To the Peak of the Fierce Battle
At Chukyo High School, the annual Sports Festival includes a volleyball competition that is held separately for boys and girls. The tournament is organized by grade, with teams competing in a knockout format to determine the final rankings for each year level. The matches are always intense, as each class fights not only for victory but also for pride.
This year, students from the International Course also participated in the boys’ volleyball competition. Among them, the first-year students delivered an especially impressive performance. They advanced all the way to the final match and ultimately finished as runners-up, earning a result that made the entire course extremely proud.
What made this achievement even more remarkable was the composition of the team. In this year’s first-year International Course, there are five male students, which is a relatively large number compared to past years. As a result, the volleyball team consisted of five boys and one girl, forming a lineup that was unusually well-balanced for the International Course and closer to a standard boys’ team. Despite this advantage, there were some concerns before the tournament began. In daily physical education classes and in their everyday school life, these students often joke around, argue, and seem far from disciplined. Many people wondered whether they could truly come together as a team and compete seriously.
Those worries, however, proved to be completely unfounded. Once the tournament began, the team showed remarkable unity and cooperation. Supporting one another and communicating effectively on the court, they won their first match and continued their momentum into the semifinals. With each victory, their confidence grew, and their teamwork became even stronger.
In the final match, they faced a powerful opponent backed by a large and energetic crowd. Despite the overwhelming cheers for the other team, the International Course students remained focused and fought with determination until the very end. Although they narrowly missed out on the championship and finished in second place, their performance left a lasting impression on everyone who watched.
Looking ahead, these students will travel to Canada next year, where they will experience volleyball in a different cultural and competitive environment. It is exciting to imagine how this experience will shape their skills and mindset. Two years from now, when they return to compete again, many are eager to see what kind of matches they will deliver and how much they will have grown as players and as a team.
