The long-awaited return of CEESA tournaments is here and student-athletes, coaches, teachers, and parents could not be more excited!
CEESA tournaments are competitions where students from American and International schools in Central and Eastern Europe meet to present their skills, socialize, and compete against each other. The activities range from football to robotics to speech and debate. These competitions help bring our communities together and form new relationships.
CEESA is probably my favorite part of school
– Max T, a student athlete at AISB
How Will Practice Change?
Even though some co-curricular activities were still occurring when we were learning face-to-face through the pandemic, CEESA competitions could not occur due to Covid-19 regulations. These activities did not lack intensity though, as some teams were able to adapt and participate in local competitions. With the return of CEESA trips some students might question if the intensity of practice will now heighten, but Mr. Alex Sota, the athletics and activities director as well as the High School Girl’s football coach, alleviated those fears during our interview..
I don’t think CEESA coming back will change the intensity of the practice, [but] I think it will change the motivation in a student athlete
– Mr Alex Sota
AISB’s Speech and Debate coach, Ms. Cristina Cuzuc, agrees: “We have always worked very hard, even during the pandemic, and we will continue to do that. Students will probably work harder now that CEESA is back.”
What Events Is AISB Hosting?
Our school is hosting 6 events which gives more students the opportunity to participate and also allows our students to be cheered for by their peers and families. These tournaments are:
- High School Girls Football (10-13 November)
- Middle School Girls Football (4-6 November)
- High school Speech and Debate (18-19 November)
- High School Varsity Boys Basketball (9-11 March)
- Middle School Boys Volleyball (12-13 May)
- High School Boys Tennis (19-20 May)
Growing up I never saw a school that had anything like CEESA
Mr Alex Sota
There will be some changes in our gym for the events we are hosting; the most apparent being the Booster Club’s location.
The pandemic has taught us that flexibility is important, which is why the Booster Club is now located near the front entrance to the secondary gym. This move provides a sales point accessible from outside as well as running water.
Our No Cut Program
As a school, AISB wants to fuel student participation in sports and other activities by implementing a no-cut program where everyone can take part in some sort of competition if they join an activity.
“We are going to have some exceptions if there are a lot of kids, a Bucharest league, and they will go to competitions with local schools,” says Sota, when talking about girl’s football and how he plans on helping everybody reach their potential.
For a kid I think [CEESA] is amazing
Mr Alex Sota
For more information and a deeper review of CEESA trips from a student perspective, check out the newest Reality Bites podcast.