Voice from the Stands

By: Fan

IASAS games are not only defined by what happens on the court, but also by the energy rising from the stands. Walking into the gym, the first thing you notice is the audience — a vibrant mix of middle school students, high schoolers, teachers, parents, and staff, all gathered together wearing school colors. The atmosphere feels electric even before the game begins. Cheers echo across the court, drums and chants build momentum, and every play becomes more intense because of the crowd’s involvement. The audience transforms an ordinary game into something memorable, where players feel supported and spectators feel like part of the action.

Moments of celebration are especially powerful. When a shot goes in or a strong defensive stop succeeds, the crowd reacts instantly as one unified voice. Students jump to their feet, hands in the air, sharing excitement with friends and even strangers around them. These moments create a sense of connection — not just between fans and players, but across the entire school community. Younger students watch in awe, learning what school spirit looks like, while older students feel proud representing something bigger than themselves. At its best, IASAS shows how sports can unite people through shared emotion, pride, and belonging.

However, not every moment reflects these positive values. One disappointing aspect came from our own stands, where some high school students crossed a line by booing or laughing at players from the opposing school. While competition naturally brings strong emotions, this behavior contradicts the respect and sportsmanship that IASAS aims to promote. The audience holds power, and how we use that power matters. Younger students observe and learn from what they see, meaning that negative behavior can influence the next generation just as strongly as positive encouragement.

Overall, the IASAS audience plays an important role in shaping the experience of the games. When support remains positive and respectful, it strengthens community spirit and creates an environment where everyone feels valued. When enthusiasm turns into toxicity, however, it serves as a reminder that representing our school is not only about winning competitions but also about demonstrating character, respect, and integrity.

The Crowd Of Panthers During IASAS

By: Ellen 

At the campus of ISB, it is always exciting to host IASAS matches for the seasonal sports. For the second season of sports this year, ISB hosted the basketball and tennis IASAS games. Having players coming from international schools located from all over Southeast Asia. But what’s even more exciting is that all the students, teachers, and parents of ISB have the chance to watch the thrilling sports matches live! The Panther Spirit that resides during these matches are unmatched, with all the cheering and excitement filling the gymnasiums and courts.

The colors of black and gold – showing the panther pride – fill up the entire school, especially during IASAS at home. The anticipation from each game against another school forms crowds of students and teachers to cheer on our panthers. While watching any of the IASAS games, if you just take a moment and look around amidst all of the applause and the sea of people – you will realize the sense of community that is surrounding you and filling the atmosphere. The glow of power ignites a powerful sense of unity, allowing the individual voices of students, teachers, and family members to turn into one. The collective chants and combined school spirit transforms the school from just a place of learning into a strongly bonded community.  

The IASAS games are not just about athleticism, but also about the support and the energy that the crowds of the ISB panthers bring out. As a community, we celebrate victories together with glory, and provide encouragement during tough moments.

We have seen so many great performances and sportsmanship from our ISB teams during this IASAS season. It is always enthralling to watch these games live at home with hundreds of students, teachers, and parents cheering together, truly displaying our panther spirit. 

Go panthers!

Wall of Sound

By: Troy

ISB’s crowd is more than a background presence. It functions as a single, synchronized unit that reflects the school’s strong sense of community and shared pride. In moments of intensity, the students move and react together, creating an atmosphere that directly shapes the game’s energy.

One clear example is the crowd’s coordinated chanting.  Once a chant starts, it takes on a life of its own, as if the crowd shares an unspoken understanding of when and how to react. This synchronization shows how connected ISB students are, not just to the game, but to each other.

At the same time, the crowd knows its limits. When a player is fouled, the chant stops. Students understand that certain moments require respect, and that awareness demonstrates maturity and sportsmanship. The ability to switch from loud pressure to silence highlights how the ISB crowd balances passion with discipline.

This shared rhythm between excitement and restraint reflects ISB’s wider community values. Students are united by school pride, but also by mutual respect and understanding of the game. The crowd supports its team fiercely while maintaining a collective sense of responsibility.

In this way, ISB’s students do not just watch the game. They actively shape it. Their unity, timing, and awareness turn the stands into an extension of the team itself, proving that ISB’s pride is not just worn, but practiced together.

