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October 1, 2010: Sports and Community



My Children are Spanish. They are also equally Panamanian and North American, or Estates, as they might say; but all of that together takes more time to explain than any two or four year old cares to dedicate, so they generally choose one of the three, and when it comes to my son, Ben, España is his nationality of choice. Both of my children are proud to be from Spain, which is a credit to their dad and his family who have created a strong sense of family identity despite the distance. But I would like to state for the record that it has been a tough year for me to compete with Spain (not that it’s a competition) given all of the recent sports victories that Spain has taken home: World Cup, Wimbledon, Roland Garros-French Open, U.S Open (Nadal!), Tour de France, not to mention their basketball team, their motorcyclists, their Fernando Alonso, AND that it’s hard to make it from our house to the El Rey without passing many Real Madrid or Barça car decals. Of course Ben is from Spain!


Sports, beyond the health and wellness, brings people together, creates a common cause for cheering and a new level of endurance to achieve. Sports allows us to celebrate the human physical potential, both individually and collectively, as in team sports. It is no mystery nor recent invention that sports do more for a community than simply cultivating healthy and strong athletes. Sporting events are exciting, playful, loud and it’s socially acceptable to weep if your team loses, even if you weren’t actually playing on “your” team.


Sporting events play an important role in a sense of belonging and pride, and are an important bridge between cultures and socio-economic disparities. In the month of October, we move from a sense of belonging to celebrating our world cultures, and what better way to begin that journey that through sports.


Our Elementary students have many opportunities to practice sports and to participate in competitions, which means that our Elementary community has many opportunities to come out and reap the benefits of cheering on our athletes. What a great time to share with your child: celebrating play, cheering, shouting, and experiencing together what it feels like to win or lose.


Currently, we have 2 basketball teams, our SUB 10 Boys and Girls. Also in full swing is our Kiwanis Micro football team. We have an amazing group of parents who are out regularly cheering on our teams and providing Gatorade and snacks for our athletes. THANK YOU! We are so grateful for the way that you make our school spirit come alive.


We will be celebrating the achievements of these athletes next Tuesday, October 5, from 8:30—9:30 in an Elementary Pep Rally in our Gym. Whether your child is on a team, would like to be on a team, or just enjoys cheering for a team, they will be part of this celebration and all parents are invited. No matter what country or countries your child claims as his/her own, this is EVERYONE’S school. And whether or not we win the game or bring home the trophy, THE DRAGONS RULE!



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