GZAAT’s Sports Committee has a big role in creating a positive and active sports culture in the school. The members of the committee bring different sets of skills and experiences which come together with the same goal: to establish a fun environment where every student engages in sports and create the school’s image with it. The Sports Committee allows us to watch, compete and also participate in different types of sports games.
The Sports Committee was introduced to us exactly one year ago. Shoti Sikharulidze, GZAAT perfect, is the one who proposed the idea of creating a committee of students who would assist the school’s department to organize and administer the sports events. Afterwards, the seniors and juniors, who play in different sport teams of our school, founded such a committee to contribute and raise the sport’s spirit and popularity in the community.
The committee is divided into two groups. The first group is the Sports Committee Board, which consists of 7 seniors and 1 junior student. The second group is the GZAAT Sports Media Team which consists of 12 people. The Media Team does its job extremely well to administer the Instagram account, by the teamwork and collaboration of people in different positions. There are also illustrators, who create the game posters; photographers, who capture amazing moments during the sports events; IG page managers, who publish the posts and live stories; and so on.
Board Members | Media Team |
Nikoloz Salakaia, Biba Tsagareli, Iko Kontselidze, Luka Shalikadze, Shoti Sikharulidze, Sandro Xojashvili, Amiko Nikoleishvili, Lado Kavtaradze | Tako Akhobadze, Irishka Osipov, Mariam Gabiskiria, Nina Chiladze, Nina Adguladze, Mariana Chochia, Ana Gvasalia, Anano Mrelashvili, Eli Khokhiashvili, Luka Ebralidze, Natalia Abashidze, Giorgi Gegenava |
As one of the Board members, a senior Nikoloz Salakaia says, the goal of AAT Sports Committee is to promote sports popularity in school and introduce sports culture to the highest degree in GZAAT. They organize tournaments in different sports for our community, help schools establish communication with other school’s sports teams and arrange friendly games.
To learn more about the Sports Committee, we interviewed one of the board members, Shoti Sikharulidze.
Journalist: What is your job in the committee?
Shoti Sikharulidze: As a co-founder alongside Nikoloz Salayaia, my responsibilities include overseeing the strategic direction and operational efficiency of the committee. We focus on cultivating an environment that encourages active participation in sports and ensures that our initiatives align with the committee's goals.
Journalist: How do you work together and make decisions?
Shoti Sikharulidze: The committee operates through a structured framework comprising two key components: the executive board and the media team. Our decision-making process is characterized by frequent and inclusive board meetings where all decisions are reached through unanimous agreement. This approach emphasizes our commitment to collective responsibility and ensures that every plan and idea reflects the collective vision of the board. Mariana Chochia, leading our media team, plays a pivotal role in communicating these decisions to the wider school community and ensuring effective promotion on social media platforms.
Journalist: How do you schedule and plan games with other teams?
Shoti Sikharulidze: Our approach to organizing games involves both proactive outreach to other schools and responding to their initiatives. The committee boasts representatives from nearly all sports offered in our school, facilitating efficient coordination and planning of games. Whether it's a request from our coaches and teams to organize a match or an invitation from another school, the process typically involves consultation with our Sports Department head, Zuka Kotrikadze, who is instrumental in bridging communication and finalizing the details of the engagement.
Journalist: Do you think these games and the sports committee will become a tradition and will continue after the seniors leave?
Shoti Sikharulidze: The potential departure of senior members poses a challenge to maintaining the vibrancy of our sports culture. However, we are proactive in identifying and nurturing younger students with the determination and enthusiasm to carry forward our legacy. By integrating these students into our board and media team, we aim to impart our knowledge and operational characters, thereby ensuring the continuity and growth of our sports traditions. Our collective goal is to foster a diverse and inclusive committee that will continue to thrive in the years to come.
Interview with Tako Akhobadze, one of the social media managers:
Journalist: What is your job in the committee?
