Open Girls Basketball DP1 Semester 1 Reflection

Student Name	Yasmyn Ntege
Activity Name / Description	Open-Girls Basketball DP1 Semester 1
Location	School
Was it C, A, S or a combination?	ACTION
Hours of CAS	100 Hours
Dates (Initiation – Completion)	30th August to end of semester 1

This term I joined the basketball team after I had previously put it on hold in year 10 to be able to bring my grades back up. It was a big decision but I felt that taking it on would teach me how to manage my time with my work and not be lazy. Throughout the term I managed to better my skill and was placed in the starting 5 which is 5 members of the team, usually of the most skilled, who set the challenging tone for the game. I was strong in dribbling and so was made point-guard. I also increased my speed, which was something I think put me at advantage as I was small but could manoeuvre around the court fast and easily.

To help develop these skills, I tried as much as possible to practice outside of the designated time as mastering a skill such as dribbling, requires continuity. Although this was not something I did too often, I still feel that it made a difference as I got more comfortable with the ball and was able to show notable growth on the court during basketball practice. I also ran 3.5km in the mornings and monitored my time. Each time I ran, I tried to increase my speed and this was amplified by the fact that I was running for long distances. The effect of this is that I am able to run long distances at fast speeds. This in effect works on my stamina and cardiovascular fitness at the same time.

I had challenges with the timings of the practice and so, often came late for practice or sometimes even missed them entirely. This mostly applies to the morning practices which were on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Saturday’s. It took me a few weeks to adjust but I eventually got used to it. This woke me up in the morning and actually energized me for the rest of the day. It was also challenging to have to practice in the scorching hot sun, especially in the month of November where Mombasa experienced extreme weather conditions. Regular showering helped make the heat bearable and in the long run, this was helpful as it accustomed us to the conditions we would be exposed to at the actual games outside of school where there are no MPH’s like ours.

I was chosen to go on a trip to Nairobi for a basketball tournament against many different public schools in the area. It wasn’t a new experience as we had had other tournaments in Mombasa but the only difference was the size. This tournament had over 40 teams (boys and girls combined) playing in just 2 courts. It was made shorter by reducing the playing time to 8 minutes a half, running time. I was able to meet people from several different schools and interact on similar ground about basketball. We were faced with some of the toughest teams but our losses weren’t taken in vain. We actually all developed new skills and learned more about each other. I bettered my collaboration skills and took the initiative to lend a helping hand to new members by teaching them a few of the tips I had picked up as a newbie.

The whole trip was a total of four days (2 days of driving to and from Nairobi and 2 days of playing). We, both the boys and girls team became closer and were able to connect and have a nice bonding experience. It was thrilling to watch the games and pick up new skills.

The whole experience has taught me new leadership skills as I said before; I was able to assist the new members in the team. As point guard, your role is to control the ball and thus the game. I had the pressure of having to yell out plays and organise the team during game time, which made me really particular on the choices I made. I had to recognise team members’ strength and weaknesses in order to decide on the strategy we should approach. This was not fixed as substitution of players is constant and makes it so that I have to always realign our strategy so that it works to our advantage and strong points.

In conclusion, basketball for me is a place I feel that I can really let out the stresses of school through a proactive and engaging manner. I hope that this year, I become more punctual to training and also, I want to give myself more challenge with regards to the running I do for fitness. Increasing the number of kilometres I do will improve my stamina and generally keep me in shape so I can perform better in the games.

SUPERVISOR: Mr. Eugene Auka