The American School in Japan (ASIJ) ended the year on a high with both the Varsity baseball and girls’ soccer teams winning the Far East championships.
The Varsity baseball team received their first-ever invitation to the Far East Baseball Tournament this year, which was hosted in Daegu, South Korea. The 11-team tournament featured squads from Japan, Guam and Korea, and consisted of two days of pool play and two days of single elimination bracket play. Having won their pool, the Mustangs worked their way through the single elimination bracket to eventually meet the Kadena Falcons from Okinawa in the finals. When it was all over, ASIJ had won 11-9 and posted their first-ever Far East Baseball Championship.
The Varsity girls’ soccer team also had a very good season and their dedication to soccer and their overall fitness played a huge part in their success. They were fortunate to have the chance to play at the Far East Tournament in Okinawa and came back as champions. The last crazy minutes of the final against Kubasaki really showed that training hard pays off in the end. The road to the championship was not always smooth and there were challenges to overcome this year with almost half the team being new players, and difficult weather conditions, even in Okinawa, but the team rose above these and played consistently well. Overall it was a banner year for athletics at ASIJ with many teams and individuals achieving success.
Next school year will see the opening of ASIJ’s new sports facilities, which include new tennis courts, a fitness centre, wrestling room, dance studio, and trainer’s room. The school will also welcome a new athletics and activities director, Brain Kelley, who will oversee the athletics program as well the over 100 co-curricular programs that ASIJ offers. Brian has many years of experience working around the world at schools such as the International School of Singapore, International School of Kenya, and American International School of Johannesburg.
With a new director and new facilities, ASIJ is looking forward to another successful season in the fall. — MATT WILCE
