Basketball is one of my priorities. It is a part of my daily routine and I cherish every moment playing it. I really love it and can’t get enough of it. I always dreamt of being selected for the state team in basketball. I was able to achieve it with all the hard work and dedication. Representing my school in the competition and winning the competition makes me proud and I just love to live that moment over and over again.
L1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
This was one of the main learning outcomes that I adhered to during this process. Being aware of my strengths and weaknesses is one of the main aspects of becoming better at what I do. Therefore, I tried to reflect upon my weaknesses and practiced them over and over again until I was able to turn them into my strengths. This helped me to get better at what I wasn’t good. This might be one of the most important things that lead to personal growth. I knew where I was good at and I was aware of my weaknesses, it helped me to analyse myself and take decisions accordingly. For example, I wasn’t really good at shooting the basketball. I realised this and so I kept on practicing it over and over again. I came early to school, I went to external classes and I also practiced at home. All this hardworking helped me to achieve what I aimed for.
L2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills
Similar to the first learning outcome, while working on my weaknesses, there were a few difficulties that I faced. Firstly, I was unable to achieve what I wanted in a short period of time, because of this I was really frustrated and wanted to give up every time, however, I knew I would reach there and therefore I kept on telling myself to not give up and keep trying harder. Then I was unable to spend time on this because of other works, to overcome this, I had to improve my time management skills. I cut down on my entertainment time to make sure I achieved my goal. I planned my entire day and worked accordingly so that I was able to practice. I also didn’t have any sir to guide me initially, however then I found out external classes and went there and practiced with a professional. Mostly my sir at my school helped me the most with my progress as he used to train me every day. So I was lucky enough to have someone by my side. Overcoming all these problems have helped me develop skills other than basketball such as time management, problem-solving and many more.
L4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experience
Dedication is the most important aspect of becoming successful. That is what I personally needed to boost me up. My love for this game helped me to work harder at it. I was committed to my goal and had the burning desire to become better and therefore I was able to achieve it. I woke up early to go to school for extra camps and practice basketball. I used to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and practiced for 1 and a half hour every day. Then I went to classes for an hour and improved my individual skills. I had to walk to my class sometimes because I didn’t have any other mode of transport at that point in time and I did that as well. Some days, I practiced at home and worked on my shooting and other skills. I found solutions to the problems I faced and I overcame every challenge and this definitely shows commitment and perseverance. Without this dedication, I may not have been able to achieve my goal.
L5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively
Basketball is a team sport and coordination is the most important thing in this sport. I may have practiced for hours and hours and worked on my individual skills and may have got better at it, however, I would not have got better on the sport as a whole. To make sure I became better at the sport, I had to practice with my teammates. I had to know how the others play and had to carve my game in a similar way. When I came to school early for practice, I tried to get my teammates also. We practiced together and we worked collaboratively. We all knew each other very well and we knew how each of us played. The reason my game has improved is also because of my teammates. They have helped me in many ways to get better and my seniors have guided me with their experience. So the teamwork has also played a major role in my progress as a player.
Overall, this CAS experience has taught me a lot of things aside from just getting better at basketball. I have experienced challenges and have enhanced my skills. This experience has made me a more dedicated person. It has helped me get better at managing time, working in a team and also achieving what I aimed for. Using this experience as a reflection, I think I can achieve a lot of things with the same amount of dedication and hard work.
