Running For Our School

Tinta sends a team to this year’s cross-country MSSD

Zara Aaliyah
7 September 2023

SHAH ALAM: Sekolah Tinta decided to have another go at MSSD this year. After training hard for two weeks, eighteen students (primary and secondary) were sent to represent our school in the Kejohanan Merentas Desa MSSD Petaling Perdana 2023. This year, it took place at Taman Botani, Shah Alam.

Majlis Sukan Sekolah Daerah (MSSD) is the first stage in Majlis Sukan Sekolah-sekolah Malaysia (MSSM). This is an initiative under the Ministry of Education to increase the interest in sports among students, train them to have good sportsmanship, and unlock their potential in sports. Cross country has been an MSSM sport for a while now, and Selangor has been the reigning champion for many years.

This year’s competition was a big event, with over 1000 students participating, each category having over 200 contestants. Our Tinta representatives participated in the Under-12 and Under-15 categories for both girls and boys. The Under-12 track was about 4 kilometers long, while the Under-15 track was about 6 kilometers long. The track was challenging; the uphill and downhill slopes were quite steep. Nevertheless, our teams powered through.

From our school, the highest ranking was 48th place, an achievement made by Zara Khalyssa in the Under-12 category. When asked how she felt about this ranking, she said, “It was a bit of a bummer, because I was trying to get into the Top 20.” Even so, this ranking is still an improvement from her ranking last year, which was 61st. If she were to participate next year, she said she would try her best to win a medal.

Although none of them managed to win a Top-20 medal, our team did fairly well, especially since it was the first time for some of them. “It was hard because we were competing against 200 other contestants in our category,” said Adriana Eryna, one of the first-timers. “I’m sure we can do better and win if we compete next year, Insya Allah.”

“With more time and effort, I believe the team can achieve better results.”
Ust alif

Their coaches, Ustaz Alif, Ustaz Fathi, and Teacher Maz, were not at all disappointed. “I believe that the team showed great tenacity throughout the practice sessions and tournament,” said Ustaz Alif.

Ustaz Alif said that his main goal in participating in this event was to: “expose his students to the level of competition that the school has in Petaling Perdana. As we move forward to the future, we’ll set our sights towards bigger goals like breaking into the top 10 or even winning in one of the categories.”

Ustaz Alif also mentioned that he would put together a team next year. “With more time and effort, I believe the team can achieve better results.”

The enthusiasm from our teams is enough for us to be reassured that they will indeed bounce back next year and attempt to win a medal as well as glory for our school.