As a part of my CAS activity, I took an experience of attending PS (Physical Special) slots for Table Tennis in the HDP program offered at school. The PS slots happened 4 days in a 6-day cycle everyday for 45 minutes. I have been a table tennis student for a long time now, and this year I chose to practice and work on my table tennis skills with others in the class. I worked on different shots of top spin, chop, block, smash, etc. I practiced with other students as well as the coach. I was selected to play from the under 19 girls team of Fountainhead School for the interschool competition for which we didn’t win, however, it was a good experience to know other competitive players and utilize skills developed over the years. This CAS experience continued for the entire 11th grade.
LO 1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
During this CAS experience, I grew as a player over the period of learning and playing. I was able to work on the skills I had developed in the prior years and brush up on them this year. In the process, I identified my own strengths and weaknesses that could potentially make me a better table tennis player. Identifying those areas of improvement made me feel more confident on how I could achieve the proficiency in the particular shots. For example, I realized I was working on the incorrect angle and speed for the top spin, and gradually started working on the same. Similarly, I also would like to work with my coach to work on other weak areas that I identify. It showed me how important identifying your own strengths and weaknesses in order to become better as an individual in any activity you get involved in.
LO 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Playing table tennis required frequent practice in the PS sessions I had in school. Attending all of them while also ensuring quality time was spent towards the sport was a key part of the CAS experience. I had to stay committed towards my goal of getting better in table tennis and put in more efforts for the same. It feels difficult to stay perseverant at times when I’m not doing that well and haven’t been able to give enough time to it. However, I have gotten better at staying committed towards the end goal and this experience has showed me how significant it is to maintaining commitment especially in a sport.
Through this CAS experience, I developed the learner profile of being ‘balanced’. I was able to demonstrate the same by balancing my efforts into table tennis and other academics as well as extracurricular activities. The highlight of this experience for me were the PS classes majorly where I get to play with a varied range of players. The interschool competition was enriching to open up to other school players as well. I’m still an average player and my skills are developing gradually, however, through this experience I learned to remain determined and about how significant a sport can be. This quality that I have as a takeaway will help me in future real life experiences where commitment and perseverance are a must.
Overall, this experience was extremely enriching and motivating for me to continue table tennis and progress further into it.
Evidence:
