LILA ATHLETICS BLOG

Today is our last day in New York City. It seems as if the five days of sports have gone by in a blur. Perhaps it is because the competition has been so diverse, or perhaps it is because the ambiance has been so good. In any great event the time has literally melted away. Waking up on the last day of an amazing trip is never nice. This morning seemed even worse than normal. But Lions rounded off an incredible five days of competition today in swimming competition, at the Roosevelt Island - claiming its ninth medal. For the second year in a row, Alexandra showed outstanding form in the 50m freestyle event in 27 seconds. Not long after, she was back in the pool and went on to win 50m-backstroke event. raya from College International of Marie de France in a nail biting finish. Alex claimed her

 Unfortunately, Boys's basketball team didn’t have the same success. After qualifying for the tournament’s top-8 match play finals with solid team performances during the four-game qualification, they lost by 2 points against the future finalist of the competition-Lycee Francais of Washington but ended up winning 5^th place. This second game began as a back-and-forth battle with five ties and four lead changes in the first 10 minutes. However, it quickly became a one-sided contest when Laurence scored 2-three points in a row and claimed a 27-19 advantage with 2 minutes remaining in the second half. “It’s frustrating because we lost a lot of close games during all week and we really didn’t compete the way we should have, the way coach was preaching about playing,” said Jean-Claude. “It’s frustrating to have the tough losses that we had, knowing how good we could have been,” said Robin. “I'm really proud of the way our guys have committed themselves to both sides of the court," coach Fabien said. “This group of guys truly loves playing together and they just don't want it to end.”Five days. Five unforgettable days in New York filled with unparalleled joys, disappointments, hard work, great teamwork, and some picture-perfect moments. In any case, it has been an absolutely exceptional week with arms, legs, feet and hands more than tired. Exhausted is a better word. Although, that nice exhausted feeling that you experience after doing something really worthwhile. “This week was crazy, and it was an absolute pleasure to spend those few days with the other team. There is no doubt that we are going to be back next year!” said Elsa. The Lila Lions team finished 8th in the overall ranking out of 14 teams, thanks to excellent results in team sport competitions.

After the dance party of last night, our team could rest  today and visit New York. It was a well deserved break after spending so much energy on the field. Lions could rest their body and have fun in the city. After meeting at Lycee Français New York, we left to the South of Manhattaan by metro, walked the Brooklyn bridge and observed the amazing  view of the town. We all took the ferry to see the statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.On our way back, students could enjoy explanations about Ground Zero and the Wall Street area. When we asked them what they feel about the city, « Sure, it's crowded but standing in the human whirlpool of New York is really exciting ». « I love Manhattan. It's own with so many interesting, exciting and even odd things to see and do. However, there are 2 things that would prevent me from ever living there. I would never want to have to use public transportationall thet ime and I love the weather in Los Angeles. We walked more than two hours with a perfect weather. Students enjoyed the city and had a good time. We will be back to the competition tomorrow Thursday with the Basketball, Tennis, Acrosport, and Ultimate tournaments. Go Lions !