News

Grade 11: Champion's Heart

September 29, 2021

On the morning of September 24, one of the 11th-grade students gave a passionate presentation about fencing and her love for the sport during the morning assembly.

First, Joyce showed all of the 11th graders a video of herself competing in a fencing competition, which instantly captured the students' attention. In her speech, she explained that there are three types of swords used in fencing, namely the grip, the guard, and the blade. These three types of swords have different scoring points and different scoring areas in the sport of fencing. While the student was explaining, the teacher who was assisting on stage picked up the swords she provided and showed their uses one by one. The students laughed at the teacher's exaggerated body language and learned how to use the various swords in an exaggerated manner.

Later, the student shared her journey of several years of fencing. She had been invited to join the national junior fencing team, and regretted not participating due to personal reasons. She has also passed by many equally valuable training opportunities. Although she was sometimes sad, disappointed, and had lost confidence, she never gave up on fencing. She explained how fencing isn’t for benefiting her in applying to colleges or competitions, but the mere fact that she solely enjoys playing the sport. She said how it was part of who she was and how vital fencing is to her.

At the end of her speech, she asked a profound question: "What is the heart of a champion?" From her own perspective, she believes that a champion's heart is a strong mind that is brave enough to face setbacks and fearless in defeat, rather than winning a gold medal once or twice. In life, she explained how every one of us should try to have a champion’s heart and mind to improve ourselves and to change and grow for the better.

(Written by Fiona Pictures by Winnie Supervised by Jialong Liu Reviewed by Qian Zuo)