Lincoln Boys' Football Finally on Home Soil

For all but three members of our team, this SAISA experience was something that had never been experienced before. "Lincoln the hosts of SAISA Boys' Football" was something most of us never thought we would hear, but something Luke Davis also dreamed of. So as we stepped out, into the crowded gymnasium on the first day of the tournament and were met by the cheers of our peers and parents, it was as though we had, in part already achieved our goal. 

After the opening ceremony all the competing teams and the home crowd hopped on the Lincoln busses and headed to the Army Physical Training and Sports Centre in Lagankhel. Lincoln's opening game was against the American International School of Chennai (AISC). A tense opening thirty minutes, with two injures to the Lincoln starting lineup, gave way to a more engrossing second half with Arahant Rajkarnikar scoring the opening goal of the tournament. Soon Lincoln doubled their lead through Pujen Shrestha only for AISC to grab a late consolation goal. As the final whistle blew the players were met with cheers which capped off an amazing experience for everyone involved. Lincoln then played eventual champions Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) but weren't able to put their chances to bed as OSC ran out 2-0 winners at the end of the game. The next day started with an important game against Lahore American School (LAS), which would decide who would finish second in their group and move on to the quarter finals. Lincoln had the better chances in the first half but weren't able to put them away with Jusung Jung and Nathan Hodgson coming close. As the game came to its end, Lincoln were awarded a free kick just outside LAS's box which was dispatched by Pujen Shrestha to give Lincoln a deserved 1-0 win. In the quarter finals, Lincoln faced the team they played in the finals of the 2014 SAISA tournament - The American International School of Muscat (TAISM). Again, Lincoln created the better chances but weren't able to scored as the final whistle blew. The tension grew with both teams knowing a penalty shoot out would decide their fates. Norchen Lama put up a heroic display in goal saving three of the six shots he faced and helping Lincoln to their fourth semi-final in four years. The semi-finals were met with a great atmosphere with the second largest group showing up since the second day of the tournament. OSC, who looked the team to beat, started well, scoring with the aid of a deflection and through a penalty to put them up 2-0. Lincoln started the second half well, after an inspiring team talk from the Davis brothers, but weren't able to find the back of the net. The loss was hard to take but Lincoln knew they had to pick themselves up for their final match of the tournament against The American International School of Dhaka (AISD). After a closely fought match which ended 0-0, a penalty shoot out was needed to separate the two teams. Norchen Lama again stepped up saving a penalty with AISD missing the target on two other occasions which helped Lincoln to a 3-0 win and third place. OSC beat the American School of Bombay on penalties to win the championship for the first time.

This tournament provided a great learning experience for all members of the team and was a great final SAISA experience for others. Lincoln school spirt and support again proved itself to be one of the greatest aspects of the school, and helped push us to our fourth top three finish in four years. Though we didn't defend our title, we were rewarded with memories, lessons and friends that will resonate with us for a life time. 

Pujen and Arahant

Collection of photos from the 2015 Boys SAISA Soccer Tournament is now online

Visit the site at: http://goo.gl/JCTLJj

Lady Leopards Win Hearts and Have Fun!

The Lincoln School Lady Leopards took part in the 2015 SAISA basketball tournament last weekend in Colombo.  Before the tournament started, the team had already made history as the youngest team from our school in this tournament.

Having a young team was exciting!  The team goals before the tournament never consisted of placing in a certain position but rather trying their best, never quitting, working as a team, and being good sports regardless of the outcome.

The Lady Leopards played well during the tournament gaining experience in every game.  Their best game was against the American School of Bombay.  In that crossover game we missed reaching the semi-finals by four points.  The Lady Leopards finished the tournament in sixth place.

Opposing coaches and spectators applauded the team for their amazing display of sportsmanship and hard work on the court.  They were a spirited bunch of players even when they were behind in the game.  As one coach commented, "you have a really great group of girls, their spirit is contagious." The team received several SAISA Sportsmanship pins during the awards banquet.

Overall, the team had a wonderful time in Colombo.  We all returned to the airport with smiles on our faces and fond memories that will last a lifetime.

Coach Zaheer and myself are very pleased with all their hard work and dedication.  It was a very successful season.  Next year our Leopards will be another year older.  Once again they will be ready to pounce!

Coach Mark Nuotio

Badminton Begins at Lincoln

SAISA Badminton 2015

by Jihyun and Prarup

Among the many new initiatives taken by Lincoln School this year, one of the recent projects this year was creating a Badminton team. On February 4th, the Lincoln School Badminton team took off for Dhaka to compete in the SAISA tournament for the first time. Not having competed with any of the sister schools, the experience was quite unanticipated. The competition against the team was quite tough due to the lack of much experience in SAISA. For most of the players on the team, it was also their first time travelling for any SAISA sport. Although the team ranked sixth overall, this seemed more of a trial year; a year to get to know the fellow competitors, the competition and the environment. It was a year of much learning and understanding what the competition was really about. Overall, it was a great experience and was as if we were playing against friends, not in a competition.

LS Tennis Rallies in Mumbai

SAISA Tennis

  The Lincoln School boys' tennis team participated in the SAISA tournament hosted by the American School of Bombay last week. The team included Anthony Colavito, Silas Brainard, Ugyen Sherpa, and Johann Silvanus. The weather was pretty hot for the boys and that took some adjusting. The first day was a bit rough and we heard a lot of comments like, "It's so hot!" The boys handled the heat much better the second and third days. Each player played a round-robin against each opponent in their level and then played a seeded single elimination tournament. Ugyen and Silas made it to the finals in #2 and #3 Singles, respectively. They both lost to players from Chennai. Actually, Chennai had a very strong team and won all four singles and doubles finals. In the doubles tournament, Anthony and Ugyen lost a tiebreaker in the semi-finals.

  We were a young team this year, so we value the experience gained and hope for higher results next year. As always, SAISA was a rich experience for our players as they competed with good sportsmanship and made many new friends from other schools.

Joel Garrison