Leadership Camp

                In the leadership camp we performed several activities that helped enhance our leadership qualities. One of the activities was where our team had to stand on two wooden planks with ropes to lift them. We had to coordinate our moves and move across with the help of the planks. It was difficult to communicate and coordinate as any mistake was penalized with any one player having to face the opposite direction or muting of the entire team. This activity was a test of our coordination and communication skills. I learned the importance of following instructions and trusting them. I also learned the importance of coordination as coordination was really the key.

                Another activity was Crate stacking, here with the help of a pulley, one of our team members was hung by his/her waist and had to stack as many crates as possible. This activity required coordination, communication, planning and strategy. Coordination and communication was tested when the team pulling the person up were to know how fast or slow to pull and how much to pull. The planning and strategy was tested as the ground was not level and it was hard to ensure that the crates remained steady and the tower didn’t collapse. Another test of strategy was when we reached a limit. There was a limit as to how high the person could be pulled up. Stacking the crates beyond that point was very testing as it took us a lot of thinking and planning to come up with a strategy to get past that obstacle.

                One more activity that we performed was the acid river. Here we had to use limited planks to get from one base to another. A lot of planning was necessary as it was a very mentally testing activity. In this activity I learned the importance of being open to suggestions and opinions. At one point, as a team we ran out of ideas to implement and it was frustrating. It was important to keep calm and accept suggestions as criticism would take us nowhere. However what was unfortunate was that I had to learn this the hard way, the details of which I would rather not go into.

                Another major activity was the challenge tower discovery course. This was a set of challenges combined and laid out in the form of a course. This challenge tower was a true test of will power. There were several activities that were tiring and testing, especially one call monkey loops where one has to get from one platform to the other by stepping on loops of ropes. It was testing as on several occasions the loops would split apart or swing a lot. It was very testing and challenging. I fell off several times but it was the will power within me that made me complete the course. At the end of the course was another activity where one would have to jump off a platform high above the ground and would swing off a rope. Even though it was easy to say that I am not afraid of height, there was a hint of fear before the leap. However there was a small risk taking force inside me that led me into taking the leap forward. This ‘discovery’ course helped me discover my will power and risk taking abilities.

                We also had a small trek on the camp. The trek was supposed to get over in the morning however due to certain unavoidable delay, it went on till afternoon. We had managed to trek to a certain spot without much difficulty and were told our destination was a waterfall. However we tasted bitter disappointment to reach there to see nothing. However what was more frustrating was that we would have to go back to camp the same way we came, which was 100% uphill journey and it was hot. Due to the lack of planning, none of us had water and it was very testing. I started to question my ability to reach the destination however this is when I discovered the persistence within me that kept me going forward and helped me reach my destination.