SAISA Swimming 2018

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Well, it finally happened.

SAISA Swimming came and went in 3 short days, ending the swim season with a bang. While it was short, and everyone is all quite sad it’s over, it sure was worth the effort. My relationships and interactions with everyone on the team were deepened, and I think that we all became pretty good friends. From traveling to Jordan excited and nervous, to spending all day on the pool deck together, and to riding the bus back from the airport exhausted, I was getting to know everyone better.

The layout of SAISA swimming can be confusing, but I’ll try and explain it here. For starters, there are 6 age groups. Girls 10-12, boys 10-12, girls 13-14, boys 13-14, girls 15-19, and boys 15-19. The events occur in that order, with 15-19 boys going last.For most events at SAISA swimming, there are the prelims(preliminary heats) and finals. Prelims are the heats in which you must be entered in to have a chance at getting to finals. There are usually 4 heats of prelims, making a total of 16 people. Points are not counted in prelims, and the 12 fastest times in prelims make finals. Finals are the heats in which points are earned, where there are two heats, and a maximum of 12 points to earn(for the first place swimmer). However, not every event has finals, as some would be very difficult to swim again(eg.100 fly), so you only have one chance to do well. I personally made finals in 100 freestyle and the 50 butterfly.

I swam the following events and got the following times: (prelims/finals)

100 Butterfly: 1:14.4

100 Freestyle(made finals): 1:05.3/1:04.6

50 Butterfly (in the 200 medley relay): 31.49

200 Freestyle: 2:22.32

50 Butterfly(made finals): 32.56/32.88

Overall, OSC placed 3rd. 10-12 girls came first and 10-12 boys came second. 13-14 girls came second and 13-14 boys came third. Finally, 15-19 girls came third and 15-19 boys(my category) came first. We were all quite happy with the results, as it was a close race and the top 4 places were very close to each other.

(Left: Boys 15-19 Right: OSC)

(Photos taken by ACS)

For my first SAISA, I was very happy with how it went. I genuinely enjoyed every single part of it, from screaming my throat out on the pool deck in Amman, to helping to drag half-dead team members through the Jordan airport, it was great. I’d gladly do it again(I think nearly everyone on the team would), and I can’t wait for SAISA swimming 2019.

 

 

SAISA Swim Preparations – 17.10.2018

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October 26th, a date that draws ever nearer, one that carries feelings of excitement and angst. Because October 26th happens to be the first day of competition for SAISA swimming, and the culminations of the swim team’s efforts. SAISA(South Asia International Schools Association) Swimming is a swim tournament in which schools from around the region of South Asia complete against each other. This year’s tournament is being hosted in Amman, Jordan. The pressure is on for OSC to do really well, as they won first place in the previous year(I was not at OSC then).

The season is quite short by most standards, only allowing roughly 2 months of training. As well as that, within 2 weeks of traveling, we had a week school break, meaning that we get slightly out of shape from not swimming as much. However, for me the break was a relief, as it allowed me to rest my body fully, before the hardest part of the season. I did swim over the break, but it was difficult for me to do so as I was mainly visiting family in the U.S.

Over the break, the sign up sheet for the events was sent to us, and we were to complete it. We had to choose seven events(out of nine), and number them in order to indicate what we wanted. One was the event that you most desired to swim, seven was the one you least desired to swim. My choices were as follows:

  1. 50 Fly
  2. 100 Freestyle
  3. 100 Fly
  4. 50 Freestyle
  5. 200 Freestyle
  6. 100 IM(Individual Medley)
  7. 400 Freestyle

The events I actually got were:

50 Fly

100 Freestyle

200 Freestyle

100 Fly

I am really excited with the events I got, as I like all of them and it’s going to be really fun. I especially was excited to get 50 fly, as in my opinion it is the most exciting race of the whole meet(minus the relays). I also am in some relays, but am not sure which ones currently.

I’ll make a post with my times after the meet.

Gecko Network Update – 15.10.2018

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First off, I must apologize for not saying anything about Gecko Network or making posts about it or anything. It’s kind of hard to say a huge amount about it, but I’ll try. I also apologize again for the lack of photos, as Gecko Network takes photos of other services, not itself.

