The middle and high school cross country team traveled to Korean International School Jeju (KISJ) for the Korean International School Activities Conference (KISAC) tournament from Oct. 24 to Oct. 25. Ready for a fresh challenge, students achieved remarkable accomplishments and formed a renewed sense of motivation.
Unlike the previous tournaments, individual and team relay races took place on the same day, a change that raised concerns about fatigue from the tight schedule.
As soon as the opening ceremony ended, the middle schoolers prepared to tackle the 3.2km course. An hour later, the high school division took place as boys and girls kicked off their 5km race at the same time.
Due to a back-to-back race schedule, the relay contest flared soon after lunch. Each school formed multiple mixed pairs of one female and one male runner. The DIS pairs were: sophomores Jason McAteer and Ruby Fuhriman, sophomores Yeonhoo Park and Sally Yun, senior Andy Kang and sophomore Michelle Kim, and sophomores James Kim and Sarah Cho. After a 1.5 km lap around the campus, the first runners had to hand a tangerine baton to their partners to continue the relay.
While teachers and colored-cones provided clear directions, many students experienced difficulties ascending the steep elevations. “The course was straightforward, with orange and blue cones provided to help guide runners in which direction to turn. However, there was a lot of elevation making the race tough,” sophomore Jason McAteer said.
Competing at a Jeju school for the first time, some felt the weight of added pressure. Yet, they embraced the experience with high spirits and enthusiasm. “Since it was our first time for our cross country team to go to Jeju Island and actually race there, we had more pressure. It was also a very new environment, so we struggled to keep our pace right. It was more difficult than when we raced SKAIS ISB this year,” said junior Ryan Kim.
In an effort to maintain organization, the administration committee implemented a new ranking system, where runners who crossed the finish line immediately reported to their assigned table and recorded their names. Afterwards, they received a sticky note with their placements written on it.
While the adjustment initially aimed to streamline the results collection process, it caused many confusions instead. “It was pretty confusing for most of us because many weren’t used to it. The sticky note could fall off, and people could lose it easily. It was pretty annoying,” Mcateer said.
To add on, the steep hard-floor course brought numerous obstacles to the competition. “The hard part was that we had to circle around the school and cross many bridges. The bridges were very steep and I wasn’t expecting them,” sophomore Yeonhoo Park said.
“Our cross-country team wasn’t used to the environment that KISJ had. It had a lot of uphills, which in DIS it doesn’t. Even though it was only 5 kilometers, it felt like I ran more than that,” said Kim.
The drills and practice paid off, impressing other teams. “I saw them do many drills before the race. I could see that they had prepared a lot for this race,” Senior Sangho Lee from Fayston Preparatory of Suji School (FPS) said.
At the end of the day, the trip served as a stepping stone to reach new personal milestones. “I was second and I was almost at the finish line. There was a turn where I tried to overtake the guy in front of me. I slipped on the pavement, but I quickly stood up and passed him coming in first. I had fun overall with the relay race,” said McAteer.
“With many runners, I was able to push my limits. I believe it was a great opportunity to improve my running abilities,” sophomore Joseph Chambless said.
Fueled by grit and hard work, runners now prepare for the end-of-season SKAIS finals on Nov. 20. Their invaluable experience in Jeju allows them to take a step further to success and improvement.
