DIS runners sprinted around Bongmu Lake for the Cross Country divisionals on October 6th. The meet involved six different schools, and DIS parents showed up to hand out snacks and cheer on the racers. The event fell behind schedule because of a late bus arrival from another school, but the rest of the day ran smoothly. 

For the elementary contest, the young athletes paced themselves over a three-kilometer stretch of the lake. Two girls won medals for DIS – Allie Moon and Akari Kojima in fifth grade won a silver and bronze respectively. 

The day provided a valuable experience. “I think we really tried to focus on two things. One: always improving and trying to do better for ourselves, but then, we just tried to talk a lot about sportsmanship and we saw a lot of excellent examples of good sportsmanship today on the course,” said Mrs. Vis, fifth-grade teacher and elementary Cross Country coach.

The middle schoolers ran six kilometers, a loop and a half around the lake. Mika Lee in eighth grade and Yul Sakong in seventh grade each won first and second place in the girl’s division. But the race didn’t start smoothly for the champ Mika. “During the first lap, one of the BFS or ISB students was in front of me, but I ran through. Honestly, I was nervous because they could pass me, too. So, I kept on telling myself to keep going and to keep the pace,” said Mika Lee. Nonetheless, Lee and Sakong pulled through to dominate.

The high school athletes ran the same course as the middle schoolers. In the first leg, Aiden Huh from ninth grade kicked into fifth gear, and the medal for the high school Jets lingered in front of his eyes. Although he tried his best, Huh fell back in the pack. “Mentally, I was mostly fine, but at the start of the second lap, around the starting line, I had a cramp in my liver area and it felt like a dagger on the side. It hurt a lot. I think it was because I didn’t eat enough in the morning and failed to regulate my condition,” said Huh. 

For the girls, freshman Jayden Hayward took home a silver medal. “I don’t think I ran my best that day, so I was a little bit unsatisfied [with my time] and the placement I got. But, I was quite proud,” said Hayward. 

Behind the scenes, coaches Coleman and Vis directed the players and assisted them from the warm-ups to the finish line. “I was very, very proud and happy with the cross country tournament. I think all of our runners ran their best and almost everyone set new personal records,” said Mr. Coleman, the middle and high school Cross Country coach.

At the end of the long meet, DIS accumulated a total of five medals. Although none of the boys secured a place on the podium, they feel more motivated than ever to step up their game for the last race at the International School of Busan on November 22nd. The girls also wish to accumulate more medals and team trophies for the final sprint of the season. 

Gallery • 18 Photos

Selina Son

Freshmen YiManuel Cortez and Bryan Lee warm up for their first high school race. They goof around to calm down their nerves.