The Extracurricular Journey - Sophie Fung
Sophie Fung is a rising junior at the Shanghai American School, Puxi Campus where she is a three sport athlete.
As a kid, I was exposed to various sports and activities. In elementary school, I was bouncing from ballet to figure skating lessons. Moving up to middle school, my mom introduced me to the school swim team and started signing me up for tennis lessons. My previous school didn’t have a tennis team, so swimming was my “main sport” then.
Morning and afternoon practices at the pool would dominate most of my school life with the occasional swim meets on weekends. I also participated in various theatre productions. Rehearsals often clashed with my swimming practices and my occasional tennis lessons. The academic workload wasn’t heavy back then, which provided me plenty of wiggle room for JV swimming and theatre.
Little did I know, I was in for a change.
After the 2020 COVID pandemic, I transferred to SAS with the plan to continue swimming while shifting from middle school to high school. I tried out for the Puxi Aqua Eagles, where I joined them for their final two swim meets. Later into the end of my 8th grade semester, there wasn’t enough time to get involved in theater. So, a year and a half hiatus were set.
This paid off as I earned 2 sports awards and became a varsity member of the SASPX Tennis team in my sophomore year. However, 2 extra waves of COVID led to the cancellation of tennis APAC championships during season 1. To compensate for the lost opportunity to compete, I tried out for the track team as I wanted to take up a new sport before junior year.
Additionally, I joined the school’s production of Chicago for one last time on the stage. Balancing practices with rehearsals, my objective was to be on the APAC Track & Field roster. Despite the occasional conflicts, I made sure to show up to as many practices as I could. When the production finished, I got the opportunity to compete for the APAC Track & Field team in Beijing.
Prior to the end of my sophomore year, it became clear that I would have to start narrowing down my extracurriculars and start planning for the final two years of high school that would define my future.
A few things that my extracurricular experiences have taught me: Firstly, to approach every challenge as an opportunity for growth. Second, with the right balance of motivation and discipline, you’ll reap the rewards. Finally, it taught me to constantly push my limits. Although I am aware of the challenges that lay ahead, I realize that like sports, maintaining a positive mindset will get me further.
Reflecting on this experience, I’m beyond grateful for the unconditional support from my parents, my coaches and faculty for their advice, and the SAS community for their constant encouragement.
