Locally, XLIS is a founding member of the Xi’an International Athletics Conference (XIAC), currently made up of six international schools in Xi’an. Each of these six schools has responsibilities to host leagues and that cover a variety of sports for international students in the city.
Blue Dragons Athletics Program
The Blue Dragons Athletics Program is an initiative that aims to grow the number of sports teams at XLIS. The goal is to field teams in many different sports and provide students of all ages the chance to become a Blue Dragon. The XLIS Blue Dragons compete in leagues and tournaments locally against schools in Xi’an, as well as regionally against schools across China.
Athletic Conferences
Regionally, XLIS is a member of the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS) and participates in the ACAMIS Sports League invitational tournaments. These invitational tournaments are hosted by member schools across China, with competition usually taking place on Friday and Saturday. As a result, students need travel and stay in hotels to participate.
Student Participation
Each team has a limited number of spaces available for participating students. All students are invited to try out for any team within their age bracket, but only a certain number of students will be selected for each team.
Students in the primary school will be notified of tryout times during PE class or via Seesaw message, while secondary school students will be notified during homeroom. In some instances, all students will be able to participate in training but may be restricted from a tournament due to registration limits per school.
Training Time and Fees
Most teams, with some exceptions, will have training on Mondays and Fridays from 3:30-4:30 PM. Busses will be provided to take students to designated locations after training, one that runs through Gaoxin and another that travels to Qujiang.
In addition, any students selected for a team will not need to pay fees to participate. All uniforms, coaching, and travel to games in Xi’an will be arranged and paid for by XLIS. The only time extra fees will be required is if a student has opted to participate in a travel tournament as part of ACAMIS, where the hotel and inter-city travel cost will need to be borne by the participant.
Why Sports Are Important
Playing sports can promote a healthy lifestyle and teach kids transferrable skills that they use far into adult life. Being on a team teaches kids valuable social skills. They learn how to share, value diverse skillsets, make friends, trust others, have fun, improve self-esteem, and support and encourage one another. Playing sports can also help with fitness levels and maintain a health balanced diet.
Mission
XLIS provides a non-profit education focused on enabling confident, open-minded global citizens through life-long learning and a sense of community.
Vision
To lead education through innovation and a student-centered, community-driven approach.
Teams by Age Division
U8 (P3, born after 31 August 2015)
Students will have their first opportunity to join an organized sport team and participate in friendly competitions in Xi’an. All U8 teams will be co-ed and train two or three times a week during lunch playtime.
U11 Teams (P4-P6, born after 31 August 2012)
All team sports will have a separate boys’ team and girls’ team offered. Teams will train Monday and Friday after school, have league matches scheduled regularly on Saturdays throughout the season, and participate in an all-day tournament at the end.
Individual sports will also offer separate boys’ and girls’ divisions, but training will take place during lunch play time or PSPE class.
U14 Teams (M1-M3, born after 31 August 2009)
All team sports will have a boys’ team and girls’ team offered. Teams will train Monday and Friday after school, have league matches scheduled regularly throughout the season, and participate in an all-day tournament at the end.
Individual sports will also offer separate boys’ and girls’ divisions, but training will take place during lunch play time or PHE class.
U19 Teams (M4-DP2, born after 31 August 2004)
Students will have the opportunity to participate in all major sports played by international schools in Xi’an and regionally around China.
All team sports will have a boys’ team and girls’ team offered. Teams will play organized, competitive friendly matches against both international and local schools in Xi’an before finishing each season off with a major tournament.
All individual sports will also offer separate boys’ and girls’ divisions during competitive play but may not have specialized after-school training.
XLIS Tournaments
The Xi’an Jam – November 4, 2023
XLIS will host the second Xi’an Jam basketball tournament for middle school students on November 4th, 2023. The tournament is expected to grow this year to include at least six schools. An expectation for the coming tournament is the creation of a full girls’ division of at least four teams.
The Chang’an Cup – January 18-20, 2024
The Chang’an Cup is an annual basketball tournament for international senior high school students hosted by Xi’an Liangjiatan International School (XLIS). XLIS created the Chang’an Cup in 2020 to promote exchange within the community of international schools in Xi’an.
This year’s edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place from Thursday, January 18 until Saturday, January 20. XLIS anticipates this will be the biggest tournament to date, with schools likely travelling from outside of Shaanxi province to participate.
ACAMIS Jr. Swimming – March 15-16, 2024
All 85 member schools of ACAMIS will be invited to XLIS to participate in the 2024 ACAMIS Sports League Jr. Swimming Invitational. The competition is open for students aged 9 to 12 years old. Participating students will compete in several different strokes and distances. The tournament will be largest sporting event ever held by an international school in China’s northwest region.
The Jr. Chang’an Cup – April 20, 2024
The Jr. Chang’an Cup is the primary school version of XLIS’ premier basketball tournament. Teams of U8 and U11 students from international schools throughout Xi’an play weekly league matches on Saturdays during March and April. After ranking the teams based on these league results, all the participants gather at XLIS for a final tournament to determine the champions.