Guam Cross Country Diary

Day 1/2 - Travel/Arrival

The Seisen Phoenix High School Cross-Country Team arrived safely in Guam.  There was so much excitement amongst the team, and it was really lovely to see so many parents there sending us off. 

Once in the air, the flight went well, and many of the girls used the time on the plane to relax and sleep since we had a very early wake-up call.  The flight took slightly over three hours, and we arrived at Antonio B Won Pat International Airport in Guam, at approximately 2:30 pm Japan time.

The weather is fine and humid, much like our Japanese summer weather.

This evening, we will be going to the Chamorro Night Market for a first-hand experience of Chamorro food, culture and shopping, and everyone is extremely excited.

Day 3 - Race Day

The Seisen Phoenix Cross-Country Team woke up bright and early, ready to race and perform. 

We walked towards JFK High School, where the race was conducted. It was exciting to see all the Cross-Country teams from the various schools coming together to race and compete in excitement and anticipation. 

The morning we started with the Boys' 5k race, seeing St. Mary's William Beardsley winning the competition. The Girls' 5k race started shortly after, and Seisen International School went off to a flying start. 

All our runners ran hard and fast in the heat and humidity. However, the heat got to some of our runners, and unfortunately, they had to pull out of the race. Despite this challenge, the Seisen Phoenix Cross-Country team ran to a fourth-place finish.

Tonight, we decided to purchase take-out food and eat together within the confines of the hotel so that we did not have to go too far and have access to our restful and relaxing rooms in preparation for another.

 

Day 4 - Relay

It was an early morning start, with a 4:45 am wake-up and a 6:15 am relay race start time. The Seisen Phoenix Cross-Country team was paired with the St. John's Boys Cross-Country team from Guam. It was a beautiful, cool morning with a stunning beach backdrop that set the scene for the race.

The race started well, with the boys running the first lap and the girls running the second. Next, the boys ran the third, and the girls anchored the final lap of their relay race. Our Seisen Phoenix Cross-Country team worked together exceptionally well and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of pairing up with another runner to race. It was an exciting morning of fun and friendship. We came in 5th overall as a team, which was tremendous, considering we had only just met our partnering school.

Next, we cooled off on the beach, enjoying the rest of the stunning morning with a rainbow lighting up the sky, taking photos and mingling with the other teams from the various schools.

We returned to the hotel to prepare for the awards ceremony and donned our island-wear outfits, which were lovely. We returned to JFK High School for lunch and the presentation awards ceremony. Seisen International School was 4th overall for the High School Girls Category, with Leesze Wei and Ellen Ka obtaining 8th and 11th place, respectively. In addition, we came in 5th overall for the relay category, along with St. John's Boys Cross-Country Team.

At the end of the ceremony, we went up to our host school and thanked Mr. Jay Anotnio, the organiser of this event, as well as his team by bowing and saying 'Arigato Gozaimasu', the Seisen way, which was well received.

As coaches, we have been highly impressed and proud of how our students from the Seisen Phoenix Cross-Country team conducted themselves, behaved and competed. The team has bonded, and everyone has shown immaculate respect towards our host schools and individuals residing in our host country for the past four days. 

Day 5 - Homeward

We checked out from the hotel, made our way to the airport, and completed the immigration process smoothly.

Everyone is doing well, but we are all a little tired, which is expected after a 5-day trip to Guam. As we depart from Guam, we remember our wonderful families and friends awaiting us to return to them in Tokyo, Japan.

Kind regards,

Ms. Grantham and Mr. Granger