The LFNY Rugby Boys Varsity team won against the French American School of New York (FASNY) on May, 8 2013.
From a distance, I thought I was glimpsing a scene from the Six Nations Championship, the world’s oldest and most enthralling rugby tournament. As I approached the field on Roosevelt Island this past Wednesday afternoon, all I could discern was a wave of blue jerseys moving swiftly across the field, with an oval-shaped ball being passed from running person to running person. And then all of a sudden, the wave broke and the ball disappeared from sight, only to reappear a few moments later, this time just above ground level, held up in the air by the outstretched arms of a player pinned down by the opposing club. A ruck ensued and soon the graceful movement recommenced. One of the spectators in attendance shouted out the score: three tries for the Lycée Français de New York varsity boys rugby team, one try for the French-American School of New York varsity boys rugby team. Hurrah!
Competitive sports spark a phenomenal school spirit
There is so much to say about the quality of our sports program, whether it be the physical education curriculum which distinguishes the French educational system or the after-school athletics program we have built in keeping with the American educational tradition, that it is hard to know exactly where to begin. Yet three thoughts occurred to me as I stood on the sidelines a few days ago, cheering on our rugby club, the first of which had been immediately obvious when I had reached the stadium: the phenomenal school spirit which competitive sports sparks in our community. Some 30 of our students and parents had come to root for our rugbymen on that rainy afternoon, proud of the athletes representing our school and delighted to be spending time together in support of them. No matter that we ended up winning the game by five tries to two and thus took home the “French Cup” which the LFNY and FASNY have inaugurated this year: it was the effort rather than the score which mattered most. Nb. it is this uplifting spirit which you will also see at our secondary school sports gala next Thursday evening at 6 pm in the school auditorium. Please do join us to celebrate the accomplishments of our student athletes if you can.
Observing our rugby team in action, I was reminded too of the dedication of our coaches, in this case Thibaut Antoine, Sébastien Freland (founder of our first rugby club back in in 2006-7, along with some of the players who are now on the Lycée Français varsity team, including their immensely gifted captain, Lucas) and Emmanuel Rouy, not to mention the other architects of our flourishing rugby program, Hugues de Pins who trains our primary school boys rugby club, Nicolas Maral and Conor Coyne who coach our middle school boys rugby team, Marc Gillin who trains our middle school girls rugby club, or any of the 35 people who assume coaching responsibilities for the 37 competitive sports we offer to our secondary school students each year. These coaches play extremely important roles for our students, not least among which is helping them to cultivate those reserves of talent, courage and energy which we know are theirs. Alas, I cannot mention them all in this post, but I have each and every member of our coaching staff in mind when I say how grateful we are for their tireless commitment.
“Rugby teaches students that success requires patience, frustration and sometimes pain.”
Finally, as I watched our young rugbymen defend themselves with verve and advance down the field with daring, I could not help but think of the values with which the rugby experience was imbuing them, and we can say the same of all the athletic activities which the Lycée Français organizes on their behalf, from swimming to track to gymnastics to soccer and the list goes on. For varsity boys rugby coach Thibaut Antoine, «rugby allows students to understand they will not get very far on their own, regardless of their talents. It teaches them that if just one member of the team is missing, even though that person may not necessarily be the strongest or most important one in the group, everyone will be destabilized. It teaches them never to underestimate an opponent or to judge an adversary once a game is over. It teaches them that success requires patience, frustration and sometimes pain.»
Or as fellow coach Sebastien Freland notes, rugby teaches our students values like «solidarity, trust, respect for their opponents and the referee, a sense of sacrifice, camaraderie, bravery.» A heartfelt bravo and thanks to our LFNY varsity rugby players and “French Cup” champions Abdoulaye, Aidan, Baptiste, Emmett, Felix, Francois De M. , Francois D, Gauthier, Guillaume, Hadrien, Homer, Jean-Sebastien, Liam, Lucas, Lucien, Maximilien, Olivier, Paul, Romain, Sacha, Thomas, Tuscany and Victor. And kindest congratulations and gratitude to each and every one of our student athletes for embodying the ideals of athleticism and sportsmanship which our community holds dear.
About the Author :
Sean Lynch was Head of School at the Lycée Français de New York from 2011 to 2018, after having spent 15 years at another French bilingual school outside of Paris: the Lycée International de St. Germain-en-Laye. Holding both French and American nationalities, educated in France (Sciences Po Paris) and the United States (Yale), and as the proud husband of a French-American spouse and father of two French-American daughters, Sean Lynch has spent his entire professional and personal life at the junction between the languages, cultures and educational systems of France and the United States. In addition to being passionate about education, he loves everything related to the mountains, particularly the Parc National du Mercantour.