The upcoming IASAS tournament provides athletes with an exciting opportunity to showcase their skills and represent their school and sport. As the event of the season approaches, excitement is building among the athletes who have dedicated countless hours to training and preparation. For the captains of these teams, the pressure is undeniable. Their role is to lead their teams and motivate and inspire them to perform at their best. The Season 3 IASAS tournaments and competitions happening this week are track and field, baseball, softball — here at ISB — and badminton and golf away.
With schools represented from the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the competition will be intense. Let’s take a closer look into the mindset of the captains as they prepare for the biggest tournament of the season.
Satta (Tata) Srifuengfung, captain of the girl’s varsity badminton team, enters the tournament with the singular goal of winning gold. Despite the team being relatively new, she believes that “The bond of the team is definitely our strongest point.” But she acknowledges that “having a new team also gave us less time to practice with our partners and figure out each player’s position.” Her biggest fear for the upcoming event is facing Taipei American School (TAS). Nevertheless, she remains determined to achieve her goal of winning the gold medal. To do this, she emphasizes the need for the coaches to “be positive and really enjoy the IASAS experience with us, as well as being supportive.”
Phatsakorn (Ang) Burapapong, captain of the boy’s varsity badminton team, is approaching the upcoming IASAS tournament with solid confidence in his team. While he looks forward to “seeing friends from other schools,” his primary focus is leading his team to success. Ang believes their strength lies in the exceptional skills of sophomore Fan Bu. But he acknowledges that the “long travels and waiting time” could challenge the team. Interestingly, Ang’s biggest fear is “winning too easily,” which represents his confidence in his team’s abilities. He has set an ambitious goal, saying “It would be nice to win 5-0 against every school.” To perform at their best, Ang hopes for “good advice from the coaches in between games.” Entering the tournament with enthusiasm and strong confidence, Ang is in a great position to lead the ISB boy’s badminton team to achieve a record of 0 losses. Aiming to dominate the competition while cherishing fun moments in his final year, Ang strives to make a memorable final IASAS.
As Yuka Kishi, captain of the ISB varsity girl’s softball team, prepares for her final IASAS tournament, she says she is looking forward to “getting a win, especially because this is my last IASAS, but also meeting new people through softball.” Reflecting on the team’s strengths, Yuka says, “Our team’s strength is that we cheer for each other. We care about each other and share the emotions together, whether it’s positive or negative, allowing us to have strong unity.” With clear goals in mind for herself and the team, Yuka states, “My personal goal is to get on the bases every batting. As for the team, it is to win and have a higher rank, at least than last year.”
Driven by her passion for the sport and desire to lead her team to their highest potential, Yuka is determined to make the most of her final IASAS tournament. 
The boy’s varsity baseball team has two senior captains, Jiei Nomiya and Nathaniel (Nate) Scranton. Both aspire for the team to reach the finals and win the gold medal in their last year playing at ISB. When asked about the team’s strengths, Jiei highlighted their teamwork, stating, “Throughout the season, we played well when we caught our momentum during the game. I bet we have the strongest team bond among all IASAS schools.” Nate emphasizes the team’s offensive ability, saying, “Our strength is that our team is very offensively fluent and has super high potential to be in the finals.”
While the captains share a clear goal, one has a fear of his own. Jiei understands that “fear is our biggest enemy” and is scared if his “teammates get nervous during the game.” Nate, though, is fearless. “I am not really scared of anything, to be honest. I am just excited.” He looks forward to representing the school in the sport he loves and reconnecting with friends from the other schools.
Every team has weaknesses, and for the ISB team, Nate believes it’s their lack of IASAS experience due to the young roster. “But this could be good because they don’t have the same expectations going into the tournament,” he says. Jiei considers Nate’s elbow injury, which he has been dealing with for months, their biggest weakness. The coaching staff has been efficient in supporting Nate through this challenge, and he acknowledges them for their efforts, saying, “The coaching staff has way more things to help support and make me a better person than I can name.” Nate hopes the coaching staff can help the team with “a way to decompress” if there is bad performance, “being able to talk about what went wrong.” This is what he believes “is a vital key to success.” With their clear strengths, goals, and weaknesses, the ISB baseball captains are motivated to make a memorable final run and bring home the gold medal.
Ayaka Bijl, a senior on the ISB track and field team, is filled with excitement as she prepares to compete at home for her final IASAS tournament. “It’s great because we know our own track and how it feels to run, throw, or jump on it, so that will take away some nerves for some people on our team,” she says. Ayaka is also looking forward to celebrating with friends and enjoying the comforts of her home, stating, “I’m glad that I can celebrate with all my friends and sleep in my own bed. Overall, I am just so excited to see everyone do well this IASAS. We have been working really hard, and I can’t wait to see how it pays off!” Looking at the team’s strengths, Ayaka highlights their substantial support for one another, “At every race, throw, or jump, I always see teammates cheering for each other and celebrating wins together! I always feel confident that in every race, I will hear my teammates cheering me on and pushing me forward.” One potential weakness, though, is a lack of competitive experience. “Although we have had a lot of meets this season, I think we have had a lack of competition with others at the same level as us,” she says. As a 3,000-meter distance runner, Ayaka says she is excited to race and have fun.” With clear goals in mind, Ayaka asserts, “On behalf of the girls’ team, we definitely have the goal to bring home gold once again, especially now that it is at home! Individually, I aim to PB and place well in all of my races, as I am sure the rest of my teammates hope to do as well.” To perform at her best, Ayaka relies on the support of her coaches, explaining how “a continued supply of iced towels and ice baths” would be beneficial. She is pumped and ready to give her all at her final IASAS on the home track.
For Pivayat (Monia) Pokvanvit, the captain of the ISB boys varsity golf team, the upcoming IASAS tournament is more than just a competition. “I look forward to spending time with my teammates and just playing my best at IASAS,” he says. “I think that by having fun, we will all perform well and not put too much pressure on ourselves.” Monia recognizes the team’s strengths and weaknesses, claiming, “The strengths of our team this year going to IASAS are definitely our individual skills and abilities. Everyone in the team knows how to play and score best individually, but when it comes to IASAS, in which we are competing as a team, we must learn not to give up on our game and continue to give it our best even when we are playing bad because everyone’s score counts in IASAS.” While Monia has no fears entering the tournament, he approaches the competition with a clear goal in mind. “Our main goal as defending champs this year is to bring back gold again, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself and on the team since golf itself is already a stressful game. So I guess our main goal is to play our best and not give up.” Monia keeps it simple when it comes to the support he needs from his coaches: “Food and a good sleep is all that I need.”
