{"id":3894,"date":"2018-03-04T13:15:16","date_gmt":"2018-03-04T09:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mbrsc.aud.edu\/MBRSCPost\/?p=3894"},"modified":"2018-03-04T13:19:20","modified_gmt":"2018-03-04T09:19:20","slug":"another-year-another-school-sports-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbrsc.aud.edu\/MBRSCPost\/another-year-another-school-sports-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Year, Another School Sports Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

The American University in Dubai hosted the annual School Sports Challenge in hopes of recruiting a high school student for a sports scholarship opportunity last Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMany schools around UAE joined and around 3,000 students attended,\u201d \u00a0said the student activities coordinator, Sana Nader.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She explained that the School Sports Challenge is part of AUD\u2019s marketing strategy. \u201cWe consider it as an open day,\u201d she continued.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The university\u2019s Instagram account, @audubai<\/a>, covered the event to further publicise it. The account has over 7,000 followers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When asked about the sports offered, Nader said \u201ceverything.\u201d From running to swimming, and football to basketball, students could display their skills at any of their preferred sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Typically, the schools get to compete and rank in all sports categories but only one institution gets to be the overall winner. AUD offers the scholarship to a star athlete student picked by the winning school. This year, Bradenton Preparatory Academy grabbed the scholarship award.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my first time competing in the school sports challenge and I loved the experience here,\u201d said Maya, student from Nibras International School. \u201cBasketball was my favourite activity,\u201d she continued.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Besides the scholarship, there were also other prizes given through the day. The university organized a raffle to give attendees a chance to win a few gifts from sponsors including iPhones, vouchers, and speakers. Additionally, there was a special prize for coaches, which was a return flight to Europe, according to Rohan Healy, an AUD student volunteer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Healy praised the fact that the event allows students to compete against unfamiliar people. \u201cIt pushes students to perform their best\u201d, he said. \u201cThey were all enthusiastic. I didn\u2019t see anybody lazing around,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Participants were huddled between events, planning and practicing for their next matches. The teamwork spirit was felt all around despite the high stakes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The event coincides with UAE\u2019s strategies<\/a> to achieve Sheikh Zayed\u2019s vision. There have been many incentives<\/a> organised to improve the involvement of residents and citizens in sports, and the School Sports Challenge can be categorised as one of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Healy said \u201cit was an impressive show all around.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo credit: Dina Fayad<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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