Date: 15, 16, 17/ October/ 2010
This was a community based event which brings teams from around the world to play sports. This time it was cricket. I travelled from Nairobi with my team to Arusha, eager to win the tournament. With so much practice, we thought we could not lose to any team. We kept on winning our games, Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Mombasa...until it was time for the Finals. It was Nairobi versus Dubai. By this time, our heads were going to explode with pride. We thought we were unbeatable and hence our game was not at its peak as it had been the past few games. We did lose the game but we did learn one thing, pride is not your friend. Once that gets to you, your downfall is inevitable. Along with this one significant lesson, I learnt, of course, teamwork and practice makes perfect.
I met up with my old friends which was incredible and also, these three days I bonded further with my own team.
Cricket is not only about winning games. The ball that is used to play the sport is made out of wood and leather. This makes it very hard. In order to catch the ball while it is in mid-air or while it is rolling at great speed towards you, you need to exert a similar force to stop it. Furthermore, cricket pitches in Kenya are not very reliable as the ball can bounce while it is rolling and hit you on your face unexpectedly. Having been hit many times, I have realised that I need to be quicker not only to improve my proficiency in the sport but also to increase my reaction time and how much enthusiasm I play with.
Every time I played, I played harder, ran faster and jumped further. As I played through the tournament, I questioned myself that why can't I do the same thing in my own life, in my studies, for my own benefit? This struck me hard and when I got back, I saw a significant change in myself towards the better. I worked hard in whatever I pursued and since my first priority was and is my studies, I implemented the same strategy I used for the cricket tournament.
It has developed me to some extent and has taught me a lot. Team-work is also essential to succeed. This means that you should be able to work with what you have and utilise it to its limit. Then only will you see a significant change.
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