BSG Newsletter - 9th December

U9 Boys’ Basketball 

The U9 Rhinos showed fantastic teamwork, energy, and passion throughout the tournament, earning a well-deserved second place and the silver trophy. Their effort and enthusiasm were clear in every game they played.

U11 Boys’ Basketball

The U11 Rhinos displayed great dedication and steady improvement all term, with their hard work and teamwork paying off as they claimed first place and brought home the gold trophy.

What an incredible finish to the season for our Under 11 Girls Basketball team! We took 12 amazing athletes to our final tournament of the year, and they played with determination, teamwork, and outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day.

We opened the competition against the home team, Utahloy, and the girls quickly found their rhythm, cruising to a confident 20–0 win. Our second match against the Canadian International School proved to be a much tougher battle, with our shots just not dropping early on. However, the team stayed composed, worked together, and pushed through to secure another victory.

This set us up for a Nord Anglia showdown in the championship game against our sister school in Panyu. The final began smoothly, and our girls continued to play with focus and heart, ultimately winning by 7 points to claim the championship title!

To celebrate their hard work and success, the team enjoyed a well-deserved treat before heading back to school—proudly wearing their medals and carrying a brand-new gold trophy now on display for all to see.

A huge congratulations to our players and coaches for an unforgettable end to the season. We are so proud of you!

On Wednesday 26th November, six brave and talented students departed Guangzhou to represent BSG in the ACAMIS table tennis tournament in Shanghai, for what would turn out to be a highly memorable trip.

Day 1: The size and scope of the tournament were striking: 16 schools, approximately 55 teams, and 32 tables in almost constant simultaneous action. A senior team comprised of Nordo, Ethan, and Philip arrived with a well-balanced mixture of confidence, optimism, and respectful humility. The future of BSG table tennis was represented by our junior team, comprised of Jay, Steven, and Juanjia.

The optimism proved to be well founded, as our senior team won their opening game against the reigning champions and cruised through the round-robin stage, winning all their matches and emerging as the number one seeds going into the knockout stage. Word had quickly spread of an imperious, provincial-level player, competing in his first tournament for international schools. In a nail-biting tie-break in the final set of the final match, our senior team was eliminated. Alas, the first day ended in heartbreak.

Day 2: A tale of redemption. Juanjia teamed with Jay and quickly established themselves as fan favourites. Steven benefited from the experience and skill of Ethan, and this duo made an unlikely run but fell at the quarter-final stage. All our hopes now lay in the hands of Philip and Nordo, who had cruised to the semi-finals. Sadly, once again they fell victim to the refined talent of the very same provincial-level player who had ended their hopes and dreams on Day 1. The duo would not be deterred and, with the entire crowd on their side, they truly demonstrated “the spirit of the rhino” by winning their third-place play-off match. Everyone could now breathe a little easier –we would not go home empty-handed.

Day 3: Singles day. The sportsmanship demonstrated throughout the tournament was truly exceptional, and although none of our junior players progressed to the knockout stage, the camaraderie among all players was palpable. They had truly enjoyed the experience and have many years ahead to continue refining their talent for future tournaments. BSG proved to be a force to be reckoned with, and two of our senior players progressed into the semi-finals. Ethan faced the very same provincial-level player in his semi-final and, despite a spirited performance, could not match the raw power of his opponent. In the opposing semi-final there was a contrast of styles: the refined, graceful, composed technique of Philip, and the highly unorthodox, self-taught technique of his opponent from HKIS. In a tense and exciting match, Philip emerged victorious and went on to secure a silver medal for BSG.

On Saturday, 22 November, 36 BSG secondary swimmers participated at the PRC swimming competition at SWIS Shenzhen. A huge thanks to Ms. Stather for patiently getting swimmers ready for their events and sending them to the marshalling area, and Mr. McCutcheon for recording lap times whilst pool-side.

There were 350+ swimmers from 19 schools competing in 44 events until 5pm. Individual events were 50m and 100m across all four strokes and the 200m Individual Medley. Team relay events were the 200m Medley and 200m Freestyle.

The points system for individual events for 1st to 8th was 10, 8, 6, 5, 4 ,3 ,2, 1. It was double points for the relays.

The BSG 11-14 team of boys and girls placed 2nd, and the 15-and-over team of boys and girls placed 3rd.

BSG placed 3rd overall! All BSG swimmers were superb!

 Congratulations to all swimmers.

The next competition for the swim team is the ACAMIS Senior Swimming Championships being held at WCIS Shanghai on the weekend of 5-7 December. The BSG Swim Team will have 29 swimmers. The school community wishes the team well.

Go Rhinos!