Dear Parents,
It only seems a few hours since we last saw you at the airport but it's time for us to make our way home.
Everyone is a little tired after our party last night but we are having one last team breakfast and then heading out to get some fresh air and stretch our legs before setting off for our flight.
We are scheduled to arrive at 10.30 am Hong Kong time tomorrow (Monday) morning. See you there!
Kind regards,
COBIS team
Sunday 17 May 2015
Last Day - Football
Dear parents,
We can't believe our final event is over! The competition in the football was fierce but our NAIS Knights have done us proud again.
Our boys team was pitched against some older, more experienced teams and had a tough day. We waited all day for a goal and our resilience paid of in the second half of our final game, leading to a one all draw. We held our nerve during a tense sudden death penalty shoot out and were victorious, thanks to an amazing save from super goalie Jotaro!
Our girls debut game as a team was a steep learning curve but they soon found their rhythm and finished second in their group putting them through to the finals. We think we have some football stars in the making and are making plans for a NAIS girls football team, judging by the talent we have seen today we can expect great things!
As I'm sure you can tell it's been an amazing three days of sport. Our team has shown a fantastic attitude both on and off the pitch and we couldn't be prouder. We'll be joining the other teams for a celebratory 'gala dinner' tonight and then packing our bags ready for our return journey.
Kind regards,
The Knights
We can't believe our final event is over! The competition in the football was fierce but our NAIS Knights have done us proud again.
Our boys team was pitched against some older, more experienced teams and had a tough day. We waited all day for a goal and our resilience paid of in the second half of our final game, leading to a one all draw. We held our nerve during a tense sudden death penalty shoot out and were victorious, thanks to an amazing save from super goalie Jotaro!
Our girls debut game as a team was a steep learning curve but they soon found their rhythm and finished second in their group putting them through to the finals. We think we have some football stars in the making and are making plans for a NAIS girls football team, judging by the talent we have seen today we can expect great things!
As I'm sure you can tell it's been an amazing three days of sport. Our team has shown a fantastic attitude both on and off the pitch and we couldn't be prouder. We'll be joining the other teams for a celebratory 'gala dinner' tonight and then packing our bags ready for our return journey.
Kind regards,
The Knights
Friday 15 May 2015
Final Day..
Quick update from Athens:
We slept well and now ready for our last day.
Every body is excited to play as a team. It's the football tournament first then the closing ceremony.
An update on athletics: we placed 11th overall with Vic, Amber and Polina scoring important points in the final.
We slept well and now ready for our last day.
Every body is excited to play as a team. It's the football tournament first then the closing ceremony.
An update on athletics: we placed 11th overall with Vic, Amber and Polina scoring important points in the final.
Second Day - Athletics
Dear Parents,
A late update today as we've only just arrived back from the Athletics competition. Today I've handed over to our team captains Zan and Simone to give you the update:
Today we competed in athletics, and it was a lot of fun. St. Saviours School from Nigeria won overall. We all did really well in our events and we all tried our hardest. Vic gained us points for the team by coming 8th in the javelin and Amber made the final of the 400m where she came 7th! We are also waiting to hear if we placed in the boys high jump. The whole team were good sports and congratulated the other teams when they got medals. Everyone supported each other and cheered each other on. It was very hot and two girls (from other schools) fainted right as they reached the finish line. We hope we can win some matches at the football tomorrow to put us up the leaderboard!
We're off for another team dinner followed by a movie. We've coped well with the time difference so far so hopefully we're in for another good nights sleep tonight!
Kind regards from the Knights team.
A late update today as we've only just arrived back from the Athletics competition. Today I've handed over to our team captains Zan and Simone to give you the update:
Today we competed in athletics, and it was a lot of fun. St. Saviours School from Nigeria won overall. We all did really well in our events and we all tried our hardest. Vic gained us points for the team by coming 8th in the javelin and Amber made the final of the 400m where she came 7th! We are also waiting to hear if we placed in the boys high jump. The whole team were good sports and congratulated the other teams when they got medals. Everyone supported each other and cheered each other on. It was very hot and two girls (from other schools) fainted right as they reached the finish line. We hope we can win some matches at the football tomorrow to put us up the leaderboard!
We're off for another team dinner followed by a movie. We've coped well with the time difference so far so hopefully we're in for another good nights sleep tonight!
