Football is a sport that well resides in my heart, ever since I was a kid, I was extremely passionate and determined to do something grandeur. Skipping to the present, I captained Gujarat in the Subroto National Football Tournament in 2022. The competition was tough, and we were far from reaching our goal of winning. However, we learned quickly from our mistakes and failures, and we worked on improving our game. We discovered areas of growth, such as teamwork, adapting to different game situations, communication on the field, and improving our speed and agility. Despite our shortcomings, we gave our 100% in all the training sessions. We practiced more and worked harder to improve our game. The tournament was a valuable learning experience for us, as we gained valuable insights into our strengths and weaknesses, the level of competition across the country, and the importance of hard work and dedication. In conclusion, although we did not win the tournament, we left with a renewed sense of purpose and determination to come back stronger and better prepared for the next year’s tournament.

LO1 – Identify your own strengths and develop areas for growth: 

Through the tournament, I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses as a player. This allowed me to focus on areas where I needed to improve, such as teamwork, communication, and agility. By working on these areas, I was able to enhance my overall performance on the field.

LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills: 

Participating in the tournament was a significant challenge for me and my team. We were up against tough competition from all over the country, which pushed us to develop new skills and techniques from other experts and players. Their discipline, playing style, and technical abilities were just a few, to name, skills that we developed. This allowed us to tackle challenges on the field and come up with creative solutions to win the game. Reflective was one such learner profile that was demonstrated, by reflecting on our mistakes we saw growth and came across the area of improvement even in our failure.

LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in activities: 

The tournament required a great deal of commitment and perseverance from us. We had to attend multiple training sessions, work on our fitness levels, and stay motivated despite setbacks. This helped us build our resilience and persistence toward achieving our goals.

LO5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively : 

Football is a team sport, and the tournament reinforced the importance of working collaboratively to achieve a common goal. We had to communicate effectively, trust our teammates, and work together towards winning the game. This helped us build strong bonds, learn from each other, and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively. Due to this constant interaction with my teammates, I actively participated in demonstrating the IB learner profile communicator, as well as open minded by listening to their tactics.