One year of CAS!

At the start of the year, I was required to set aside various activities that I would be committing myself to during DP1. My choices were:

• Learning guitar [Year long]- Creativity
• SAISA Football [Seasonal/ 4 months], Kyokushin Karate [Year long] – Activity
• Gecko inc. [Year long] – Service

Throughout my first year of the Diploma program I have learnt a lot through CAS and it has provided me with necessary, positive distractions during my week. On a regular basis, IB students have to meet deadlines and prepare for Summative assessments that are critical to our final grades, therefore it is relieving to dedicate some of our academic time to activities that allow us to explore different areas of education.

Learning guitar has allowed me to explore music and develop the ability to reproduce some of the songs that I enjoy; including music from Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars. SAISA Football has permitted me to pursue my passion for football by participating in my second consecutive SAISA Football tournament and my fifth TISSL tournament. I also picked up where I left off five years earlier in Kyokushin Karate, I am finding my feet again and I am getting closer to my objective with every session. In addition to these, I had the opportunity to explore a new service, Gecko inc., in which I have the opportunity to interact with government school children and teach them how to swim, with the main objective of making them more comfortable in water with swimming skills at their disposal.

CREATIVITY

I have been learning guitar weekly from Mr. Marlon, the school’s guitar teacher. We have a 30 minute one-on-one session weekly aside of which I practice regularly. The songs I have learnt over the year are:

• Thinking out loud – Ed Sheeran
• Stitches – Shawn Mendes
• You are my Sunshine – Johnny Cash
• Marry you  – Bruno Mars
• All of me – John Legend
• Stand by me – Ben E. King
• Riptide – Vance Joy
• Treat you better – Shawn Mendes
• Hero – Enrique Iglesias
• Perfect – Ed Sheeran
• Grenade – Bruno Mars
• When you say nothing at all – Ronan Keating
• I’m not the only one – Sam Smith
• When we were young – Adele

My main objective when I began guitar as a CAS activity was to improve my transition from chord to chord when I am strumming a song, and improve my timing when it comes to singing whilst playing the guitar. Another objective of mine was to be able to sing and play Thinking out loud simultaneously by Ed Sheeran. In terms of accomplishment, I have noticed a significant improvement in my transitions as I have learnt many new chords and the tempo of the songs I have learnt varies from song to song, therefore I have had to adapt and explore different styles of play that have challenged me and allowed me to develop new skills. Adjusting to these new styles have required perseverance as I am required to do new complex manoeuvres with my hands and fingers. Although I have been committed, I have been unable to achieve my second objective of singing and playing Thinking out loud by Ed Sheeran as I was keen on expanding the songs I knew to play, and explore different variety. However, I am able to sing and play other songs, such as; Marry you, and You are my Sunshine. Therefore, Guitar learning has been challenging, but I have identified strengths, such as strumming pattern and focused on areas for growth such as transitions.

ACTIVITY

Gecko Athletics, SAISA Football 

In my second year at OSC, I participated in what would most likely be my last SAISA Football tournament. I may take part in football training sessions the following school year, however, the tournament coincides with IB mock exams and therefore serious consideration is necessary.

Following the departure of two senior central defenders, I was required to adapt to a new position: center-back, to fill in the void that was left by the parting defenders. The previous season, I played full-back where my strengths, my pace and physical strength were used primarily to support my team defensively, and occasionally in attack. Despite both positions being defensive, the roles are different and therefore I was challenged with regards to my versatility. As a center-back, I required more composure with the ball at my feet as I needed to be serene as the last line of defense before the goalkeeper. My new role required me to make assured passes to midfield players, and occasional lobbed passes to attackers over the opposition’s midfield. At first, I was unsure of certain actions that were expected of me during the game therefore perseverance was a big factor that allowed me to progress and feel comfortable in my position by SAISA in February. Furthermore, the team bonded a lot throughout the four months with the opportunity to use the TISSL U19 tournament as a preparatory phase.

At SAISA, I did not accomplish my objective of scoring my first goal, and my position in the team did not simplify anything. Being in defense meant I had to prioritize my defensive duties, and be content with going forward for the occasional corner (which was rare since I’m not very tall).

Kyokushin Karate 

It is with a lot of motivation that I resumed Kyokushin Karate in October 2017. It had been 5 years since my break, and therefore I was very determined to practice my strikes, roundhouse kicks and kata again. Upon joining the dojo, I quickly understood that I was very rusty as my flexibility was not up to the required standard and my balance had weakened. On a more positive note, I was much stronger and faster than I was five years ago.

Furthermore, the katas I had learnt during my first stint had been forgotten over the five year break, therefore it was very important for me to practice regularly in order to master them and reach the necessary standard to acquire my Black Belt. Another important requirement to my Kyokushin resurgence is body conditioning. It is imperative that I strengthen my bones, and joints in order to participate in tournaments and develop myself as a martial artist. A true Kyokushin Karateka must be able to bear pain during self-defense and produce power in action. Such development as a martial artist is not possible without perseverance, and dedication.

During sessions in the dojo, I learn a great deal from those around me who are fresher, although I am ranked senior to them. I refresh my combat skills through sparring sessions and Kumite (freestyle fighting techniques) drills. Therefore, the presence of my fellow Karatekas is very important to my learning and development as practicing certain drills require multiple people.

Another important aspect of the sessions is the fact that I am constantly required to make choices, especially when sparring. During a sparring session, it is entirely up to me to anticipate my opponent’s movements and react in the best way possible. I am required to make split-second decisions throughout 20 minute sparring sessions as to what combinations I opt for in the fight.

“Do I wait for him/her to strike and then counter-attack?”

or

“Do I strike with a combination and attempt to take control?”

My initial goal of achieving my Black Belt is a long term one, but it is well in progress with my conditioning underway and regular sessions where I focus on kata and kumite, and develop techniques and stances.

SERVICE 

Service throughout my first year of the Diploma program with Gecko Inc. allowed me to learn a lot regarding teaching. I had previously been in teaching situations such as teaching football to players younger than myself, however, this situation was very different as the children only speak Sinhala and the commitment was year long.

Luckily for me, I am fluent in Sinhala, therefore I was able to use this to good effect in order to bring the best out of the children during our weekly sessions. This was helpful for the entire group as well since most of the students engaged in Gecko Inc. do not have much experience with Sinhala, therefore I played the role of a translator from time to time. Sinhala being one of my strengths, an area I could develop in my teaching is perhaps communicating with more of the children. Throughout the year I was primarily committed to two children, as I had intended to in my CAS goals. However, it might be helpful for me to teach different children as this would not only enhance my teaching abilities, but this would allow me to form more relationships with the group. This may be related to some of the choices I have had to make when starting this service. It was important for me to plan and decide what exactly I could bring to the service, and how I was going to accomplish that. I understood that I would best benefit the service by focusing my attention primarily on two children from the group. This was challenging as teaching somebody who does not know how to swim is never easy, however, with the support of my fellow Gecko Inc. members I was able to contribute by giving children who do not know to swim confidence in water and teaching them a skill that could be useful at any moment in their lives.

In terms of my objectives for Service, I have accomplished my goals since Basindu and Davesh, the two children I decided I would personally train over the year have significantly improved their swimming skills and are able to swim across the pool and back without the help of a board or buoyancy belt.

 

Ultimately, my first year of CAS has been very fruitful as I have learned a lot regarding commitment and perseverance, teaching and taking the necessary measures to achieve my objectives.