Page 19 - FIS World

coaching girls Grades 2-5 after school) now “playing up” as bigger kids makes it truly fulfilling.
Ms. Ogden remembers one particu- lar play in the big game versus FIS that was so incredible – “our defensive player made the stop, dragged the ball back, turning and reversing direc- tion... a major league play!” It’s been a treat for her watching the students develop from that “safe place” to now
seeing their growing confidence and leadership. With five girls on a team of 17, a combination of improved skills, conditioning and confidence, means that the girls are anything but afraid to mix it up with the boys.
Mr. Rose concurs. The co-ed approach has been successful in his eyes with the younger girls now feed- ing into the team from their develop- ment in past years with Ms. Ogden. He notices that the girls are particularly open to instruction and believes they even get more value from the teach- ing than the boys.
So does the FIS International Bacca- laureate (IB) approach come into play out on the pitch? Absolutely. Mr. Rose recognizes a difference here from other students he’s coached. While bringing many years of playing, coach- ing and even refereeing experience to the team, he’s been very impressed by
“It’s hard because you have to always think about what’s best for the team”
Omar, Team Captain
the children’s sense of cooperation and communication – something he thinks has a lot to do with their educa- tion at FIS. “They have more of an understanding of the team concept and communicating with one another than most other teams I’ve coached.”
It seems to all start with Grade 6 team captains, Omar and Zacherie, who were selected by Mr. Bentley, Mr. Rose and Ms. Ogden after the team tryout sessions based on their skills, whole game awareness and social behavior. In talking with them you can see they are not taking their captain status lightly and feel a great deal of responsibility... maybe even some degree of pressure that goes along with the role. “It’s hard because you
have to always think about what’s best for the team” says Omar. It has meant more patience and encouragement of others and Zacharie also admits “it isn’t simple” being captain. However, both are finding the role rewarding.
That cooperation and level of respect among teammates has been crucial because there are a wide range of skill levels, abilities and experience on the team. While some players are very enthusiastic without much formal training or coaching, others have been brought up in the ‘football’ (soccer) culture where it’s built into society. Mr. Rose sees soccer in some places like the USA as still more of a stepping stone sport before moving into more common sports that kids play in the USA. But that combination of experi- ences is what makes this a great team to be a part of and watch.
Mr. Rose finds that these kids are quite easy to coach; they’re competi- tive and care about the game of soccer but it is not everything to them. Since they have so much more in their life, “they are very well-balanced kids” he notes. And while their whole world doesn’t necessarily revolve around soccer, they sure play it with the same enthusiasm and passion.
So where does FIS Grade 5 and 6 soccer program go from here? Obvi- ously the goal for the upcoming year is to keep the momentum building on what they’ve started. They’re looking for many more games against other international schools including get- ting involved in some tournaments. They hope this is the beginning of an overall competitive Middle School sports program that will be an addi- tional attractive feature for prospec- tive FISW students and parents. While they don’t have a lot of games on next term’s schedule, Ms. Ogden’s message is clear: “Come watch us”. For all those who saw the game against the main campus FIS team, I second that recom- mendation. It was exhilarating!
David Plaue, FISW Parent
February 2015 FIS World 17