Student-athletes spring into action and mark the start of a new high school futsal season. Eager teammates gathered a month before the season officially began to clock in extra scrimmages and skill-work. With the implementation of friendly games against the local military base school and a transition from 5 to 7 players in the sports league, the Jets need more talent and experience on the field. Additionally, turbulent weather and a lack of practice space present barriers.

Season 3 brings changes for Jets athletics, along with the return of a few staples. Crosstown matchups against Daegu Middle High School (DMHS) commence in early April. DIS revisits Korean International Schools Activities Conference (KISAC) in the middle of the month, where the Jets must field 11 players on a larger turf. The Southern Korean Activities Conference (SKAC) transforms from 5v5 to 7v7. Marked in the DIS calendar as the ‘7s tournament’, the matches transpire in Busan in May.

Unlike larger international schools on Jeju Island, Busan, and Sacheon, DIS lacks space for all teams to practice at the same time. Plans are in the works to relocate some of the squads to alternative fields for Monday and Friday prep work. “I would love it if we had a full-size field to play on and train on. However, not having that can be a disadvantage. But it’s also an advantage, because our team plays very well if congested. A tight, congested formation is very defensive and it’s a counter-attacking strategy,” Coach Purdy, head of the boys’ squad, said.

“The futsal field is good for futsal but playing soccer on it, there’s just not enough space and you can’t play soccer. The girls and boys have to share space on top of the ECC and the bottom fields because we don’t have enough and when we do that, in the small area in the ECC, it is not enough. The schools in Jeju and ISB have really big fields that they can practice soccer on which gives them advantages when we play against them because we never get to play in that big of a field,” Maddox Jolly said, freshman member of the boys’ team.

The rainy spring weather and high levels of air pollution forced kids indoors multiple times, another wrench thrown in their plans. With the sky not in their favor, the squad turned to cross-training and took advantage of the new fitness center, determined to convert setbacks to success.

“The weather is very tricky. This is annoying, but we have to make the best of the space we have available. We focus more on strength movements and sports-specific cardio or core movements we should be working on anyway,” Purdy said.

Compared to spring 2023, new access to the fitness center provides further opportunities for growth in physical strength that eventually translates to the futsal field. “It [the fitness center] is a great addition for every sport to build a fitness base and be able to compete. Obviously, I appreciate it very much,” Mr. Faille, co-coach of the high school girls’ team, said.Now, on rainy days, instead of idle time, the Jets pump iron and rack up miles on the treadmill. 

Dedication for victory stands at an all-time high for the soccer squads. They look to reap the fruits of their labor at the KISAC and SKAC tournaments this season.