As we look back on another exhilarating season of sports and enrichment activities BSB, it is time to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our dedicated teams and the unwavering guidance of our exceptional Enrichment staff. This term has been nothing short of remarkable, with our BSB teams displaying unparalleled skill, determination, and sportsmanship across various disciplines. Under the expert tutelage of their coaches, our students have flourished both on and off the field, epitomising the spirit of excellence that defines our school community.
“This year has marked a significant period of transformation, as we’ve welcomed new recruits into key positions such as Head of Aquatics and Head of Gymnastics, alongside the formal appointment of Kris and Amanda as Heads of Enrichment Sport,” said Tristian Cook, Faculty Leader PE & Enrichment. “The seamless continuation of our programme is a true testament to the dedication and hard work of these individuals and our students. Embracing change is never easy, but outstanding efforts have made it possible.”
“We’re thrilled to see an unprecedented number of students enrolling in sports this year, and with the integration into local federation sport, more events than ever before,” he added. “Moreover, the ongoing development and improvement in both competitive and recreational groups are setting new standards across the school. This season has been another source of immense pride for BSB.”
Here we reflect on the triumphs and achievements that have made this term such a joyful and successful experience for everyone involved:
The basketball season started at the end of term 1 with a friendly Year 10-11 Girls tournament at BSB featuring 6 schools from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. The Under-14 students also played in a friendly tournament at ISB to get some game practice before the conference tournament towards the end of the season.
The Year 10-13 boys team continued to play their weekly league games to gain valuable playing experience. The team partnership with RBCWO (Wezembeek) has been incredibly positive, and we are looking at how this will develop next year.
BSB hosted the inaugural ISSC basketball tournaments for our Year 7-9 students (February) and Year 10-13 students (March). Multiple schools from across Europe and the UK came to our school for a fun and competitive opportunity. The Year 7-9 girls finished in 3rd place after a good 30-20 win in the 3rd/4th play-off game. The boys’ team finished in 5th place after coming up against the 2 finalists in the group stage. They won the 5th/6th play-off game 37-18. The Year 10-13 students had a split tournament, with the girls competing at BSB, and the boys competing at a venue in Leuven. Again, the BSB girls finished in 3rd place after an extremely competitive 3rd/4th place play-off game which BSB won 32-24. The boys finished their tournament in 3rd place, beating their opponents 53-51 in an extremely tight game.
After suffering some injuries at the ISSC tournament, the boys’ Year 10-13 team had a challenging tournament in Vienna, where they finished in 8th place. The players showed great determination despite the disappointment of having key teammates and friends unable to participate fully.
The gymnastics team attended several key competitions throughout this term. The senior students travelled to Geneva to compete in a Swiss Schools competition. This was a particularly important opportunity for the students who were not eligible to compete at the later ISGA competitions in the UK. The students left with 15 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals.
30 members of the gym team then travelled to the Hague to compete at BSN school in January. This was a fantastic opportunity to practice routines and to try and gain selection for the ISGA championships in February and March in the UK.
The ISGA championships are the most prestigious competitions in the gymnastics calendar, with 38 BSB students competing across two weekends. The Under-9 girls, Under-11 girls, Under-13 girls and Under-15 girls’ teams competed at the end of February, and the Under-10 girls, Under-13 girls, Under-11 boys and Under-14 boys’ teams competed at the beginning of March. The girls performed in 5 events (set vault, voluntary vault, set floor, voluntary floor and group routine), and the boys performed in 4 events (set vault, voluntary vault, set floor and voluntary floor). The boys Under-11 team won a fantastic silver medal, Barney won individual bronze,
24 students from the development team then took part in a competition with Belgian schools in Temsica, which allowed the athletes to practice their skills on the floor, vault, beam, and bars. This was a fantastic turnout for our team.
The gymnasts will start to focus on the gym show scheduled for the beginning of June.
The boys Year 10-13 rugby team took part in some warm-up tournaments at ISB and BSB, winning their games convincingly. Unfortunately, there were some cancellations during the season, which was disappointing for the team and limited the practice opportunities prior to the ISAA/ISST conference tournament. This tournament took place in Paris, with nine schools participating. The BSB team won their pool games and quarter final handily, before coming up against eventual winners Zurich in the semifinals. BSB levelled the game at the end, before agonisingly losing in extra time. They won the play-off game to finish 3rd overall. The team performed very well and hopefully there will be more competitive opportunities next year to give the team additional game practice.
The swim team has competed in several competitions across the season, starting with the BSB invitational swim meet in November. The swim team then travelled to Luxembourg whilst the development squads demonstrated their skills for parents at BSB at the beginning of December. School competitions at STJ (Belgium), ASH (Netherlands), BSB, and ISB (Belgium) gave the team swimmers some great racing practice. The coaches also took the younger swimmers to PACO meets, which are organised by the Flemish Swimming Association. These were a fantastic addition to the swimming calendar, where the students had exposure to introductory competitions with the mascot ‘PACO’ the dragon.
BSB hosted the two major conference championships, with 12 students representing the school at SCIS (for Year 7-9 students), and 19 swimmers competing at ISAA (for students aged 12 and over). The girls’ team were resounding victors at the SCIS championships and in the Junior category at ISAA, with the boys SCIS and Junior ISAA teams finishing 2nd. The SCIS team finished as overall champions, and the ISAA team finished 2nd overall.
At SCIS, BSB swimmers picked up 7 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze medals. The ISAA team came away with 11 gold, 13 silver, and 9 bronze medals. Fantastic results from the swimmers.
The team swimmers can look forward to the Junior and Senior Summer Swim Galas which will take place at the start of June.
“Part of the sports strategy at BSB is to offer high quality fixtures in the Benelux region, with many of our sports finishing their season with a school conference championship event,” said Kris Gilchrist, Department Leader of Enrichment Sports & Expeditions. “The swimming, gymnastics, rugby and basketball teams had great success at their respective championships, but perhaps the most positive development this year has been the increase in local federation participation.”
“Following in the footsteps of the football teams (and their partnership with Tempo Overijse), the BSB u18 boys basketball team joined the AWBB league, and the swim team have taken part in additional federation PACO meets and are looking to host their first CVB swim federation competition.,” Kris added. “We are looking to continue to develop this, whilst maintaining the excitement around inter-school end-of-season tournaments, which the students and coaches love. Winning 8 team trophies in term 2 has been a great achievement, and is the result of the commitment students have shown in training, and the dedication the coaches have to BSB sports.”
The remarkable achievements of this term stand as a testament to the unwavering dedication and talent within our community. From the outstanding performances of our BSB teams to the invaluable guidance and expertise provided by our exceptional staff, this season has been a true showcase of excellence.
As we reflect on our accomplishments, let us continue to celebrate the spirit of collaboration, perseverance, and passion that defines our school. With such remarkable achievements behind us, we eagerly anticipate the opportunities and successes that lie ahead, knowing that together, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
Read more about BSB’s world-class, expert led Enrichment offerings here. You can also follow all our sports news on BSB Sports on Instagram.