The Athlete Experience – A Reflection

By Ella

I have experienced two IASAS’s, one I went and competed at; the other I watched from the stands. For the first season, I went to Jakarta for Cross Country IASAS.  For the second season, I stayed here and watched Tennis and Basketball at home. Each IASAS gave me a different perspective. 

When you are competing, hosting has a huge impact on the experience. When I went to Jakarta, nine of my teammates and I all had hosts that lived in the same area, an hour away from the school. So we would have to ride a van to and from school everyday, and have to wake up super early. Not ideal. Lots of waiting in the car, struggling with the wifi, getting nauseous because I’ve been smashed in the back for an hour. When I host it is very different. Because I live in Nichada, I can just drive for 10 minutes in the golf cart, and I’m at the school.  This gives us lots of extra time: I showed them around the mall; we went to dinner together; I showed them around Nichada; we got really close and had really good talks. While it is best if everything goes smoothly, a challenging hosting experience might mean that you have some really funny stories to share. 

Now the difference between competing and watching. Obviously the two are very different things, but they kind of go hand in hand. After our races in the morning my teammates and I would go and watch volleyball for the rest of the day. All of us got super invested, commentating on games, planning times to go watch, holding up sticks with our team’s faces on them, and more. Some of my favorite moments from IASAS are hanging out with my team watching volleyball.

Watching the games at home is so much different. The saying that “there’s nothing like the home crowd” is definitely true. At one point, it felt like everyone in the school was in the gym.  Everywhere I looked, there were kids from all areas of the school. High schoolers on the bleachers, middle schoolers on the sides, and little elementary schoolers sitting on the sides. Everyone chanting and making silly jokes created powerful energy from the crowd.

The next thing, something that needs to be talked about, is IASAS depression. After IASAS I felt so depressed and empty. After the high of IASAS, I had to come back to summative assessments and homework every single night. I was talking to my friend Avery and she said, “IASAS depression is so real”. 

One way to cope with this is to start looking forward to the next IASAS. No matter if you’re watching from home on your phone, or playing in the game, or cheering for your home team, IASAS is a time to come together to support your school.  

The many faces of IASAS Hospitality

Part 1: New Friendships

By Maggie 

IASAS has come and gone again, but this time let’s take a moment to talk about one of the key experiences athletes undergo; hosting. In this segment, I’m going to be talking a little bit about what it was like to be hosted by someone I don’t know very well. 

I moved to ISB for my Junior year of highschool, and I’m now halfway through my senior year. This means that every time I’ve been hosted, it’s been by someone I don’t know very well. Although this can seem a bit daunting at first, every one of my experiences has been wonderful. The hosts are always incredibly kind and thoughtful, and go out of their way to make you feel as welcomed as possible. I’ve loved getting hosted. 

But let me backtrack a little bit. The first day of being hosted when you don’t know the hosts, you are randomly introduced to them at the school you are at. You say hello, and make some awkward small talk, before you meet their parents and are escorted to their house. 

That first day you are often exhausted from flying, so you mostly stay in your new room. You see the family for dinner, but you don’t really get to know them until the next few days. 

The next couple of days, you learn a lot more about your family. You talk more with your host, and it becomes genuine. It’s amazing. You learn some of their inside jokes, crazy stories, traditions, and more. It really feels like you become a part of their family for that short time. 

The coolest part for me is that you get to look inside the lives of a family completely outside of your own, especially when you don’t know your host at first. I’ve never requested to be hosted by anyone specific, as I’ve loved getting to experience new families every IASAS, and I highly recommend everyone to experience getting hosted at least once in their life. It’s truly an eye-opening experience. 

Part 2: Continuing Friendships

By Imaan

IASAS is usually associated with competition and school spirit between the six schools, but for me, one of the most meaningful parts of the experience has been the friendships formed through hosting and being hosted. Staying with host families and welcoming students from other schools creates connections that go beyond sports and results. Simple moments like spending time at home, showing someone around campus, and sharing daily routines are what turn a short stay into a real friendship.

In 2025, I hosted a girl my age from TAS for Touch IASAS at ISB, and that experience showed me how naturally those connections can form. We stayed in touch after that, and during my senior year, I saw her again while visiting TAS for football, even though she does not play herself. Running into her during a different season and in a different context made the friendship feel genuine rather than tied to one event. Later, during Touch IASAS in 2026, she requested to host me, which really showed how hosting can turn a short experience into something long-lasting. While staying with her, I also spent time with her friends and teammates, going out to dinner and meeting people from her school. Hearing about their everyday routines, school life, and how sports and seasons work at other IASAS schools gave me a deeper understanding of what IASAS looks like beyond my own experience.

IASAS creates friendships that continue well beyond the events themselves. I also found out that she will be attending the same university as my brother, which makes this connection feel long-term rather than temporary. It is exciting to know that I will get to see her again in the future, even outside of IASAS. Experiences like this show that IASAS is not just about competition, but about building meaningful relationships that carry on over time. 

Home Team Advantage

By Jackson  

How does crowd size, noise, and spirit impact the home team’s performance? 

During the ISB Panthers first boys basketball game at the recent home IASAS, I really started to wonder how big of an impact crowd noise and school spirit really affects performance of our great athletes. Seeing the entire middle and most of the high school all yelling, applauding, and cheering for our boys basketball team really put it into perspective how important support really is. The ISM Bearcats made the game really close, however, in the end I believe the overwhelming crowd support of our ISB students made the game nearly impossible for the Bearcats to recover.

Though the ISM game had some amazing energy, I also noticed that when the crowd was smaller or not as loud, the Panthers tended to struggle a bit more. It almost seemed as if when the crowd was quiet the Panthers barely felt the effects of home court advantage. When we cheered loudly, chanted players names, and didn’t let the opponents hear the end of it when they missed a shot, it felt like the home team couldn’t be stopped, however, as soon as the crowd let up it felt as though they lost their edge. 

So if you care about our teams, support them with your voices.