wizards in white: kitti in championship week

The whole month of February was spent preparing for an island-wide set of athletic competitions called Championship Week.  During this week, the three public high schools compete against each other in volleyball (the most prestigious and talent-filled sport), basketball (also prestigious but less impressive), track and field (impressive in the shorter races which rely more on natural ability than consistent practice), and baseball (which –at my school at least – made you wonder, “Why bother?”). 

A view from the historical Spanish Wall in Kolonia.  The baseball field is to the left and Kaselehlie Street is straight ahead.

A right-sided view from the Spanish wall.  Adjacent to the baseball field is the basketball court which can be seen behind the big tree.

In preparation for this week, we had a month-long irregular school schedule which is slang for the ubiquitously joyful half-day.  The only snag was that it caused much more stress than necessary.  In the States, it is normal for sports practice to take place after school – a fact that I appreciate a lot more now that I know what it is like to teach for a full day and then be expected to function afterward.  For one reason or another, it was not feasible to hold practice after school and the administration was forced to find time for practice during the day.  Originally, we shortened our three 90 minute periods to just 60 minutes, and spent third period at practice.  However, this caused community concerns since the majority of the school could not qualify for one of the 15-member sports teams and instead spent third period drifting around the school chewing betelnut  – or whatever it is kids do these days.  In response, it was decided that we would go back to the normal block schedule, and teachers who were also coaches would hold class in addition to practice during third period.  What a headache.  The challenge: I was expected to assign work without teaching my class how to do it, hold them accountable to it in my absence, find a way to provide feedback (as is necessary in all teaching) without also being in class the next day, and – the icing on the cake – keep student-athletes in my own class responsible for the work in THEIR absence.  Oh, and I almost forgot, coach a track team.  My students actually complained that they wanted me back in class with them because it was too stressful not to have me there.  That’s not something a teacher hears every day. 

Coaching, though enjoyable and ultimately rewarding, was not much better.  Track and Field requires a work ethic that is constant, long-term, and personally sacrificial.  Had I a year to hone their abilities and instill these characteristics – even a four month track season – Kitti Track & Field would be something to seriously contend with.  And it’s not that the team didn’t have heart – in fact that is precisely why they would be such a powerhouse – it’s because when your practice gets cancelled 2-3 days a week from rain and school schedule anomalies, and then when there is practice it consists of running around a 150 meter muddy field, you never have time to develop a killer workout schedule or bloodthirsty work ethic.  On average, I had about six guys who practiced with me on a consistent basis (meaning, when practice wasn’t cancelled, they were there) and one to two girls.  The rest were presumably too naturally talented to require practice (besides, it’s running, you don’t need to practice running) or attending their much needed basketball/baseball/volleyball practice.  Instead of getting frustrated, I focused all my energy on this handful of athletes and designed workouts that – in an ironic way – punished them for their allegiance to me.  They ran without shoes, without proper running clothes, without a track, and without a break from the hot sun beating down on their necks.  They were the some of the most dedicated runners I’ve ever seen, yet they achieved a fraction of their potential because of structural and organizational barriers that prevented them from getting good and staying good.  There was a ton of natural talent – and more heart than a cardiology clinic – but the impediments to success were profound. 

Championship week was really only three days and a different sport was more or less highlighted each day, the last day reserved for Track & Field only.  Kitti faced three opponents: Madolenihmw High School, PICS I, and PICS II – the last high school being the biggest, was split up into two separate teams.  We had incredible boys victories in volleyball and basketball (credit due in part to some of my absent runners), and a disappointing last place finish in baseball, where I saw more errors per play than in some entire Major League baseball seasons.   In track, we had some incredible sprint competitions and amazing displays in the middle distances.  One of my runners – who had ripped a chunk of skin off his foot only three days prior while running barefoot – made a come-from-behind victory in his  400m heat - blasting past his opponents in the last 20m of the race and setting a personal record of 61 seconds.  After seeing his foot on Tuesday, I predicted that he wouldn’t be able to walk correctly on Friday, let alone run and win a race with such an astounding time.  He predicted it wouldn’t be a big deal, and sure enough, the man with the biggest heart on the team carried us to a third place overall finish in the 400m.  It literally brought me to tears. 

In a nail-biter finish, we won the 4x100m relay and ended up also winning the entire track meet.  I was happy that we won, although a small lingering part of my mind wonders just how much better we could have been with necessary resources and a different approach.  Leave it up to the perfectionist in me to never be satisfied.  Although our combined victories were not enough to win Championship Week (Kitti scored just 9 points below PICS I out of a couple hundred) it was a successful week.  I might have done some irreversible sun-damage to my skin but I had a great time coaching and I enjoyed getting to know my students outside of class.  As far as sports goes, if the mentality towards running ever changes in Pohnpei, the world better had better watch out for a new class of Olympic runner.

Despite their relatively short stature, these Pohnpeian high school volleyball players soared above the net.

The crowd enjoying the volleyball game from the shade of a beautiful tree.

My student, at center, lead the basketball team as the point guard.  The guy on the right with his back to me is the fastest high schooler on the island and was one of the few people who could actually rely solely on his natural talent to win races...I still would have liked to see him at my practices.

There is a huge rivalry between PICS (in maroon), and Kitti (in white).  This is from the championship game which we went on to win by a small margin.

The first to second leg handoff during the 4x100m race at the end of the meet.  Amazingly, few people tripped over the sizable wrinkles in the track surface.

Finals for the 100m dash.  Kitti's two fastest runners are at the left, and they went on to claim the title as the two fastest high schoolers on the island.

Despite the condition of the track, I would kill for my runners to have access to this in Kitti.  Needless to say, the day of the meet, weather was beautiful and the setting was stunning.