Kind regards from the Knights team.
Thursday 14 May 2015
And a note from Laura (Zan's mum) who is travelling with the Knights.
"All of the parents have been so proud of the kids. Their attitudes and performance have been really phenomenal, especially considering the distance they've travelled and the time change.
They medaled in three events against teams that have multiple training pools and swim five times a week!
The parents back home have been so excited as well and I think several wish they'd made the trip.
This is a really great event. An impressive international event and a great opportunity for our kids. Hopefully this is the first of many appearances for NAIS."
After the excitement of the swimming ...
Yesterday evening (Thursday) we set off to explore some of the amazing sites around Athens. Our tour guide was really impressed with our team's knowledge on Ancient Greece.
The students loved seeing the ancient buildings, and particularly enjoyed watching the guards at the Parliament Building.
We've all been bowled over by how beautiful Greece is, and the weather has been especially kind.
As we jumped back on the bus back to the hotel the jet lag started to kick in, and everyone gratefully headed straight for bed.
We had a later start this morning, but we were keen to eat breakfast and then get to the Stadium
We are all really excited to be competing in the Olympic Stadium. Such an incredible venue - and interesting to think of all the famous athletes who had competed their before us in the 2004 Olympic Games.
Today we'll be competing in athletics events and we're all feeling confident after the swimming events yesterday.
Have to dash now!
Katie Byrne
Success on the first day!
Dear Parents,
What a day! We started with the opening ceremony at the
Olympic stadium, it was an amazing experience for all of us but I'll let your
children describe it to you.
It was our swimming competition today and all children
beat their personal bests in their individual events. We placed top three in heats for back stroke
(Vic- first place, Simone - second place), Butterfly (Jotaro - first place, Vic -
second place and Polina - third place), breast stroke (Kenan - second place) and 50m freestyle (Amaya - second place) and our boys relay medley team placed third in their heat.
The finals took place in the afternoon and we were the proud winners of 3 medals! Gold for Vic in backstroke, Bronze for Vic in butterfly and Bronze for boys medley relay (Jotaro, Brendan, Vic and Kenan). We placed 8th overall, which is a great result for our first competition.
The finals took place in the afternoon and we were the proud winners of 3 medals! Gold for Vic in backstroke, Bronze for Vic in butterfly and Bronze for boys medley relay (Jotaro, Brendan, Vic and Kenan). We placed 8th overall, which is a great result for our first competition.
It's been a fantastic day of sporting achievements for
our team but we are most proud of the way our pupils have worked together. Everyone has supported their team mates and
displayed a positive and healthy attitude towards competing. They've begun to meet pupils from the other
schools and have been really respectful of the other teams.
We've all been well fed, I asked the pupils if they like
the food and they said the crisps in Greece are the best they've ever had!
(Don't worry they also really like the Greek salad & yogurt!)
After dinner tonight we've got a tour of historical
sights - I think we might all sleep well again tonight!
Kind regards from all of us in Greece.
Wednesday 13 May 2015
Breakfast and they're off!
From Miss Katie Bryne:
It’s just past 7am in Athens. The children – and adults –
were all in bed and fast asleep by 8.30 last night! Everyone slept through
until 6am and were then up, dressed and tucking into a delicious breakfast. We
are just about to get on the bus to join the opening ceremony. The nerves
haven’t dampened anyone’s appetite and a big breakfast was eaten by all.
The First Day in Athens
Everyone
ate, slept well and we finally made it to Paris. It was a tight turn around
but by 7.20 am we were on our flight to Athens. On arrival, we shared a bus with the Berlin team and started making new friends
already!
After checking in, we kept ourselves awake with a walk around the local area and found a great
park. We also enjoyed some time in the hotel pool - no training this
time!
We've filled up on a delicious dinner with the other teams, and before bed time we had just enough time to pack our swimming kit ready for an early start in the morning!
Arrival!
Dear Parents,
As we speak the COBIS team of athletes are making their way from Paris to Athens. They all arrived safely in Paris with their very tired teachers and parents. After a minor delay at the airport security they eagerly boarded their final flight to Athens. The pictures here are of the team at Hong Kong airport and then again on arrival in France. We shall keep you updated of their progress and post up pictures from the event to keep you informed.
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