901 Ummah attends annual MIST competition

The 901 team stands in front of Tennessee State University.

Photo by Saira Sikandar

The 901 Ummah youth loaded their bags into the bus and headed to Tennessee State University. In Nashville, Tennessee to compete at this year’s MIST Nashville.

The Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament (MIST) is an annual three-day tournament held for high school students across Tennessee to compete in various contests.

Contests are separated into six categories which include Knowledge Test and Quran, Writing and Oratory, Arts, Bracket Competitions, Group Projects and Sports.

Each year participants are given a theme. This year’s theme was “The Valor of Mercy: Summoning the Strength of Compassion.”

After a three-hour ride filled with ice-breaker activities and spirit-lifting chants, the 901 Ummah Team entered TSU to register and submit competitions. The team then entered the auditorium alongside the other teams for a chant showdown, followed by welcoming speeches from the MIST board.

Afterwards, the first wave of competitions began. The competitions included Knowledge Tests and Brothers and Sisters’ Quran, 2D and 3D Art, Photography, Brothers and Sisters’ Rap/Nasheed, Spoken Word, the first rounds for Debate, Brothers and Sisters’ Improv, and Math Olympics.

Students attended guest lectures and dinner was served in between the competitions. After the last competition, the team headed back to the hotel to get sleep and refresh for the next day.

Saturday, the team prayed Fajr together. The soccer and basketball competitors of 901 Ummah had breakfast headed out for their sports competitions.

With all 901 teams putting in maximum effort, the boys’ soccer team placed fourth after losing the third-place deciding game to Huntsville 1-2, while the girls’ soccer team placed third.

The boys’ basketball team were able to continue their undefeated streak and win first place for the fourth year in a row.

After the sports competitions, the 901 team took an excursion to the mall, where everyone ate dinner, shopped and walked around getting to know other members of the team after a tiring day.

At around midnight., the team arrived back to the hotel to get some rest and set up for the final day.

The final day of MIST began at six a.m. with Fajr prayer, breakfast and a goodbye to the hotel that hosted the 901 team for the weekend.

Arriving at TSU, the final rounds of Debate, Improv and Math Olympics took place. All short films were shown in the main auditorium as well.

All teams entered the award ceremony auditorium, after all competitions had ended, with a final “chant-off” that rumbled the room with everyone at the top of their lungs and maximum team-spirit level.

With everyone doing their best job in their competitions, 901 Ummah competitors took home more than a dozen of awards.

Over the course of the weekend, the youth were able to compete ardently, apply the theme of mercy and compassion unto their surroundings, bond closer with their fellow team members and become even better young men and women.