Irini's First Glimpse of Sporting Greatness

After a long deliberation close to six months ago, Laurence decided to give up coaching his beloved varsity girls volleyball team and work, instead, with the junior varsity program. He went back and forth on the matter but, ultimately, decided to spend a little more quality time with his family. In August, when try-outs were underway he would think long and hard to determine if the decision was the right one. Over the past week and a half he found it certainly was. You see? It turns out, it's not the level of competition that determines success, but the effort and the determination that is put into it. Add a little sprinkle of team cohesion, and some absolutely positive attitudes, and you've got a winning combination. Saturday brought with it the end-of-season JV girls volleyball tournament, hosted at ISKL. Coming off a last-place finish the week before in Penang, you would think the girls would be on a low, but Saturday morning brought with it a completely winning attitude. It was as if they were destined for greatness and, despite many close calls and dips and roller-coaster rides, they made the final where they played a fiesty Japanese School.

Irini made her grand appearance to the tournament (her second in the season) just before the final, and the girls all rushed over to see her, to hug her and just to look at her smile. They gave her a volleyball which she marched around the gym for the next hour or so. The game itself had the typical mental ups and downs, but in the end a come-from-behind victory was in the making. With the last point hitting the floor the girls were wrapped around each other in jubilation, tears falling freely down their cheeks. Irini was somewhat oblivious to the emotional overtones, but was certainly part of the cheering and the clapping and waving.

Laurence hadn't coached a team to a championship since the last time he was coaching JV about six years ago. It felt good. But not as good as the feeling that everything went so perfectly well. All the decisions, from the girls and from himself, were perfect. The season's objective were to play a level of volleyball where the team would deserve every point, and the opponent's points would likewise be deserved. That way the girls would know they were playing well and come what may. It sure is nice to play so well and also end up on top. Irini loved it!