Exploring Different Types of Games and Sports for Every Interest and Skill Level
I remember the first time I stepped onto a basketball court with my local community team - I kept glancing toward the bench, wondering when the coach would substitute me out. That experience reminded me of professional players like the PBA great who once said it's never his job to meddle in substitution patterns during games. This philosophy actually applies beautifully to how we approach different sports and games at various skill levels. Whether you're a complete beginner or seasoned athlete, there's something magical about finding activities where you can either fully immerse yourself without second-guessing decisions or take charge of your own experience.
Take team sports versus individual activities, for instance. When I joined that basketball team, I loved the camaraderie but sometimes felt restricted by the structured environment. That's when I discovered rock climbing, where every move depends entirely on my own choices and abilities. The contrast is fascinating - in team sports, you're part of an ecosystem where roles are defined, much like that PBA player respecting coaching decisions. Whereas in individual pursuits like climbing or swimming, you're both player and coach, making every strategic decision yourself. I've found both experiences valuable at different stages of my life - sometimes I want the collective energy of a soccer match, other times I crave the solitary focus of a morning run.
What really surprised me was discovering niche sports that perfectly match specific interests. My friend who loves chess but wanted physical activity found his perfect match in competitive fencing - it's like physical chess with foils. Another friend who enjoys storytelling joined a live-action role-playing game group that combines physical activity with narrative imagination. These hybrid activities demonstrate how diverse games and sports can be - from traditional options like tennis and basketball to newer variations like pickleball or escape room competitions. Statistics show that approximately 65% of adults participate in at least two different types of sports or games regularly, which tells me I'm not alone in exploring multiple options.
The beauty of today's sporting landscape is how accessible everything has become. I've tried everything from casual hiking groups to more competitive badminton leagues, and what I've learned is that the best activity depends entirely on your current mindset and goals. When I want to unwind, I prefer solo activities like cycling where I can set my own pace. But when I need motivation, nothing beats the energy of a volleyball team where everyone pushes each other forward. Personally, I've grown to appreciate both approaches - sometimes being part of a structured system, other times having complete control. After all, the PBA player had it right - there's wisdom in knowing when to follow the game plan and when to take personal initiative, whether you're on a professional court or just exploring activities for fun and fitness.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
