Welcome

On Behalf of the entire Hangzhou International School Community, welcome to the ACAMIS 2012 Gold Division Basketball Championship.  

It was once said that, "Sports do not build character. They reveal it." As high school students from across China gather in Hangzhou to compete for the ACAMIS Gold Division Basketball championship, I sincerely hope that everyone participating; athletes, coaches, referees and fans, remember that the game cannot mold the participants. It is the participants who make the game.  Sports writing are so full of clichés that it is hard to write a welcome to our athletes and their coaches without sounding like a broken record.  Yes, winning is important and yes, one learns as much from disappointment and loss as from victory. Basketball is not life but for three days in Hangzhou it will be the center point in the lives of dozens of young men and women and that is nothing to treat lightly. Seize this moment to not only compete against each other but also to learn from each other. Learn how to appreciate other athlete’s skills, learn to respect that everyone makes mistakes.  Learn to live with embarrassing moments and disappointing defeat as much as from the elation of victory. May each of you walk away from this tournament a better player and person from the experience. 

Finally, there is much more to an ACAMIS championship than free throws and slam-dunks.  Many people, athletic directors, coaches, parent and student volunteers, teachers, officials, maintenance personnel and everyone who comes out to cheer on the athletes contribute to the success of an athletic tournament.  So to all those who contributed to this tournament, thanks for being part of our ACAMIS team!

Robert van der Eyken
Head of School 
 

It is my pleasure to welcome young athletes from around China and Mongolia to Hangzhou International School for the 2012 Gold Division ACAMIS Basketball Tournament on February 9-12.  As a 14-year veteran in the field of athletics, nothing promotes teamwork, camaraderie, and global understanding more than events where cultural diversity is prominent, and furthermore embraced.

Although the athletes participating in this competition currently reside in either China or Mongolia, the majority of these students are expatriates who are living far away from their home countries.  In this regard, tournaments of this nature are similar to the Olympic Games; everyone looks different and has various worldviews and beliefs, but all come together and embrace one another’s differences through athletics.

This experience, where many cultures mesh, teaches our youth more about human commonalties than differences, more about love than hate, and more about peace than war.  Through this type of international competition, we are one, and the end result for our athletes is peace and cultural awareness, values that are necessary for young generations, as they are our future leaders. 

Athletes, parents, coaches, and Athletic Directors, I welcome you to beautiful Hangzhou, home of the very famous West Lake!  I look forward to meeting you all on our campus in February!

Brook Ketchum
Athletic Director/Tournament Director