For weeks, the students here at ELC Santa Barbara had one thing on their minds (besides English, of course) – and no, not the chicken shawarma from 805 Deli or their upcoming tests. Something much bigger was approaching :-). ELC Santa Barbara students were fixated on winning the volleyball tournament against the English Language School (ELS), our most fearsome rival. On April 17th at 4:30 in the afternoon, fifty ELC students went head-to-head in an epic volleyball tournament against fifty of ELS’ finest players.
Our friends from California Explorer conjured up the brilliant plan to have a good, old-fashioned volleyball match and barbeque with two English language schools. With their expert organizing and unwavering enthusiasm, California Explorer put on the volleyball match the likes of which Santa Barbara has never seen. Prior to the game, school administrators from ELS called us, just to “make sure we had our crutches nearby, because we’d need them after the game”. We suggested “they put Cottage Hospital on their speed dial”. As the fateful day approached, everyone was ready to show ELS what ELC was made of.
For an hour of grueling volleyball playing, teams from ELC and ELS battled for the win. Cheerleaders and snack-munchers supported the teams from the sidelines with encouraging chants. It truly was the volleyball tournament of the ages. Finally, ELC emerged as the winner of the tournament! Woooo! At that moment, we were proud to call ourselves ELC-ians.
Ending the game with stomachs grumbling, all the students headed over to the glorious feast of chips and salsa, hot dogs, strawberries, and many more delicious foods. Despite being from different backgrounds, countries, and schools, all the students and staff had a blast running around in the sand, eating hot dogs, and making new friends. We already have our students requesting another tournament. California Explorer, thank you for making such a fun event possible. ELS, we’ll see you next time… you up for a soccer match?
