A last hurrah for Interschools 2023!

By Abigail Combrinck, Phia Heydenreich and Annemay Schade.

With these parting words the writers and Editorial team of the Paarl Girls' High Interschools '23 Blog leave you. It was an absolute pleasure to report on the daily events, to get excited about games to come and reflect on the deeper meaning of Interschools for us. We thank our writers Isabella Groenewald, Chane van Zyl, Mira van Niekerk, Luca Yelverton, Hanah Malan, Karla Joubert and Mrs. Swart for making the blog possible this year. Please visit us again if you just want to relive a moment!

Foto: EJ Lang

When the high school gathered in front of the main building on Monday morning, all of our hearts were heavy. The feeling of anti-climax after such an exciting week is one of the worst feelings. Despite your tired body and burning throat, you wish you could relive the hustle and bustle of Interschool week.

In the Interschools week, something new happens every day and every hour: and you don't want to miss a thing! It started with decorating Paarl and wrapping it in white, green, blue, red and yellow, a single message is delivered: INTERSCHOOLS IS HERE!

Sunday night last we had to go to bed early, to be prepared on Monday for all the activities that would start with a BANG! ‘Geesvang’, Old Boys, team building, ‘massabank’, Big Brag, making posters and game after game after game - no rest ONLY go, go, go! When you think back to these exciting snippets of the week, your aching muscles and raw voice become an afterthought.

On Monday morning, the high school gathered under the oak trees and relived Interschools in their thoughts. Walking away, the sun crept out behind the mountains and slowly illuminated the school. It turned the main building, between shadows of oak tree branches, to a muted yellow. The sunrise on Monday morning indicated the end of the previous week, the beginning of a new day; and the learners' heavy hearts could lighten while walking away, as Interschools became a happy haze of memories.

During the past few weeks we could all embrace the ocean of blue, white and jade as the triumphant glow of the Girls' High colours painted the school halls and the streets of Paarl once more. Our students had countless opportunities where diligence could be rewarded with the opportunity to share our talents at this year's annual Interschools competition.

The 1st team rugby match on the 5th of August formally marked the end of Interschools 2023. 

 

Revelling in the Girls' High magic and standing side by side, all of us could live true to our school's core values as we all proudly supported our brothers from Paarl Boys’ High as they faced Paarl Gimnasium. It makes one proud to see the true beauty and magic harvested in the hearts of every Girls' Higher which bloom through the support they offer so generously to all their sisters and to our brother school; and embracing our brothers-in-blue after their unfortunate loss.

The truth of the saying "Interschools is another ball game" came to light this past weekend. History was made with our first team hockey's fight to securely keep Gimnasium at bay in a game they thought they won before the starting whistle blew.

Body on the line play, moreover, playing for and with one another made the matches of Interschools 2023 unmatched to any other experience. Paarl Boys' let their determination be showcased by narrowing the margins from a 20-0 deficit after the first half to 20-17 when the final whistle went. An immense feeling of gratitude overshadows a loss when we can wear the eternal crown of victory when it comes to sportmanship and teamwork.

I had an interesting conversation with an outsider supporter at the main match which opened my eyes once again to the privilege of not merely experiencing Interschools but playing and active role in the largest Interschools in the world. People dream of wearing a green blazer and taking their stand in this tradition, yet we have the honour to do so.

As a learner who is part of this year’s Matric group closing our high school chapter in a few short months, I personally look forward to proudly supporting each team next year wearing my Old Girls scarf, alongside my Girls' High family. 

This past Interschools offered us so many memorable moments which we could cherish forever. I truly believe that our girls’ diverse love for all the different sport and cultural activities and our ability to have fun regardless of any challenging situations, are the exact things that drive us to form such an intense unity through our differences and our uniqueness.