The first time I saw Bryan Cheung was when I was in 5th grade, performing in the Talent Show. I remember dancing and asking myself, “Who IS that guy with that beard?!” Little did I know that he was going to be our Athletic Director. On the first day of school in 6th grade, when he first began working at St. Mary’s as AD, I was the first student to be introduced to him when I ran into him and Mrs. Ng upstairs.
To be quite honest, I was a bit skeptical about Bryan Cheung and the athletics program. Before Bryan became the AD, I barely knew anything about it. The AD before him did not come everyday to tell us updates or news, publish a newsletter, start a blog, or post updates on Twitter. I only knew that there was one sport- basketball. We never had a basketball team before Bryan- we were all too shy or too lazy to play. Nobody had really pushed us or encouraged us to try playing. But Bryan was different- he would not and did not settle for just average or the bare minimum. He demanded, insisted, and pulled teeth in order for us to join.
In our first season of basketball, we went (2-6). Not so great, but also not too shabby for a team playing for the first year and barely even knowing how to dribble. We snuck into the playoffs last year, with a (4-4) record. This year, we went (7-1); our only loss of the season was by one point to the eventual champions. Five of our seven wins were blowouts- we won by at least fifteen points.
In our first season of volleyball, we were clueless. None of us had really even touched a volleyball before. But what made up for the lack of skill or experience was our enthusiasm to play and try a new sport. Now, when I reflect on our season this year, I think that it is safe to say that we exceeded all expectations. We learned how to serve overhand (we could barely serve underhand in our first season), spike, set, and tip. Everyone probably would have been surprised if we had even won one set, but we accomplished that in our second game of the preseason tournament. Then, we went to win 4 games in our regular season- two of them in just two sets. We dominated in the playoffs, only to fall a little short in the championships.
This year was a great turnaround. This year, in both sports, we played with a sense of urgency, but most importantly, a passion to win. It was the perfect way to end our St. Mary’s Athletics era. In both volleyball and basketball, we were runner-ups in our division. Our memories and good times together mean more than any first place trophy.
Thank you to my teammates and coaches for inspiring me and continuing to support me. I will never forget all the fun times and laughter we shared. Last, but certainly not least, thank you Bryan Cheung for your dedication to not only the athletics program at St. Mary’s, but also the school spirit at St. Mary’s. You encouraged everyone- whether it was to try a new sport or to attend another team’s game. Thank you for bringing volleyball, baseball, and soccer to St. Mary’s.
I am truly grateful to be a part of the era of St. Mary’s Athletics. St. Mary’s Athletics is where a volleyball team, who has never even touched a volleyball and went (0-8) in their first year of playing, places second in their division in just their second year playing. St. Mary’s Athletics is where seemingly far-fetched dreams and goals become real achieved goals. It is where the impossible is made possible.
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