The Digital Sideline

By: Rylan

For many students, IASAS games are some of the most anticipated days of the school year. With visiting schools, packed gym bleachers, and nonstop action across basketball courts and tennis matches, the event represents school spirit at its peak. However, not everyone can experience the excitement in person. Whether due to classes, schedule conflicts, or other responsibilities, some students and families miss out on the games everyone seems to be talking about.

Missing a major school event can feel disappointing, especially when friends return buzzing with stories of close matches, dramatic moments, and standout performances. Being absent means not hearing the crowd react to a game-winning basket or watching a tense tennis rally unfold in real time. For students who couldn’t attend, it can feel like they missed an important shared experience within the school community.

Fortunately, technology has made it easier to stay connected even when attendance isn’t possible. Livestreams of the IASAS games allow students, parents, and supporters to watch events online from anywhere. By tuning in through a phone, tablet, or computer, viewers can still follow the action, support their school, and feel involved despite being physically away from campus. Livestreams also make the event more accessible, especially for families or students who may not be able to attend in person.

While watching online isn’t the same as being court-side, livestreams help bridge the gap. They allow viewers to see the effort athletes put into their games and appreciate the organization behind the event. In this way, even those who missed IASAS in person were still able to be part of the experience, proving that school spirit doesn’t disappear just because you’re watching from a screen.

As IASAS continues to bring schools together through sports, live-streaming plays an important role in making sure no one feels completely left out. Whether in the stands or online, the event remains a shared moment that connects the entire school community.

View from the Bench

By: Shani 

Being injured on the bench and not being able to help my team made this IASAS basketball tournament very different for me. It was a completely different experience from what I am used to. Being injured on the bench at home during IASAS was horrible. I wanted to help my friends on the court so much, but I couldn’t really do anything about it. I don’t wish anyone to have this feeling. The fact that I wanted to play and help my team but couldn’t was really frustrating.

We started IASAS with the best possible first day. We played two games and won both. Our first game was in Rajendra against ISM, when the whole middle school came to watch. We made sure they had fun, and it was the closest game in all of IASAS. We won by 3 points after some great hustle plays from Baron in the last few minutes of the game. In our second game, we played JIS in the sports complex and beat them by 30 points. Everybody thought that JIS would win IASAS, or at least be a contender, but after we beat them by 30 points, everyone started thinking we were a very strong team and had a massive chance of winning.

Our second day started a bit rough with a loss to ISKL. We thought we would beat them, but they beat us by 14 points, which brought us down a little. However, we all knew we really wanted to beat TAS in our next game. The TAS game was also tough at the Rajendra gym, and we lost again. In the last minute of the game, one of our guards, Thee Teerachotmongkol, got injured. After we lost to TAS, everyone knew that we had to beat SAS to reach the semi-finals, and SAS was probably the best team in the whole tournament. It was a hard game, but in the end, we managed to win after an amazing performance. When the game ended, the first thing we did was watch the JIS vs TAS game to find out who we would play the next day. We found out that we would be playing JIS the next morning. We knew we had already beaten them by 30 points, but we also knew they had many seniors and that it wouldn’t be an easy game like last time.

The last day of the tournament was very interesting. We started the day by playing JIS in the Auxi gym in the morning. JIS was a really good team, as we all knew. During the game, Harel got injured, and we ended up losing. That meant JIS made the finals instead of us. We were all disappointed, but we knew we still had a chance to win a medal. We played ISKL again, the same team we lost to the day before, and we really wanted that win at home. We started the game strong and ended up winning by 19 points, finishing in third place at home.

Experiencing this home IASAS from the bench was something different. While I was sad that I couldn’t participate, I was happy that we ended with a win and got third place.

Small Players, Big Spirit

By: Nita

The Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) is more than just a sports tournament. It is the biggest event of the year for many schools across Southeast and East Asia. Even though the athletes are just high schoolers dealing with homework and exams, the impact they have on their school is massive.

When you look at photos from the games, you don’t just see teenagers playing a sport; you see incredible leaders. The sweat, the focus, and the “never give up” attitude show how much they care. This energy is contagious. When an athlete makes a big play, the crowd goes wild, and the entire school erupts in cheer and pride.

These young athletes prove that you don’t have to be a professional to make a difference. They bring the whole campus together, turning quiet hallways into areas of excitement and school pride. By working hard on the field or the court, they inspire their classmates to be just as passionate in whatever they do.