Description of the particular activity and goals-

Basketball is my favorite sport and it is a part of my daily routine and I enjoy playing it.

I have been playing for 5 years and I love every moment of playing it. Representing my school in the competition and winning the competition makes me proud and since 7th grade, I have been working hard so that I can get selected for the state basketball team and play in my school team.

Why did I choose basketball as my CAS activity-

I am passionate about playing basketball

It burns calories (an hour of basketball can burn 630–750 calories)

It improves balance and coordination.

It develops concentration

Helps build up my muscle strength

Learning outcomes I met were:

L1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

One of the important learning outcomes was identifying my strengths and weaknesses. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses is one of the key part of becoming better at the game I play. Being aware of my weaknesses would help me reflect and practice them again and again so that I can turn them into my strengths. Doing this would help me excel at what I was not good. It can lead to personal growth as if I knew my strengths during a match I could use that to my benefit and help my team score. For example, I wasn’t really good at controlling the basketball and shooting was one of my strengths. 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

While working on my weaknesses and enhancing my strengths there were a few difficulties that I faced. Achieving what I wanted in a short period of time would be really difficult. I had to wake up early come for camps and I also had to practice when I was at home along with my studies which was really stressful and I wanted to miss practice every time, however, I knew that if I keep myself dedicated and try harder I would be able to achieve my goal. This helped me improve my time management skills, I reduced going out with my friends and watching movies, I made a study schedule to make sure I did not lack behind in my academics. I had a habit of sleeping late and waking up on my normal school time if I wanted to practice and keep up with my studies I would have to find a way to sleep on time and wake up early for camps. At first, I was not that consistent at waking up early so I had to miss a few days however I pushed myself to wake up early as my sleep was a sacrifice I was willing to make so that I could work on my controlling skills. This helped me as when during the match when I got the ball if there was no one to receive the ball I could control it and shoot.

L4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experience

Without dedication becoming successful would be really difficult. My love for this game helped me to work harder at it. I was committed to my goal and had the desire to become better and therefore I was able to achieve it as I knew if I excel at this game I may get selected for states this motivated me. 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. After school, I went to play basketball for an hour or went to the gym to build my muscle strength. Some days, I practiced at home and worked on my shooting and other skills. When I lifted weights at the gym my muscles became sore and it was really difficult to play the next day however I knew what my goal was which helped me stay on track. 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

A basic thing I learnt from the beginning about basketball was that if I wanted to win my coordination with my team was the most important thing. 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 ensure success I had to move ahead with the whole team hence I had to practice with my teammates too. If I knew how the other players played I could carve my game in a similar way. Whenever I came early for practice I tried to motivate my teammates to come too so they could also work on their coordination. If only my skills were enhanced in the team that would make no sense so ensuring that my teammates came early and practiced on both, their individual and team game would make sure we had a chance at winning. We practiced together and we worked collaboratively, in this game having unity was the main aspect. 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.

The learner profile I have met was:-

Communicator- Communicating skills are must in the game of basketball, you should know how to communicate with your team members and also your opponent. The keywords you use during the game should be proper, proper here means that your partner is able to understand what her role is when you say this keyword, for example- When we are on the defense side, I am changing my man, that means I am defending some other person, not the person that I used to defend, so here I will let my teammates know I am changing my man, I will go to some other person and my team member will take my person who I was defending. This is where communication takes place, this can also be an advantage for a team, by using communicating skills they can score a lot of points.

Conclusion-

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. It has also improved the bond between me and my teammates. Using this experience as a reflection, I think I can achieve a lot of things with the same amount of dedication and hard work.