Ryan Bubalo: 'We do not play sports just to win'

By Mahi Abdulla Murad

AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter

www.auisvoice.org

AUI-S held a cooperative sports tournament May 2 against the Sirwan Club represented by the University of Sulaimani. It was the second time this year, after a tournament in April with Karbala University, that the AUI-S sport teams faced players from different schools in a tournament. In this tournament, however, none of the AUI-S sport teams scored victories.
The women's volleyball team lost 2-1, and the men’s volleyball team lost 2-1 against the Sirwan Club. The men's soccer team lost 11-0, and the women’s soccer team lost 4-2. Also, the women’s basketball team lost 64-2.

Even though the AU-S players did their best, they could not make any victory, the coaches and players said.

Rachel Laribee, the coach of the AUI-S men and women’s volleyball team, said the women’s volleyball game was extremely mentally challenging.

“The women’s volleyball game was an especially hard loss be- cause they really wanted to win because we really wanted to win,” she said. “We won the first game, but in the second game we fell behind, and it was very difficult to overcome from behind.
I believe that the women played very well, and I would love a rematch because we can beat them.”

Aween Ali, 10, an AUI-S volley- ball player form Iran, said the game was not good.

“I didn’t feel comfortable during the game,” Ali said. “We didn’t have enough energy.”
Ali added that the opponents won by chance.

“The problem in our team was that we lost a lot of energy,” she said. “Although they had more practice than us, we were almost at the same stage with them.”
Alan Salah, the coach of the Sulaimani women's volleyball team, said the match could have been better.

“The problem is that both teams don’t have enough practice,” Salah said. “I believe that both teams need more practice.”

The highlight of this tournament was the men’s volleyball game, for the differences be- tween the points was only one point, which Salah described as “a real and most enjoyable game in the tournament.”

“AUI-S men’s volleyball team is very good.” he said in Kurdish.

“Although they have a little practice, and they have not been formed for a long time, they played very well. I believe that AUI-S men’s volleyball team would succeed if it had chance to join the Kurdistan and Iraqi leagues. I, as a referee, really enjoyed the game because the teams played very well, and they were very enthusiastic to win.”

Laribee said both the men's and women's teams did well.

“We expected that the teams would be very hard to play, but both teams won their first games, and the second game we remained competitive,” she said. “I believe that each player played with a lot his heart. They remained serious and competitive until the end. They worked together, and they acted as one team.”

Revan Sami, 18, a player from Sulaimani University, agreed that both teams played well.

“Although our team has been formed for more than two years, and we have more practice than AUI-S volleyball team, they played very well,” Sami said in Kurdish.
Sami added that AUI-S team should join the Kurdistan and Iraqi tournaments.

“I recommend AUI-S volleyball team to join the Kurdistan and Iraqi leagues.” he said. “We shared in two Iraqi leagues years ago.I believe that AUI-S players are as good as the other Kurd- istan and Iraqi players. I’m sure they would be succeeded if they joined the leagues.”
Both the AUI-S men’s soccer team and women’s basketball team faced a huge defeat in this tournament.

“We don’t play sports just to win,” said Ryan Bubalo, the coach of the AUI-S women’s basketball team. “Winning is great, winning is fun and winning is a part of [a game], but what’s more important is being healthy, working as a team and improving. If you only play games that you know that you are going to win, then you are never going to get any better. We know that [the Sirwan Club] is strong, but we also know that it is important to play strong teams to get better.”

Bubalo added that the days he was most proud of the [basket- ball players] were not the days when they win games.

“I am so proud of the women’s basketball team,” he said. “I am most proud of them not when they win or lose a game, but when they practice.

They are a successful team because they show up every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. They are the only team that practice three days per week, and those were long, hard practices.”
Maryam Armeen, 19, an AUI-S basketball player from Baghdad, said she appreciated the game regardless of winning or losing.

“First of all, we beat both Karbala and Media team because they were as the same as our level,” she said. “We are a team, and we won more than one game. This is a game. You will lose, and you will win. But Sirwan Club, they have been practicing for along time, their career is playing basketball and they were just professionals.”

Andy Watkins, AUI-S men’s soccer coach, said the game was hard because the team played like it was scared.

“I’m not disappointed in the team, but I am disappointed for the team,” he said. “We are not angry with them, but we feel sad because they deserve more. They were better than that. They didn’t have the opportunity to show people what they could do.”

Tamman Omer, 23, from Baghdad, the captain of the AUI-S men's soccer team, said the main reason for the defeat was that the players were not communicating with each other.

Bubalo added that AUI-S play- ers have nothing to be disappointed about.

“They played their best, and they improved as teams,” he said. “Ultimately, that’s what matters.”