The DIS cross country teams faced off against their Jeju counterparts at the first installment of the Korean International School Activities Conference (KISAC) meet at Bongmu Lake on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19. In spite of the home trail advantage, the Jets fell short of victory against the islanders.
The decision to join KISAC’s cross country conference stemmed naturally from the school’s new expectations that all runners attend three competitions – the match against Daegu Middle High School (DMHS), the South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) tournament and Korean International Schools Activities Conference (KISAC) event.
This brought the expectation that DIS would host some of these contests.“When we first joined KISAC, we expressed that the cross country race would be the easiest to host, considering how close Bongmu lake is to our school. For team sports, we typically host middle school events or one part of a high school event due to DIS’s smaller size compared to the Jeju schools. So when DIS was asked to host the KISAC cross country match, it was kind of a perfect storm,” said Mr. Bergan, DIS athletic director.
Although Mr. Bergan attended the Korea International School Jeju (KISJ) for the volleyball tournaments on the same weekend, the races proceeded seamlessly without any issues or concerns. “It was the one thing that was difficult, but it sounds like everything went pretty smooth, so special thanks goes to Ms. Spaeth, Mrs. Ringrose, Mr. Crewe and Mr. Coleman as well as our parent organizations and student helpers for really helping organize everything while I was gone and making sure that things run well,” said Mr. Bergan.
Coupled with the first DIS hosting gig of the KISAC tourney, the athletic directors implemented a new relay race to make the competition more compatible with the two-day format. On Friday, runners competed in a traditional footrace, but Saturday featured a relay. Three runners from each team, each responsible for one lap around Bongmu Lake, faced off in the morning.
The new addition not only fostered teamwork among athletes but also entertained supporters. “Although the DIS team didn’t win any medals, they were so enthusiastic, especially during the relay race, which was amazing to see,” said Taehee Kim of the Saint Johnsbury Academy (SJA) high school squad.
The weekend also featured an unfamiliar addition to the Bongmu Lake track — an extra loop around the trail, which polarized the Jets and proved an unexpected challenge for sprinters. While some welcomed the change, others expressed strong dislike for the new layout. “It was difficult to run through and was too confusing. It’s definitely an addition that was universally disliked by all competitors, “ said 10th grader Jayden Hayward, who recently recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Although tough to adapt, the runners ultimately enjoyed the experience and felt proud of their performance. “The KISAC competition definitely challenged and pushed ourselves. Overall, given the amount of practice we have compared to Jeju schools, I think we did really well. I saw a lot of improvements in everyone, which was good to see,” said Jason McAteer in 9th grade.
The final whistle blows to sound the finale of the cross country season at the SKAIS finals at Bongmu Lake on Tuesday, Nov. 5th.
