I represented my school in the inter-school football competitions. I really like playing football and I have been doing so for a long time. However, I stopped playing for some time in between. Therefore, to get selected this time, I had to work harder.

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. I used to play football when I was in 3rd grade. I played until the 5th grade and then I stopped. As I didn’t practice enough, my skills didn’t enhance.  I started playing again in 7th.  In this activity, I tried to analyse my strengths and weaknesses so that I could work on them and get selected in the team once again. I knew where I was good at and I was aware of my weaknesses, it helped me to analyse myself and take decisions accordingly.

L2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills

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. As I started practicing after a long time, I was likely to fail the first few times, however, I knew I would reach there and therefore I kept on telling myself to not give up and keep trying harder. I didn’t have enough time to practice this sport, so I tried to adjust other things to make time for this. 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 was lucky to find a coach outside the school to help me out with the practice. Overcoming all these problems was difficult however I was able to achieve it.

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. I enjoy watching this game on TV and I also really like to play it in my free time. But to get selected for the team was more important. I was committed to my goal and had the burning desire to become better and therefore I was able to achieve it. I went to classes for an hour and improved my individual skills and also played along with some other children who used to come there. 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.

L5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively

Football 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 get better at team play, I went to play with my friends on mostly all the weekends. We used to go on grounds and play together. We practiced together and we worked collaboratively. We all knew each other very well and we knew how each of us played. Therefore, without to team effort, I might not have achieved my goal.

Overall, this CAS experience has been great for me. it has taught me a lot of things and I have enhanced my skills in a particular field. However, the bigger picture here is that I worked hard to achieve my goal and did not give up just because there were better players than me on the team. I never compared myself to others and did what I could do best. So this experience also taught me a life lesson.