Completed Projects-
Designed farewell posts- BSA bid adieu to the outgoing General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary and the graduating inter-IIT players by publishing farewell blogs on their social media handles.
Ensured virtual handing over of responsibilities of captains, vice-captains and secretaries- In an effort to replicate the grandeur of BSA Night, BSA designed an inventive video where the outgoing captains literally passed the baton to their successors.
Conducted the IPL Fantasy League- By setting up a portal on their website through which the event could be hosted, BSA saved costs by not employing any third-party apps.
Organized online Yoga sessions- Unlike on-campus where they mainly attracted PhD students and professors, these sessions were conducted in various time slots which drew an appreciable UG crowd as well.
Organized regular online chess tournaments- Being the only sport that can be accommodated comfortably in an online format, it was not surprising that chess events took the center stage this year. Tournaments were hosted regularly and witnessed an impressive turnout from over-eager freshers.
Organized the Valorant tournament- As the premier e-gaming event of IIT Delhi, it served as a trial run for the forthcoming, more momentous e-Sports week and as a makeshift audition should IITD decide to participate in any inter-college e-gaming tournaments.
Launched the BSA LinkedIn page- Although largely inactive at the moment, it will serve as a platform to invite organizations for collaborations in the future and help BSA don a more professional persona.
Expedited the completion of the new SAC to ensure proper infrastructure opportunities for all sports- While the construction of the new SAC building does not fall under BSA jurisdiction, the GSec made sure that all the sports were accounted for, including four new badminton courts.
Revamped the BSA website- The BSA website experienced a notable makeover with updated write-ups for all the sports, recent pictures, and addition of a query redressal system.
Reviewed the coaches currently employed under BSA- The contract renewal of the coaches for the upcoming year was deliberated over, keeping in mind the feedback received from the members of the contingent.
Partially complete Projects-
Conducting eSports week- featuring five games, one exclusively for freshers
Release podcasts of our alumni- in collaboration with AAIP
Publishing BSA’s first bi-annual magazine- which will include updates on BSA activities, news about major sporting events across the world and anecdotes from within the BSA community
Documentation- of previous inter-IIT and inter-hostel tournament results on the website
Launching Hall of Fame- on the website - an archive of our beloved alumni players.
Conducting a sports quiz- exclusively for freshers
Incomplete Projects-
Provide NSO hours- to final year students through remote activities to facilitate the completion of their degree
Introduce BSA Yearbook- in collaboration with Dev Club
Organize an online combined fitness session- conducted by a single coach to maintain the fitness of the contingent
Conduct online sessions with dieticians and physiotherapists- Due to insufficient budget during the online semester, the available limited funds are being diverted to improving hostel infrastructure and providing proper equipment instead
Conduct a sports photography competition
Add a payment option- to the swimming portal on the website and implement the portal efficiently.
Develop a portal- on the website to ensure proper management of alumni funds (tentative)
Invalid due to COVID-
Organise a tournament to scout new talent- As an alternative measure, a Google Sheet was tabulated to shortlist freshers with past experience in various sports, getting them in touch with the respective captains
Institute a regular feedback system for coaches and student members of BSA- Due to the inactivity during the online semester, this has been postponed till after the onboarding of students
Ensure the availability of a permanent coach for chess, and separate coaches for water polo and swimming- Due to the inactivity during the online semester, this has been postponed till after the onboarding of students
Promote overall sports culture by organizing kabaddi, kho-kho and adventurous events when the onboarding resumes
Summary-
The BSA GSec has been surprisingly successful in keeping the community engaged and maintaining an online presence. There has been sufficient engagement with the freshers as well through several fresher-centric events. Adequate measures have been taken to ensure a smooth transition to an offline semester, that will minimize disruptions to the contingent. Embracing the widespread digitization, BSA has made various modifications to its website, to make it a one-stop destination for all things BSA. The GSec has also been successful in representing the needs of the student body to the higher-ups, often clashing with them on monetary issues. Despite the limited budget, they have managed to provide a monetary incentive to increase participation in their events. While BSA may have diverted from stereotypically sporty activities and pandered to the audience with e-gaming, the GSec plans to bring the focus back to sports during the rest of their tenure, starting with the reopening of the grounds and courts on campus. The BSA team is, in general, content with the leadership, which is not surprising given the fact that most members seem to have a well-established history with the GSec already. (a grim commentary on the poltu culture in IITD)
Most team members found the workload just right, while some felt a little overworked. A possible solution could be restructuring the team to incorporate the Sports Secretaries into the hierarchy, who experienced a lack of responsibilities and disassociation from BSA. The active members mentioned continually interacting with the GSec, commending their prompt replies, and thus felt included in the decision-making process and execution of projects. There did, however, seem to be a lack of communication with the team as a whole, especially with the Sports Secretaries, which could be resolved by frequent full team meetings, and demanding participation from inactive members. The GSec tackled the online semester extremely well, exhausting almost all ways of engaging the community. However, there was a lack of bold decisions, preferring to stay within their comfort zone and not experimenting with radical ideas. This led to to the realisation of realistic, albeit unimpressive, goals. Owing to their friendly disposition, conflicts, when they rarely occurred, were resolved amicably. They were always open to new ideas, often approaching people personally for it. They responded positively to criticism whenever it was presented. The GSec often displayed poor delegation skills, handling the brunt of the work themselves and not sharing it with the Deputy General Secretary. They were frequently lenient with deadlines which led to the delaying of work and disruptions to the previously well-planned schedule of events. This was, at times, counteracted by their excellent personal communication skills. The team members got tremendous freedom while working, and were encouraged to take the lead on their preferred projects. They were constantly motivated and all work was appreciated, sometimes at the cost of much needed constructive criticism.
Nevertheless, the GSec has managed to fare well in the first half of their tenure, and their plans for the future foretell a successful year for BSA.
