[An ecstatic Sports Week in Thai School]

During my Teaching Assistantship in Thailand for the Kampus Merdeka program sponsored by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Indonesia, I had the chance to join Sports Week in Thailand. The Sports Week event in Thai schools is beyond a standard sports competition. There are many exciting activities: costume parade, performance, games, and cheerleading. Every year, students and teachers are enthusiastic about welcoming one of the most fun events at school. 

This event is held to signify the beginning of the summer break (around July and August). Kila Si, or Color Sports Week, means the students and the teachers are separated into four houses with assigned colors. (it reminds us of the houses in Harry Potter). So, the students competed against other teams based on their house colors. 

Prakobtham School was one of the places where a student from Universitas Negeri Malang undergoing the PPL/KKN program also carried out a Kila Si event for three days (9-11 August 2022). The group was divided into four colors by lottery: purple, red, orange, and blue. Everyone, regardless of age (teachers and students), looked forward to this special event. They even spent almost a month preparing everything needed for Sports Week.

The first day began with the costume parade, where every team created a different theme, and mascots were dressing up like princes and princesses. Then, there was an opening ceremony which school officials attended. The following event was the dance performance conducted by female students (Tari Kipas) and the march performance by male students. 

The sports competition between boys and girls is carried out separately. Futsal, badminton, volleyball, sepak takraw, and Patong were played competitively. Teachers were also participating and so excited to fight for the championship. 

Another exciting thing is the cheerleading competition. Each team put in the best effort to surpass each other’s spirit. Whoever could cheer the loudest and creative with the most enthusiasm emerged as the actual winner. This event was also enlivened by various games such as running competitions, tug of war, and chair fighting.

On the last day, it was announced that the winner of each competition got a trophy. However, the blue team deserved to be the year’s grand champion. There are a few things that make the writer impressed during Sports Week. Their helpful spirit, playfulness, and mutual values are the keys to running the event smoothly and ecstatically.