Rock climbing was a very new experience for me. We had to attend 4 sessions where the supervisor taught us all the rules and techniques of the sport. The reason I chose to do this activity was because I wanted to try out this sport. For the past 2 years I have not been playing any sport of any other physical activity which is why really wanted to do this as the experience of a new sport. Since this was a new sport for me I did not really know a lot about it, which is why it was fun knowing about the it as I love trying out new sports. After doing all the 4 sessions I could see an improvement when I compared my performance on the first day and the last day because of which I was very satisfied by the activity.
LO 1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
Before doing this sport i was not aware of what my strengths and weaknesses for a climbing sport like this be as i used to play football earlier which is very different than rock climbing. On the first day i understood what my strengths and areas of improvement for this sport were. My strength was being able to understand the techniques, as i used to play football which is also a very technical game hence, it helped me understand the gripping and other such techniques that made climbing much easier. My weakness was my fitness that needed work as I had not been doing anything for my fitness. Over all these sessions I understood the significance of physical well being and as an outcome i did start taking steps for my physical health.
LO 2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
While getting to know about the sport i found out that rock climbing is not all about climbing but about belaying as well. Belaying is when the climber is tied to a rope which is then tightened by a belayer at the bottom ensuring that the climber does not fall. While belaying I had to make sure that the rope was kept tight at all time. It was a big responsibility as one mistake can lead to the climber falling down causing injuries. Another challenge was while climbing i had to keep my mind calm as being so up high kind of made me panic at times which would lead to a lot of energy drain which could not be afforded here. While facing all these challenges, something i improved were the techniques such as gripping, feet placement and understand which rock to be gripped by which hand or foot. It involved a lot of technical thinking which was something i improved. The next thing i improved was my confidence. For my first try, i just did not have the gut to tell myself that i could do it, but when i saw my friends do it, i got some confidence and after doing it for the first time, all those thoughts were gone. Every climb had my confidence increasing.
LO 4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
As rock climbing is a sport, no sport can be improved on without any practice and commitment towards it. In order to improve, every session we were supposed to do a different drill which was a little more difficult than the previous one. Talking about perseverance, there were times when I could not finish a certain climb or get stuck somewhere but i kept trying again and refined my approach which helped me go ahead. As a person who played sports, i had the understanding that being good at a sport needs constant practice and commitment and hence, i was dedicated to attending all 4 sessions. Even though, there were some sessions which i could not attend, so i then coordinated with our supervisor to attend another session to fulfill all 4 sessions.
