Students at the Yew Chung International School of Beijing have access to a wide variety of sporting opportunities throughout the year and frequently achieveexcellent results. Many of our students are multi-sport athletes, participating in seasonal sports throughout the year. We spoke with Peter Yang, one of our Upper Secondary multi-sport student athletes, about his experience with sports and what they mean to him.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Peter Yang. I’m in Year 12 here at the Yew Chung International School of Beijing. I’m originally from Korea and have been here since the fall of 2015.

What sports do you play?

I play volleyball, basketball, and football.

What do you enjoy most about playing sports?

First and foremost, they’re fun! When I play sports, I genuinely enjoy the feeling of making a stop, scoring a goal, making a good pass, etc.

What have you learned from your coaches at YCIS Beijing? How have they helped you to improve your play, either physically or mentally?

The coaches at YCIS Beijing are really patient when explaining plays we need to execute during games. When I or my teammates ask about areas to improve or what we need to do to improve as a team, they are very patient and clear in explaining how to improve and we run the drills or plays we do instead of just telling us what to do.

For example, when I first came to YCIS Beijing, I’d never played volleyball before. The coaches were really patient with me even though I had no idea how to play. They taught me how to serve and return, both skills I didn’t have before I came here.

In what ways do the skills you learn in sports apply to areas off the field or court?

Playing sports, I need because when I play sports I need to understand where and in what position my teammates are in as well as where other players are. I need to consider these factors to make a good pass or think about the right play to make during a game. I think this part of sports has helped me in doing group work because it’s made me consider others more carefully.

What characteristics or traits do you think are most valuable for someone who wants to succeed at sports?

Consistency is the first one. To succeed at anything, you need to be consistent, performing the same activity on an everyday basis. You need to be extremely familiar with what you’re doing to become really good at it. This is a valuable skill outside of sports, too. Academically, if you don’t study hard consistently, your performance will fluctuate, just like with sports.

Another important characteristic to have is mental toughness and never giving up. When you look at the sports that professionals play around the world, you see the best players scoring goals in the final minutes of games. This shows that tireless mentality, that mentality of refusing to give up. This is important outside of sports as well.

What advice do you have for younger students who want to get involved with sports at YCIS Beijing?

It’s important to try things even if you’re not sure you’ll like them! In Year 5, I had no interest in trying basketball, but my mom made me try. After trying it, I liked it so much that I ended up playing it every day! You need to have that willingness to try a sport even if you’re not sure you’ll like it or be good at it. YCIS Beijing is a great place to try new sports and other activities as classmates and coaches are all very patient and nice!