Tako Akhobadze: I, along with the other IG management members, post about any and every sports event happening at our school, or a sports event that our school participates in. We try to boost all of these events on the Instagram page by posting posters created by the designers' team, attend all of the games and events and keep our followers up to speed on all of the updates either live from the games or through our posts.
Journalist: How do you manage the Instagram page?
Tako Akhobadze: We have a certain layout we try to follow (except for certain instances) which helps make the account not only informative but also pleasing to the eye. All of our team members divide the responsibilities equally: some of us take on the documentation and everything of one certain match, and others of another. We try to make the account fun to follow, and easy to engage with for anyone who may be interested in certain games, tournaments and so on. We also include more fun components, such as Throwback Thursdays, or interviews with different team members, teachers, on the games that have occurred.
Journalist: Do you think the Instagram page has influence on the students? Do you think the page maybe makes the students want to participate or bring new ideas in them?
Tako Akhobadze: In my opinion yes, because it keeps the students in the loop on all the sports events that take place, considering the fact that most of the students probably don't check emails, however they do visit Instagram on a daily basis. The page also helps the teams gain a greater support group. It also provides greater intel on the sports events happening, and even encourages kids to participate as much as they would like, making a big part of the events interactive for everyone. Though, considering the fact that the instagram page, as well as the whole committee, is still new, there is room for improvement and we would love any and all advice on the improvements the page could have, what the students would love to see, and new ideas for the page.
Mariam Gamtsemlidze, a Senior, is the initiator of a fun competition, the Ski Tournament upcoming in March 2024. She was interviewed to get a better insight of what’s actually going to happen in the upcoming month.
Journalist: From where did the idea of the Ski Tournament come from?
Mariam Gamtsemlidze: The Ski Tournaments had actually been a tradition in our school for a long time, but due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and quarantines, they stopped to be conducted. This year, we decided that it would be great if we tried to return this excitement to school, and thankfully we did.
Journalist: Can you tell the audience some information about this tournament?
Mariam Gamtsemlidze: The Ski Tournament will be held on Thursday, March 7th, 2024 in Gudauri. There will be about 30 participants and will have only one chance to show their best time. This means they will not be able to take two runs. All of the students compete with each other, it doesn't matter in what grade they are. The tournament is only inclusive of GZAAT, which means no different school members will be allowed. The track will be very easy and there is nothing to be worried about. About the Junior High and Freshmen, as I’m informed, Mr. Cruz is not pleased with their behavior, therefore is not allowing them to skip the school for this event.
Journalist: Are you yourself going to participate in the competition?
Mariam Gamtsemlidze: I am willing to participate in the competition if there are no complaints about my experience (since we are all just trying to enjoy and have fun).
Journalist: And what is the prize?
Mariam Gamtsemlidze: The prizes are not yet discussed but we will try to come up with great and appropriate rewards.
This is a wonderful opportunity for skiers to show us their skills and at the same time have fun competing with their school mates. We are looking forward to seeing the photos and participants of the ski tournament soon!
Lastly, the Sports Committee board member, Nikoloz Salakaia wants to make an announcement:
“Almost half of our team members are Seniors. Even though the majority of us will not be here anymore, we want the Sports Committee to continue existing. Thus, we would like to recruit new members. In the remaining time of 2023-2024 school year, 12th Grader Sports Committee members will slowly move back to keep the road clear for Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen. We will show assistance to the new people at the positions, by sharing knowledge and experience that we have gained during this time. Currently, we have openings in the following positions: photographers, poster designers, Instagram page managers, and board members. If you are willing to invest your time and effort for AAT Sports, and any of the mentioned positions interest you please contact us via email (sportscommittee@aat.ge) and we will provide you with more details.”
The Sports Committee is an entertaining and productive part of our school. It is incredible seeing how young students can collaborate and work together to form a committee which forms a good picture of our school. By encouraging physical activity, teamwork, fun tournaments, the Sports Committee not only enriches the educational experience, but also develops the essential life skills in students. We are sure that the committee will have a successful run for many years!
Picture Credits: Irishka Osipov
Edited by: Keto Kapianidze