BSME U11 Small Games by Miss Kate
Competitive sports play a big role in the development and growth of our students. They offer numerous opportunities and benefits to the students such as collaboration, communication, tenacity and resilience. The BSME U11 Small Games in Al Ain was no different for the students of Nadeen School. Students are given a chance to work with each other across a range of sports and compete against students from all around the region. There are both team and individual sports across three full days. For the first time ever, Nadeen School travelled to compete in this long-standing international competition. Preparing 24 students for this highly competitive trip begun back in September in order to prepare squads across the different sports. BSME U11 Small Games consists of Athletics, Swimming, Netball, Football, and Basketball and this year hosted 10 schools in total.
“I’m blown away by how well all of our students have competed this weekend. Not only have they showcased tremendous sportsmanship, determination, and commitment throughout, they have far exceeded my expectations of them in every sporting event. I couldn’t be more proud of how they have performed and how they have conducted themselves on and off the field.”
– by Mr. Kyle, Director of Sports at Nadeen School
The first official day of the games was excellent for Nadeen School. Following an exciting opening ceremony and warm-up, the Athletics events were first where the students competed in both Track & Field events. Field events consisted of high jump, triple jump, long jump, shot putt, and javelin. The track events were 75m, 150m, 300m, and 600m and the 4x100m relay.
The students competed with tenacity and commitment. They showed resilience when things didn’t go their way and always wanted to know how to improve and how to get better next time.
In the afternoon on the first day, they moved across to the swimming pool where they embraced a new challenge. They competed individually and in the team across all 4 strokes over 25m, 50m, and 100m.
All of our athletes performed amazingly well in athletics and swimming, of particular note, the following medals were picked up by individual athletes:
Athletics
High Jump: Leo (silver) and Arthur (gold)
Triple Jump: Leo (gold) and Carlotta (gold)
Javelin: Aiden (gold)
Shot Putt: Aiden (bronze)
75m: Jason (gold)
4x100m: girls – Nour, Leticia, Farida, Carlotta (bronze) and boys – Jason, Arthur, Simon, Leo (bronze)
300m: Aiden (bronze) and Arthur (silver)
600m: Arthur (silver)
Swimming
25m freestyle: Carlotta (silver)
This meant that as a school team, for both parts of the first day (athletics and swimming) we collected a total of:
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- 4 Bronze medals
- 4 Silver medals
- 5 Gold medals
This collection of medals meant that in the overall rankings for the Athletics element of the competition, Nadeen School achieved 2nd place overall and therefore collected a trophy and medals for this portion. The students were elated to hear this news! All the athletics participants made their way to claim their 2nd place trophy! A monumental achievement in our first-ever U11 international tournament!
“I had an amazing time at the BSME games. It was super competitive and I made sure that I tried my best. I liked meeting other students from other schools in different countries. The best part was getting to go on a trip with my friends to compete and win medals!”
– by Arthur Elson, Boys Basketball Captain
Day 2 of the competition saw the girls competing in the netball tournament and the boys had their football tournament. Both the boys and girls tournaments were similarly structured with the 10 schools split into 2 groups of 5 schools.
In the netball, the girls started with an excellent game and came away with the win – a brilliant confidence boost going forward! Unfortunately, they lost out in the next 3 games but did not give up. Given the group standings, this meant they came 3rd in their group and had a shot at the top 6. Another loss but ending on a win meaning the girls came 5th overall and earned a great 6 points towards the school total.
The boys participated in a highly competitive football section. The boys started well and gained their first win in their second game. Unfortunately, they lost the next 2, however, won their playoff game and came away with a valuable 3 points for our school in the overall standings.
“Our students have fully exceeded our expectations at this weekend’s tournament. Their resilience, work ethic, and team work was evident throughout. This is only the beginning of Nadeen School’s journey at BSME sports events and we can’t wait for the next one!”
– by Mr. Matt, Head of PE
Heading into day 3, you could see that students were tired after giving it their all in the first two days but this did not phase them. Eager to get going the boys were competing in basketball and the girls in football. Just with the netball and boys football, the games were structured with the 10 schools split into 2 groups of 5 schools. Each team had to play 4 games in their groups before the play-offs. Both boys and girls teams made it to the semi-finals in their sports with the girls coming 4th overall in the girls football competition – an amazing achievement to be crowned in an international competition!
The girls showcased remarkable teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout the football tournament. They gave their all on the pitch, pouring their hearts into every match. They faced victories, draws, and defeats together, demonstrating unity and resilience as a team.
The boys played amazingly well in their basketball games and in the group stages went undefeated and finished top of the group. In the semifinals they came up against tough opponents and in a back and forth game managed to secure a solid victory to take them to the finals.
It was a nail-biting final knowing that they would come away with at least a medal wasn’t enough, they wanted that win and they wanted that gold! After an amazing game, they did it! They were crowned BSME U11 Boys Basketball CHAMPIONS! Taking 1st place and winning the gold medal and 1st place trophy!
“Every detail from start to finish has been exemplary! The opportunities provided for the children over the BSME weekend has contributed to their self-development, growth-mindset and enhanced their independence and collaboration skills. Thank you to all the coaches and staff for this wonderful experience!”
– by Nadeen School Parent
Below is a summary of the school’s standings in each element of the competition and our overall placing.
| Sport (in chronological order) | Place | Points |
| Athletics | 2nd – SILVER | 9 |
| Swimming | 8th | 3 |
| Boys’ Football | 8th | 3 |
| Girls’ Netball | 5th | 6 |
| Boys’ Basketball | 1st – GOLD | 10 |
| Girls’ Football | 4th | 7 |
This was then collated against all other schools for the final standings that were awarded at the Awards Ceremony. Nadeen School finished 4th Place overall which is incredible for our first ever U11 international games and we are already anticipating next year! For now, we are going to bask in this achievement of our amazing students! Also at the Awards Ceremony, one student was selected across all the students competing in each different sport as a Most Valuable Player (MVP). The MVP for boys basketball was awarded to one of Nadeen School’s students! Arthur Elson from Year 6 was incredibly deserving of this prestigious award.
Overall, this has been a memorable event for Nadeen School and it’s students. It has brought the school community together and promoted the importance of competitive sports whilst showcasing the incredible talent, spirit, and dedication of the students involved. It really served as a reminder of the positive impact upon personal growth, development, and teamwork. The memories created will undoubtedly be cherished for years to come.
Congratulations and well done Nadeen School U11 BSME Team!
“I really enjoyed the BSME Games because it was an excellent experience and I got to try new sports like the high jump. The best part for me was the football because I got to captain my team and we worked really hard to achieve 4th place! Netball was also an amazing opportunity and we believed in ourselves to do well!”
– by Nadia Farraj, Girls Football Captain
You can see the highlights videos from BSME of each day on the links below:
