Ian Ip 12A (Physical Expedition Group 1)

The CAS Challenge Week provides students with different exciting opportunities and while most projects involve helping different charities and giving back to the community, the Physical Expedition Group 1 sought to challenge the mind and the body through experiences in rock climbing and mountain biking.

The experiences were all very foreign to us which forced us to challenge ourselves and push ourselves beyond our limits, but it also served as an excellent opportunity for us to experience something new and exciting. The physical nature of the activities also put a strong emphasis on teamwork and trust, which also served as a great opportunity for us to learn how to collaborate with others.

The experiences were extremely enriching and were like a breath of fresh air, something completely different from what we were used to. For example, we learnt a few skills such as pumping, bunny hopping and pulling wheelies, skills that are otherwise useless in everyday cycling on paved roads, but crucial on a mountain trail. 

On the other hand, rock climbing was much more strenuous and demanding, requiring us to not only have good muscle strength, but to also learn how to engage them optimally to not waste energy. This sounds very easy on paper, but rather challenging in practice. We also got to learn some of the theory behind rock climbing in the process.

On the whole, these experiences were extremely educational and gave us excellent opportunities to try something new. It also defied my original impression of physical sports, that raw power is not the key, but rather the knowledge of when and how to use that power.