The benefits of sports go beyond physical health. Read about how it has made a positive impact on this Global Indian International School graduate’s life.
Looking back at his time at Global Indian International School (GIIS) over the last nine years, Saksham Mathur, IB Diploma student (2022 cohort), says that his experience at GIIS was “nothing less than incredible”.
On top of being an excellent student with consistently high academic scores, Saksham has also won numerous medals in athletics and football at inter-school meets and school sporting events. This includes being a part of GIIS’ U-16 football team, who won Gold at the ACSIS (Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools) meet in 2017-18, and Silver at the ACSIS 2018-19 meet.
Saksham credits his achievements to the school’s commitment to the all-round development of students, which leads to academic and sports excellence. He says that his experience doing sports at school has made a huge positive impact on his life as a student.
Extracurricular activities at GIIS go beyond physical training
GIIS believes in the holistic development of students and takes its sports seriously. Besides Physical Education (PE) classes during school hours, the school offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities (ECAs), including sports like football, basketball, tennis, cricket, and many others at no additional cost to its students. The school even gives special coaching in fitness and endurance building for students who are due for National Service!
It’s no secret that sports teaches valuable life lessons to students which contribute to their overall success later in life. At GIIS, while PE classes train students in strength, flexibility, endurance, speed, and agility – ECAs are offered to give students the opportunity to hone their skills in a sport they’re passionate about. This also helps them develop values like resilience, leadership and teamwork.
Selected students benefit from the school’s Gold Squad Programme
Going one step further in nurturing students with talent, GIIS offers students a “Gold Squad” programme for five different sports and athletics. This programme is available to students who show talent and dedication in their preferred sport.
The beginning of every academic year sees hundreds of students try out for GIIS’ Gold Squad Programme. Conducted by skilled coaches, this intensive and free-of-charge programme is offered to students interested in football, cricket, basketball, badminton, tennis or athletics. Students who make it through the trials are provided with additional, specialised training on a tri-weekly basis. They are also given the chance to join competitive tournaments and friendly matches with other international schools in Singapore. At least 20 students from GIIS’ Gold Squad cricket team have made it into the national team of Singapore in the last few years.
In Saksham’s case, he chose track and field as his ECA option at GIIS and attended early morning training sessions every week, right from the 4th grade onwards. He shares, “The training sessions not only developed a sense of hard work and perseverance into my lifestyle but also built camaraderie and a sense of unity with my teammates.”
Saksham made it into the Gold Squad Programme for football at GIIS when he was in the 5th grade. It was a rewarding experience for him as he and his teammates trained hard and won several inter-school tournaments over the years. “It is also because of the Gold Squad programme’s training sessions that I forged lifelong friendships that I have maintained to date,” he added.
Not forgetting the school’s great sports infrastructure and best-in-class coaches
The relationship between a coach and an athlete is important to the latter’s success. As such, GIIS ensures that its students receive training from top quality sports coaches. These coaches don’t just guide students in the fundamentals of their chosen ECAs, but also encourage and motivate them to realise their individual potential. Effective training is also made possible by SPEDAS – a sports analytics tool installed in the school’s SMART campus at Punggol that captures on-field data, which can be used to enhance a student’s overall performance.
Speaking about his coaches in GIIS, Saksham has nothing but gratitude for them. “Throughout the years, all of the GIIS coaches I have been with have been extremely supportive and have always motivated me to strive to become not only a better athlete but a better person as well. It is to all of them that I owe my journey from a regular recreational player to an active student-athlete at GIIS,” he said.
Visit GIIS and find out how your child can thrive in their studies and passion
If you’re looking for a school where your child can succeed academically as well as in sports, then GIIS should definitely be on your list!
GIIS’ two campuses in Singapore (the SMART campus at Punggol and the East Coast campus) have excellent sports infrastructure, specialised indoor and outdoor courts, and skilled coaches for different sports. With GIIS’ strong academic foundation, encouragement, and support for sports and other activities, students graduate from the school as well-rounded and balanced individuals who are ready to face the future.
Book a tour to visit its campuses with your child, or you can check out their website for more information on the available ECAs and sports facilities.
This post is in partnership with Global Indian International School.
