Junior SEASAC

Hi all

As many of you will be aware, the inaugural 'Junior SEASAC' competition took place last weekend at MKIS in KL.

The concept of splitting SEASAC into 2 separate competitions came about mainly due to 4 more schools joining the SEASAC conference this academic year. This meant that the competition format had to change. After a vote amongst participating schools, it was agreed that splitting the event by age could help make SEASAC more age appropriate. The philosophy of the Junior SEASAC competition is now more of 'development'. With the previous format, it was felt by some that inviting very young students to a 'selective' competition including High School students might be inappropriate in terms of expectation and development. The Senior SEASAC competition now allows schools with bigger high school programs to field a bigger team of Grade 9+ students. This is fantastic in a sport which requires such a big commitment compared to some other activities, and should encourage more High School students to continue their swimming journey for longer.

The rationale behind the split is fairly sound, however it remains to be seen if this new format will be successful in achieving the desired outcomes, as it depends on all participating schools focusing on both competitions at an age appropriate level.

There is absolutely no doubt however that the UWC Phoenix swimmers achieved everything we could have hoped for as a team. The Phoenix swimmers were definitely the most supportive team there (both in terms of cheering and team bonding). I was so impressed with the team building activities organised by the students themselves, and the way that the swimmers all mixed with each other at the competition. It was without question the most enjoyable competition I have attended as a coach (as long as we don't mention the race timing issues).

The results of the meet can be found in the link below, as well as team scores, individual scores and meet records on the team website results page (also linked below).

As you can see from the results, the Girls finished 2nd overall (with the 12 & under girls finishing 1st in their age group), and the boys finished 4th overall. Well done to all swimmers!

Coach Sarah has written a little round-up of the competition (also below).

Thanks everyone for such a great meet

Coach Kris

Meet Results

Results Page

SEASAC 2018

Thursday morning arrived and Coach Kris directed a very excitable 20 students into position

for their first of many team pictures. Comprising of 16 middle school, 2 high school and 2 (slightly nervous) junior school students, our 2018 Junior SEASAC team made their way to the bus bay to

begin the onward journey to Mont’Kiara International school in Kuala Lumpur.

After an unusually smooth journey and an essential pit stop at Subway, the team arrived at

the hotel in very good time. With a few hours until dinner, the swimmers got unpacked and-

you guessed it – hit the swimming pool! Competition preparation included a few laps on the

water slide followed by a team game of Marco Polo… Team UWC Phoenix was race ready!

Across the two days of competition the swimmers were absolutely outstanding. The racing

performances were consistently strong, even after spending many hours on a very hot, very

exposed swimming pool. A special mention goes to the relay swims which saw several of our

teams pulling off spectacular finishes- providing some nail-biting entertainment for both the

coaches and parents.

Most importantly… the team support we witnessed across the weekend was exceptional.

The personalized posters, the matching hipster sunglasses and the constant cheering are

just a few examples of the many ways the team worked together to create a comfortable

and extremely positive team environment. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that our relay teams

performed so brilliantly! All of this, of course, was fuelled by the brilliant support network of

parents who helped the swimmers to be so well organized and prepared for a very

physically demanding weekend.

The swimmers mustered the energy for the hipster themed gala dinner on the Saturday

evening, celebrating various awards and relaxing after a long two days of racing. Our 11/u

girls were awarded top team in their category, with the girl’s team finishing second overall-

brilliant results in a highly competitive meet. The sportsmanship and team support we saw

between the Phoenix swimmers was present for the entire trip, and was absolutely second

to none- and this was the very best outcome we could have asked for!

Reflecting on the weekend, it’s very clear that our swimmers made the trip a very easy, very

enjoyable experience for all involved, and we’re all extremely proud of them.

Go Phoenix!