Recently Shri Ram Vidya Mandir hired a new PTI teacher, Mr. Balwinder Singh, a well-known field hockey player and coach. Three days after hiring him we received notice of an upcoming tournament. Mr. Singh rose to the occasion and began training girls and boys hockey teams. Starting from scratch Balwinder ji held daily practices teaching fundamentals and increasing fitness. Soon the children were carrying their sticks throughout the day dribbling the ball up and down hallways, fields and school pathways. It was common for me to go to sleep with hockey balls flying up and down the verandah in front of my room.
We purchased spiffy new uniforms, all the protective gear as I could find and headed off to Rishikesh, site of the tournament. As I high fived the girls before their first ever hockey match Rukhaiya plaintively looked at me and said, “I’m scared�. Who wouldn’t be, we drew the home team, an experienced hockey machine and eventual tournament runner up.
Once play started the girls turned into tigers. They played their hearts out ending regulation with a 0-0 tie. The five shot penalty shootout ended a1-1 tie; on the fifth shot of the sudden death we failed to match the other teams goal. It was a heartbreaker but our girls were fabulous. They were so disappointed but also held their heads high with pride, they knew they held their own.
The boys played the next day, also against the home team and defending champions. With our star defensive player out with a sprained ankle, we lost 2-0. Again we held our heads high learning much from our first hockey matches. As a trustee, mother and sports fan, I couldn’t have been prouder.
Now hockey is the “in� sport. With another tournament next month interest is peaking with more and more students participating. We hope it is the beginning of Shri Ram Vidya Mandir as a sports powerhouse.
To see more photos, please check them out here.
