This article was written by Jed Ng, Year 10B.
As part of the U.S. Embassy Sports Envoy Program, The U.S. Embassy organised a motivational talk at the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. The aim of this program is to promote sports as a vehicle for youth empowerment, gender equality, and social inclusion, as well as a positive driver of health and wellness.
Our students attended the above mentioned talk. The talk was conducted on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Sports envoys Lorraine Ming Fair and Amy Griffin, who were members of the women's FIFA World Cup winning teams in 1991 and 1999, delivered the talk.
At the start, Mohd Irfan Sabli, one of our students, had the opportunity to interact with the envoys during a head pass demonstration. Then, to kick off the talk, the sports envoys emphasised the significance and benefits of sports. Our students actively listened and contributed during the discussion. The duo reminded our students of valuable life skills that can be learned from sports, such as resilience, leadership, teamwork, self-discipline, and coping with failure. The envoys also elaborated on how to win with humility and lose with dignity.
Furthermore, Ms. Fair taught our students that teamwork is not just about trusting your teammates; it is about having to share your successes as well as your failures. Ms. Griffin highlighted the significance of communication coming from her time coaching the U.S. Women’s Deaf National Football Team. She emphasised that understanding how to communicate effectively can help teams form stronger bonds and build up team spirit. Communicating openly and freely is critical, especially when the players and coach gather during halftime.
Our students were given the opportunity to hold and admire the champions' medals. The medals in question were the gold medal from FIFA’s first World Cup Championship for Women’s Football, the silver medal from the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the gold medal from the World Deaf Football Championships in Italy back in 2016.
A Q&A session was then held. Our students participated enthusiastically, and each received a soccer ball from the U.S. Embassy. The balls were later signed individually by the sports envoys. Students and teachers were able to take photos with the champions.
Our school is thankful to the U.S. Embassy for organising this event and is honoured and grateful to have been a part of this talk.