"What makes you good at Sport?"
By Lucas Panayi on 16/11/2013 in Sport
The secret behind it all is very simple.
To be good at a sport is how willing you are to go out of your comfort zone. Yet that is not all, we need to know whether we have the determination, the passion, the physical ability, motivation, self-motivation,self-confidence, technical ability, agility and ‘THE TALENT’. Although this starts by selecting a particular sport and developing all these attributes to achieving perfection, whether it is football, tennis, golf or even chess. Yet what we need to understand is we do not become brilliant overnight, it takes time and practise, going that extra mile in the seemingly never ending training sessions that you have. Training when nobody else would be is what pushes you that extra distance.
Furthermore, all that I have mentioned so far is not only common sense but actually many scientific reports have now assessed whether these factors actually determine whether this makes a person good at sports. We can also conclude that family support is very important to a young athlete since this support produces a significant psychological improvement of the performance of the athlete, including his mind set on what he is needing to focus on the most.
Upon reaching a later stage when you have started to compete in national and international competitions then another factor is the location at which you train but you must understand that this no longer means that you are still trying to become good at that sport but that you are trying to become one of the best. As we all know the harder you work the more the output is just like when it comes to school work, the harder you work in class the more likely it is that you will do better in the exams. Yet this applies for anything really since the more work put in the more successful it is possible to be.
Although we have read so many articles about David Beckham and how he would train every day, practising his free-kicks, perfecting his techniques until he was able to take amazing free-kicks in the game of football that was not all that he practised.
Lastly one thing that need to be attempted and acquired is that if someone has said something bad about how we do something, a good sports person should self teach themselves to be able to make a negative into a positive.
This is what makes you good at sports.
"Commonwealth for the Common Good?"
Commonwealth? Commonwealth?
This was the one word question asked by a lot of ISS students last month when the Queen’s Baton Relay came to Seychelles.
For many people worldwide when they hear the word Commonwealth it conjures up images of an invading Great Britain and its imperialistic expansion of power during the 18th century. The word has left a legacy of unease with many former British colonies and yet every four years athletes from the 52 countries that used to belong to the former Commonwealth meet up and compete in the Commonwealth Games. In 2014 the Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow and the ISS was recently lucky enough to have students of all ages, even our biggest kid Mr Lespoir, participate in the Queen’s Baton Relay when it reached Mahe.
In addition Adam Viktora, Year 12, will be representing the Seychelles in swimming in Glasgow later this year and sets off with Felicity Passon, Year 10, this week to begin his training schedule in South Africa. But if Britain does not have this vast Empire any more why is the Commonwealth still important for small countries such as the Seychelles in the 21st Century?
Well for sports it is extremely vital and exciting. Some people have been very vocal about a growing apathy towards the Commonwealth Games in the 21st century but that is certainly not the case for young athletes at the peak of their physical condition. Having the opportunity to represent your country and test yourself against fellow competitors of a similar age and ability is an amazing life changing experience.
Our very own Aurelie Fanchette discovered this in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Participating in an Olympic Games can be an overwhelming and daunting experience for many athletes competing at an international level for the first time whereas the Commonwealth Games offers a similar experience on a slightly smaller scale. It can actually be an advantage not having some of the bigger sporting countries contending. The absence of Russia, USA and China, countries which tend to dominate international events, can give younger and less experienced athletes an actual shot at going for gold, silver and bronze. Wins at the Commonwealth Games can instil within fledgling athletes a desire to achieve even more glory two years later at the next Olympic Games.
Not only can sporting success be achieved at the Commonwealth Games but cultures, religions, beliefs and even racial barriers can be broken down even further. This was certainly the case in 1938 when Jesse Owens participated in the Berlin Olympics. The camaraderie that athletes feel on the track, pitch or in the swimming pool can go a long way towards furthering a united approach to life as a whole. The biggest applause around the athletics track at the 2012 Games went to a young Arab girl who came last in the 400m but it was the first time a female athlete had competed in a running event for her country; thus showing how sport can break down long standing traditions and barriers that need updating.
So good luck Adam – make us proud but most importantly enjoy the experience and hopefully the Haggis too!
"We are not born for ourselves but for the world."