging the notion of 'winning' in sporting events and other competitions, a more important recognition is that students come together to participate in various activities in the truest spirit of cooperation and competition, and develop physically, emotionally , creatively and intellectually through the sporting, academic and artistic experiences themselves.”
The girls' soccer team prepares ahead of the SAISA Girls Soccer Tournament.
From the youngest students aged just 3-4 years old, to the graduating seniors, everyone in the TAISM community gets involved in the sporting event. Younger students are assigned a team to cheer for, making sure it's not just the home team receiving all the support. Each class creates banners and roots for other students who are far from home (as well as the TAISM Eagles!).
Maya Sultan, a Grade 9 student and Girls Football Team member at TAISM shared, “I love how we come from many different friend groups, schools, communities and countries yet when we play football, we all have something in common: our love of the game.”
TAISM Girls soccer team.
“It's opportunities like this weekend's tournament that our students remember long after graduation,” explains Kevin Schafer, Director at TAISM. “Our basketball players are in Bombay, and Track and Field flew out to Chennai, while the rest of our students are cheering on athletes from all over the region as they play their best. Meeting new friends and competing at this level through SAISA events is truly one of the great benefits of being an international school.”
“We are thrilled to be hosting the SAISA Girls Soccer tournament this weekend,” says Kelly Lang, Athletics Director at TAISM. “It's been three long years since we were able to bring the 10 schools together for this particular event. It will be fun to watch these student-athletes realize their full potential after working hard the past 9 weeks preparing for the competition.”
The American International School of Muscat (TAISM) pursues academic excellence for students in the international community through an American-based education that develops ethical, responsible, and globally conscious life-long learners. For more information about the student experience at TAISM, please visit www.taism.com.
