Yalla Cougars: The Return of IC Athletics

Yalla Cougars!:

The Return of IC Athletics

As the students of the newly minted American Boys School in Smyrna indifferently passed by the popular store where the list of events and enticing prizes for the school’s first ever “Field Day Athletics Sports Day,” were displayed, their headmaster, Alexander MacLachlan, was dismayed. The promise of a day filled with marbles, leapfrog, kite-flying, pole vaulting, running, tug of war, and sack races, garnered about as much excitement, it seemed, as a math test. A longtime athlete himself, MacLachlan was determined to foster a similar love of sports and competition in his students. He figured a field day filled with prizes was the perfect solution, but something was clearly still amiss. Ultimately, that field day did happen. Not only was the day itself a huge success, a lively event with 4,000 spectators from all over Smyrna and the surrounding suburbs, but it established a precedent for interscholastic competition in Turkey and the region. Inspired by its success, the Pan-Ionian Association of Smyrna began their own annual sports competitions. And just four years after MacLachlan’s first field day, the first modern Olympic games were held in Athens in 1896. A mere coincidence? Perhaps. Though, as MacLachlan states in his memoir, Potpourri of Sidelights and Shadow from Turkey, “We will leave it to the research experts of the future to trace back to its original source the modern little spring from which trickled the stimulating life spirit of athletic revival in modern Greece.”

Fast forward 130 years, MacLachlan would likely be overjoyed to hear about how, from the ‘modern little spring’ in Ottoman Smyrna to present day Beirut, that athletic spirit has trickled into the souls of the 1000+ students who showed up for IC’s extracurricular sports tryouts this Fall and Winter.

Today, IC’s robust athletic program, led by Omar Shmaitilly with the support of Karine Naji (Athletic Coordinator- Ras Beirut) & Jennifer Chehade (Athletic Coordinator - AA), is beloved by its athletes and onlookers alike for its competitive nature and as a beacon of IC spirit. IC participates in eight different local leagues, as well as different national and international tournaments, and is recognized across the region as a very competitive, highcaliber program. During the 2019-2020 season, IC athletics were on a roll. The Boys Varsity Basketball Team won first place at a regional tournament in Izmir, and in March 2020, the JV Boys and Girls Basketball and Football teams traveled to Dubai and Greece for a NESAC (Near East Schools Activities Conference) tournament. They returned triumphant, with first place for girls football and boys basketball, and second place for boys football. In fact, this was the last time any team traveled, as panic around a well-known virus was quickly growing. It was the beginning of the end, Mr. Shmaitailly recalls.

“Some parents had fears, ‘should we send our kids, should we not send our kids?’ We had to buy face masks, and it was the first time any of us really had worn them. It was so weird. We returned back from Dubai and Greece with trophies in hand. Then, everything shut down.” Like all other aspects of our daily lives, sports too, transitioned to the virtual world. The athletics program organized Google Classrooms to share videos, tips, and exercises to keep student athletes engaged. They had every coach prepare videos for mobility skills, strength and conditioning, some of which even featured the beloved Cougar mascot demonstrating the exercises. “We kept students engaged through our Google Classrooms and social media platforms. We shared new challenges every week. We tried to somehow keep the new spirit of belonging, especially as we were all so far away,” Omar notes. athletic Department surprised each awardee of each sport with Most Important Player, Most Valuable Player and the Cougar of the Year and Male and Female Athletes of the Year at the students’ homes. They coordinated with parents, so the athletes were in complete shock when the Cougar knocked on their door and presented them with their trophies. Festivities at their respective homes followed, and the 2019-2020 athletic season formally concluded.

During the summer months, The athletic department prepared as they normally would - who knew what to expect the coming year? They hoped it might return to normal.

Sports are not only essential to kids’ physical and mental health, but they also foster qualities in line with IC’s values. They help develop self-esteem, teach about success and loss, maintain discipline, and encourage teamwork. “Sports build character. They also build a spirit of belonging and a healthy community. From the first day I joined the Cougars Family, whenever there was a game, you would see students, parents, and friends coming together to cheer for us. This what we seek, the spirit of belonging and loving IC,” Mr. Shmaitilly asserts. In an ideal world, athletics would be prioritized in school’s pandemic reopening plans. Sports is everything! Unfortunately the high-contact nature of many sports makes it very difficult to control and mitigate the spread of the virus, especially when concerning unvaccinated children.

In lieu of the usual athletic awards ceremonies, The

So, the pitches and gyms remained empty for the 20202021 school year. Save for two weeks in October where they were able to operate on a recreational basis, the athletic program was stagnant. As students returned for in-person classes this year, however, so too, did athletic programming! In early October, they began Phase 1: Football, Track and Field, Archery, and Ultimate Frisbee tryouts for Grades 5-12. A record 550+ students took part. The department started offering private tennis sessions for the students as well. They launched Phase 2 in early February (indoor sports for the same age group) - Basketball, Badminton, Swimming and Taekwondo. 520 students joined this round of tryouts, alongside 200+ grade 4-9 students from Ain Aar, in basketball and football. Phase 3 will be launched the first week of April, expanding the offerings to Elementary students. They have also started a new Zumba program, to encourage more female participation in athletics. The kids are especially thrilled. “We have noticed a big impact on student’s morale and mentality. We saw the smiles and noticed a change of mood when they started athletics again. The spirit is back,” Mr. Shmaitilly notes. Teachers & supervisors are happy too, he jokes. Now they can go back to the saying, “Failing to behave in class will automatically lead you to lose your spot on the athletic team.”

The one thing missing, however, is competition. It was the promise of competition, in fact, that rallied those first IC students around McLaughlin’s Field Day. The boys rushed to sign up for events and practiced rigorously after the Reverend invited other schools in the area to participate in the event and prizes were at stake.

Even though practices are underway, COVID restrictions demand they remain noncontact. Meaning no games. Not even internal scrimmages. This is the next challenge the team is determined to tackle. “We are starting to lose interest. Those who started in October haven’t been able to play a single game, even against each other. We need to try and boost them up and the only way to do this is by having them play games,” Shmaitilly relays. The Athletics department is determined to revive competition. Even though IC’s rival schools have not begun their programs, they hope to bring in clubs & meets for the teams to play against. They also hope that they will be able to host some version of the annual Alton Reynolds Tournament.

The tapered athletic program has not dampened Shmaitilly Naji, and Chehade spirits, and they have big plans for the future. They are working on a program to boost collegiate scholarship opportunities for their players, collaborating with an international scouting organization and elevating athletes’ profiles through social media, tournaments, and other CV boosting opportunities. They are also very much looking forward to traveling again, and are hoping that their athletes might get the opportunity to do so by the end of the year. Travel is a nice experience and contact for our athletes as it exposes their sports capabilities and enhances their team spirit and bond. They wait for it each year! Omar adds by experience. “Especially for the seniors,” Karine notes, Until then, we are all counting down the days when we can cheer, “Go Cougars!”