Team on three: A bittersweet ending to the boy’s varsity volleyball season
As the boy’s varsity volleyball season officially came to a close with the friendly tournament against SAS Pudong and Puxi on October 18, 2019, many of the players had mixed feelings. Having been the undefeated champions of last year, taking second place at the SISAC cup tournament and losses to both SAS Pudong and Puxi at the friendly tournament were things they weren’t so used to. Not only this, many of the underclassmen players felt that they had let down the senior players during the cup tournament. Chester Poon (11C), one of the newest additions to the team, commented, “I think it was quite sad that we got second place in the tournament… I think the seniors really wanted to win the championship, and I’m pretty sure the juniors really wanted to win it for them—which was why most of us cried after the finals.” Chester went on to say, “But at the end of the day, we realized that it was the time that we got to spend with the seniors that made the sport so special to us… our team has been a very big family to me.”
And this is what makes this team so special—they work extremely hard and expect only the best from themselves, but at the end of the day, the most important thing to them is each other. Team captain Timothy Lin (12C) stated, “It was bittersweet playing my final few games after having been on the team for so long, but I’m so proud that we seniors can finish the season knowing that we don’t need to worry at all about next year. The amount of growth in the underclassmen in this one season is insane, and I’m so glad that so many have of them have found their opportunity to shine.”
Having played for more than four years, Timothy has spent countless hours training, playing, and living volleyball. His passion manifested in new ways with his position as captain this season, through coaching and encouraging everyone on the team—particularly the underclassmen, the future of SMIC volleyball. “To all the underclassmen: I am so proud of each and every one of you,” Timothy said. “I have no regrets this season, and neither should any of you. We know how hard you guys tried for us seniors, and we have nothing but appreciation for that. Continue to have fun as you play and remember: being a team comes first before anything else. No matter what, keep your heads up! I can’t wait to see you guys play next year—remember to film [your games].”
The girl’s varsity volleyball captain Esther Tak (12C) shared this sentiment, and expressed her pride in the boy’s team. “The biggest difference between this year and last year’s team, in my opinion, is that the boys this year really brightened the future of volleyball in SMIC-I. Boys who never played volleyball before were out on the court smashing the balls. Many underclassmen look up to this year’s senior volleyball players and are training to be like them,” she stated. “I am very proud of them, regardless of the result.”
And so are we, here at Shark Scholar. Every player grew throughout this season, not only skills-wise, but also by playing well as a team and learning to uplift and challenge each other. As many beloved players, including Timothy, Brendan Wang (12B), Hassan Qureshi (12C), Jiwoo Kim (12A), Max Zhang (12B), Michael Baek (12A), and Tony Sim (12C) are set to graduate in 2020, Shark Scholar looks forward to the way that the boy’s varsity volleyball team will continue to evolve. We believe in you, underclassmen—and we hope that the seniors will continue to play volleyball wherever they go next.
Featured Image—Jun Fu (11C) and Hassan Qureshi (12C) block a spike during the friendly tournament Courtesy of Stella Chung (12C)
by Jessie Wu