GVI Sports Day

On Thursday, GVI Thailand hosted a Sports Day in Ao Luk in hopes of getting the community out to mingle with GVI teachers and raise awareness about the new term of free English classes starting on November 15. A sporting event provides a setting in which little language is required for communication, connecting people despite the language barrier.

Plans for the Thursday Sports Day included small group games for fun including frisbee, badminton, volleyball, rugby and hula hooping followed by a football match between the GVI team (including GVI staff and volunteers, GVI's students and teachers at the Ao Luk Non Formal Education Center, GVI's local project partners) against the Ao Luk municipality.

There was some concern that the unseasonably rainy weather would keep people away but by 3:30pm community members started trickling in. Nikom, a local police officer and a GVI English student, served as an announcer, continuously describing the events taking place. When the rain got heavy for a while everyone joined together under a shelter to cheer on an improv hula hooping contest.

Around 4pm GVI's opposition, the Ao Luk municipality workers showed up. Made up of fire fighters, trash collectors and various manual laborers, the municipality team looked like they could take on the GVI team who had only starting practicing the day before.

At 4:30pm the match began with a reminder to keep it friendly, no wrestling or ear biting, and teams shaking hands. Early into the first half the municipality team had already scored 2 points but a crowd of GVI students had shown up to cheer on the GVI team.

Things picked up in the second half, with the municipality scoring only 1 more goal and the GVI team packed on a full three points, 2 of them scored by team member, Laurie. The rainy weather and the muddy field only added to the event as members from both teams took terms slipping across the field.

Most people were happy with the tie as it meant everyone was a winner and left room for more competition in the future. Everyone deemed the afternoon of sports and socializing a success

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GVI Sports Day