Students Activity Unit of Volleyball UGM held a Volleyball Competition, Gadjah Mada Cup, for high school students. The competition was divided into two categories which are men’s team category and women’s team category, attended by a dozen of senior high schools in Central Java and Yogyakarta Provinces. It was held at Students Hall UGM from April 24 until 29, 2017.
After playing several matches in six days, SMAN (State Senior High School) 1 Tuntang became the first winner of women’s category while SMAN 11 Semarang and SMAN 2 Ngaglik were the runner-up and third winner, respectively. Meanwhile, the first winner of men‘s category was SMAN 1 Pundong, the runner-up was SMKN (Vocational School) 4 Purworejo, and the third winner was SMAN 1 Sewon.
One of the participants from SMAN 2 Ungaran, Damar Wahyuning, appreciated this volleyball competition. According to Damar, this competition can enhance the quality of volleyball players in Central Java and Yogyakarta Provinces. “The committee has succeeded to conduct the competition, and I hope Gadjah Mada Cup can be better in the next year,” said Damar.
Similar statement was also delivered by Handayani, who was the mother of an athlete from SMAN 11 Semarang. She really appreciated the competition. She said Gadjah Mada Cup was a good competition and she hopes it can be held every year. Handayani predicted this competition can trigger the students to make an achievement. “I really appreciate this competition because it can motivate the students to make non-academic achievements,” said Handayani.
Chairman of Gadjah Mada Cup Committee, Jafar Sodiq, said the students had a high enthusiasm in participating in the competition. It was shown by the participant’s attendance within two days of the open recruitment. Jafar hopes this competition can facilitate the young volleyball athletes in senior high school level. “I hope this competition becomes a facility to hone the talent of young volleyball athletes in Yogyakarta and its surrounding areas to prepare them to be professional athletes in the future,” said Jafar.