El derby de Languages

---

Words by Alex and Adam, Y1 IB Spanish students:

Last Friday brought us one of the most thrilling partido de fútbol (football game) this term, with the German class facing off against the (arguably better) Spanish class. Before the match both teams warmed up their vocab by using only Spanish or German words respectively to direct a blindfolded member to the ball. Passionate shouts of Derecha, Schießen, Passieren, Sigue, Gehen and Si filled the space adding excitement to the oncoming game. It was a truly ruthless match or una caimanera (a rough, rule bending match in Venezuela) with both sides unwilling to let the other gain an edge.

From the opening minutes the energy on the pitch was eléctrica. The Spanish side spent no time wasted with players shouting “¡Pasa la pelota!” (Pass the ball!) and “¡Sigue!” (Go ahead!) as they pressed forward relentlessly, scoring the first goal. Together they worked in unison directing the team with commands like a la derecha and a la izquierda. Both teams went back and forth scoring goal after goal with cheers erupting from the respective teams every time they found the net. Lucas Kirkland shot multiple pocket rockets towards the net but unfortunately found no success. Both goalkeepers worked tirelessly to prevent as many shots as they could with Alban ( field name Terence) holding down the fort for the Spanish. Without either goalie the story could have been very different.

The Germans held an early lead, fighting with discipline and grit, they managed three well-taken goals of their own, finishing the match at a hard-earned 3-2 to Germany. The final whistle left both parties with much to reflect on, the Germans with their well earned victory ,and the Spanish with their tremendous effort and battling performance. Could things have gone differently during the match? We will never know. But one thing is for certain, all eyes will be on the pitch for the comeback match at the end of term. Revenge, as they say, is a dish best served on the football field.

Words by Thomas K, Year 12 Student:

At the start we played blind football where one player on each team would play against each other, which was very fun to play but for the people watching it was very frustrating to watch to say the least. The catch was that students from either Spanish or German class had to communicate in the language of their class which made it a lot more difficult.

In the German team we would use directional words such as nach vorne , geradeaus, links, rechts or we said schiess! (shoot!). This helped our blind teammates to try to put the ball into the back of the net.

After this a full court game started where both teams had to still communicate in their language either Spanish or German. The game itself was very back and forth with lots of effort being on display and some overall good footy. In the end the German team came out victorious winning 3-2 in the derby. A satisfying final result.