A bittersweet turn of events befell the ISB community during the winter holidays, as we witnessed the departure of an ISB member of staff, Mr. Justin Wah. Justin Wah works as Activities Coordinator and coaches the Varsity soccer team. Soccer, or as he and I call it, football, has long been a passion of his, and he was invited to conduct training sessions with Indonesian Super League team, Mitra Kukar FC.
After taking on morning technical practice sessions during their tour of Thailand, the team exceeded their expectations, beating Thai Premier League teams. Through this success, Coach Wah was offered a permanent contract with the team, and departed three days afterwards.
Mitra Kukar FC. compete in the Indonesian Super League, and play in a stadium that seats 35,000, more than the Tottenham Hotspurs stadium.
As a member of the Varsity soccer team, it’s exciting yet frustrating that Justin Wah’s expertise will finally be allowed to flourish in a professional environment. All of us wish him great success on his new path. We do however; hope he did not expect to disappear without some kind of obituary or letter of praise.
When Varsity tryouts commenced upon my arrival to 9th grade. I had no motivation to play football anymore. I felt I had reached my peak interest in the sport, and didn’t feel I was progressing much anymore. A few conversations with Justin Wah changed my views, and subsequently my entire life. I learnt so much more thanks to Coach Wah’s sheer attention to detail and depth of knowledge. After my love for the game was reignited, I found myself enjoying my football more than ever.
Shortly after Justin Wah’s departure, I had various members of staff engage me in conversation, claiming that they were upset by Mr. Wah’s absence, and that he was their “best friend.” One of those, was the Deputy Head of School, who also happens to be my father, Mr. Graeme Scott.
“Justin really is one of a kind,” states Mr. Scott. “He comes into my office every Monday morning to discuss the happenings of the English Premier League. I’ve known coaches who know the game inside out, and coaches who know how to get inside the heads of young players to get them thinking. Justin Wah is both of those. He’s a top coach, and a top guy.”
During his time at ISB, Coach Wah has won two gold medals and one silver medal at IASAS. He also coach one and a half seasons of the U15 football season. The first year under Coach Wah, the team won gold for the first time in years, and after his departure half way through his second year of U15 football, the team grabbed a silver medal under Mr. Kevin Davy, a close friend of Coach Wah. One of the prolific players who played for both Varsity and U15 under Coach Wah, Michael Kaiya (9) shares his experience.
Michael explains how a season with Coach Wah is “a season packed with, weird analogies, dancing singing, an exposure to many different fashion statements and many smiles,” a season where “individual improvement is guaranteed. We were lucky to have Justin as our coach, and I’m sure everyone that has worked with him will agree too. We wish him all the best on his new path and are grateful for the time he has given towards ISB football.”
Of his four years of high school, Varsity veteran Jeff Krapayoon (12) has been playing under Coach Wah for three of them. Like the rest of us, he had mixed feelings about Justin Wah’s move.
“Coach Wah is the type of coach that will push you to your limits. He’s hard on you because he wants to bring the best out of you, physically and mentally. But at the same time, he loves his team and he’ll protect you no matter what.”
He goes on to say “What I’ve finally realized after 3 years in his team is that Coach Wah believes in me more than I believe in myself. And just to prove it, in the dying minutes of the JIS game at IASAS, he came up and whispered in my ear. He said “Jeff, you’re going to go on and score for ISB. You’re going put the team in the final”….and you know the rest of the story. Lastly, I find it difficult to withstand Coach Wah’s pre-game motivational speeches without a box of tissues “
Although Justin Wah will be sorely missed by the ISB community, we wish him all the best on his new adventure. I also hope he forgives me for dedicating an entire two page article to him.
Nathan Scott
