BLOG VERSION
By Tony Mariadass
Pictures by: Abdul Razak Ghazali
JUST nine months ago Asher Joseph
was afraid of a football, but today he is playing for his school team — Nord
Anglia International School Shanghai Pudong.
It’s all thanks to an education system where sports is a priority.
His transformation from “bookworm to athlete” underlines the
importance of exposing children to sports in school and to have capable
physical education teachers who have the passion and ability to turn raw talent
to gems.
Asher,
13, is the eldest son of former Olympian walker Annastasia Karenn Raj Silvaraj,
who moved to China nine months ago in search of a better career and education
for her children
Asher competed in his first
international competition representing his school team in The Federation of
British Schools in Asia (FOBSIA) Games 2017 hosted by the Alice Smith School,
Kuala Lumpur at the secondary campus at Equine Park in Sri Kembangan over the
weekend.
Annastasia, 41, who retired from
walking after the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has no regrets with her decision to
move to a foreign land where even the language was alien to her.
“Asher was more a bookworm.
He was
hooked into computer games and never liked outdoor activities. I remember
clearly when in the park one day, a football came his way and he ran away
screaming,” related Annastasia while watching her son with pride and joy play
in the competition on Friday.
“The school system where sports is
emphasised and have very good physical education teachers who ensure that all
students are actively involved in sports, made the difference and change for
Asher.
“The next thing I knew he was into
football and surprised me one day when he called me at work to inform me that
he had a surprise for me when I came home.
“And when reached home, he showed me
a trophy he had won at the school athletics meet for the 400m race for his
category.
“I was pleasantly surprised because I
did not know he was involved in athletics. Maybe my genes played a part,”
laughed Anna as she is affectionately called.
Anna said the next thing he was in
the school football team.
“But I told him that he was afraid of
the ball and how come he was playing the game.
“He simply replied that he loves the
game. The coach and physical education teacher, Graig Northedge, certainly did
a great job with Asher.”
But Northedge and the school’s sports
director, Noel Wallace, said they were just doing their job in executing the
sports syllabus as they did with all the students.
“It was actually 90 percent Asher’s
effort. He is a very determined and passionate player. He is always seen with
the ball before and after training working on his own,” said Wallace.
“Noel guides him, but at the end of
the day, it was Asher’s work rate and vast improvement that earned him a place
in the team.”
Northedge said that he did not know
that Asher had never played football until he joined the school.
“I had always thought that he had
some football background coming from Malaysia. It was only today when Asher’s
mother told us that he had never touched a football and was afraid of a ball,
that I know he has never played the game,” said Northedge.
“He has really done very well in nine
months for one who has never played the game before that.”
Asher who plays as a striker said he
was so ease at the way sports was taught in school and was attracted to it from
day one.
“Yes I was afraid of the ball not too
long ago, but today I cannot be without the ball,” said Asher who scored three
goals out of the 21 goals the team scored in the five games they played in the
competition.
The team emerged runners-up in a
league format on goal difference to host Alice Smith School KL.
A total of six schools from Ho Chi
Minh, Bangkok, Taipei, Shanghai and two teams from Alice Smith School KL
competed. Athletics and basketball were the other two sports in the three-day
Games carnival.
Asher said he was elated to find a
place in the school team which comprise of so any nationalities.
“It is like an international team
with players from UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, India, China, Australia, Italy,
Chile and Kenya,” said Asher.
“I have learnt a great deal training
and playing with them as they have their own style. But as a team, we play one
system which the coach has trained us.
“It would have been great if we
emerged champions, but finishing runners-up and losing out on goal difference
to the host, is still a great achievement.
“I could not have asked for a better
baptism of fire for my debut international tournament.
“It is only going to motivate me
further to train harder and get better.
“It is my hope that I will get to
play for the national age-group team soon.”
Asher is also competing in the 400m
and hopes to pick up a medal.
One wonders if Asher had remained in
Malaysia, whether his talent would have been discovered or nurtured to become
what he is today.
It only underlines how important is
he emphasis of sports in school and to have capable physical education teachers
who have the passion and ability to turn raw talent to gems.
Asher has not only done his parents
and his school proud, but as a Malaysian, has done the nation proud to excel in
a foreign land and make his mark.
The Nord Anglia International School
Pudong football team: Mattew Ward, Yuvraj Singh, Shreyas Tiwari, Andreas
Fabbricatorie, George Emery, Matias Marchant Maranon, Lee Jeong Woo, Jack Lee
Jeong Woo, Jacob Blows, Warren Gichana, Asher Joseph, Abe Zakhem.
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