 

When I first joined Gecko Network, I was deeply worried about being a handicap and having no idea what was going on, due to my lack of knowledge of video editing. I had never edited a more professional video, and never with expensive software. I also was worried that I wouldn’t know how to operate one or more of the fancy camera rigs that Gecko Network has. Those initial few weeks made me feel like the biggest idiot there was. Everyone was working hard and efficiently, knowing how to do the tasks that they were assigned, while I was standing around knowing not how to do anything. I started to pick up some things, like the vocabulary of what the other people where doing, but not nearly enough to be competent or useful. Luckily, the service leader recognized it and gave me a break by putting me in positions more alined to that of a director. I found that these were actually the positions I enjoyed the most. It wasn’t just because it was my only option, it made me genuinely happy and satisfied to see my views or ideas come together in front of me. I actually found it similar to being a patrol leader in Boys Scouts, in regards to interacting with people. I tried to be a good director, and I listened to everything that the people editing the videos told me. I think I might have found one of my creative strengths through this though, being able to close my eyes and see my vision of something.

So far, Gecko Network has published around 12 videos. These vary in length, and I’ve been a part of 2 of them. For the SAISA Swimming video, I was director, and for the canteen pre-order instructional video, I co-directed and also starred in it as an actor. Of the 2, the SAISA Swimming video was definitely more intense and required more. The purpose of this video was to help hype up the swim team for the masses at the upcoming pep-rally(even though they didn’t play the video there). It was actually my first project, but the editors I was paired up with were both great to work with and helped me through the process(even though the director should know these things…). Our final product was OK, it’s issues mainly coming from the sudden shock of having a deadline suddenly shifted on us(long story that happened rather quickly). My second project was the Canteen Pre-order system instructional video. This was a small assignment, that only required two meetings and a little bit of outside work to complete. The video was meant to demonstrate how to properly use the new system in the canteen, so it wasn’t long or complicated. I did enjoy the more straightforwards way of working on these uncomplicated videos, it was a nice refresher after the swimming one.

Here’s the link to both of them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMWQunGSnuU&feature=youtu.be

 

Be on the lookout for more in the future, we have some big plans here at Gecko Network, and I think that they’ll be interesting. While I won’t say too much, we do have some mini-documentaries about the other services coming up soon, and some other neat stuff about the things that go on at OSC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018-19 CAS Goals

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CAS(creativity, action, and service) is a key component of the IB program in which students partake in multiple different activities and projects to fill the requirements of each category. CAS provides an opportunity to get involved with many different groups in and out of school, and it is one that I am grateful for. I’ve always enjoyed doing afterschool/co-curricular activities, as I find it’s a great way to interact with and get to know other people that I otherwise might not talk to. Even without the CAS program, you would still find me doing all the different components of it out of my own free will, it’s something I genuinely enjoy.

I find that it’s important to have goals with almost anything, as it gives me a sense of where to go. Therefore, I’ve come up with these goals for the various CAS components, with the hope being that they can direct my efforts that I make.

Creativity – Concert Band

I come from a family of musicians, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Be it listening, playing an instrument, or singing(poorly), I love music. So naturally, when I heard that OSC had a concert band, it was only natural for me to sign up immediately. I’ve been playing the Euphonium/Baritone since the 5th grade(with a splash of Tuba in 10th) and was more than happy to join another band. My goals for myself are as follows:

  • Improve my ability to sight read(play for the first time without rehearsal) more complex pieces of music
  • Become more confident and play louder, even in parts of songs or songs that I don’t like
  • Become a better section leader, so that I can help those around me if they’re not sure what to do at any point.

Activity – (SAISA) Swimming

While I’ve been playing the Baritone/Euphonium for a long time, I’ve been swimming for even longer. Maybe it was my Dad always talking about his glory days on his high school swim team, or watching my older brother start out when I was in the 2nd grade, but they got me hooked, and I’ve been doing competitive swim team since 4th grade. Again, like band, it was only natural for me to join seeing how there was a swim team here. However, there is one problem, that being that the season ends in October of this year. To counteract this, my plan is to do a club swim team once the SASIA season ends. After deliberation, I set the following as my goals

  • Improve my butterfly greatly, make it my definite alternate to freestyle
  • Fix my breaststroke kick so that I don’t get disqualified when I do it in competition(it’s been a problem since I started)
  • Make my turns and dives better, faster and better technique
  • Be better at supporting my teammates

Service – Gecko Network

Technology has always been something that has perked my interest and been something I’ve liked working with, but I’ve never had any experience in high quality video editing or recording. Still, when I was approached by some members of Gecko Network, I’ll admit I was hooked right off the bat. I like service, and the satisfaction I get from a job well done that also helps people is great. The way in which they pitched Gecko Network to me made it sound right up my alley, regardless of lack of ability in those fields. After our first few meetings, my goals were pretty apparent and necessary though.

  • Learn how to professionally edit video, using advanced software
  • Improve my ability to direct those around me(in a director’s position) and how to better lead a team in this sort of environment
  • Get better at using the creative thinking part of my brain to overcome challenges(in editing and in recording)