As a kid, I always loved playing any sports. It didn't matter to me whether its cricket, hockey, volleyball, soccer (not the American one 😊 ), or even the local sports that we used to have in India, leg cricket (when we don't get the cricket kit we used to play with our legs and ball would be a football.), Kabaddi (contact team sport), KHO-KHO (one of the oldest outdoor sports of India), Pithoo (folk game played between two teams with a ball and rocks that can be placed on top of each other), and Gilli-Danda (played with two sticks one long and one short) and so forth.
"The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit." ~ Ken Doherty
There is no limit if you try to find what to play, as long as I am on the ground that's all it mattered to me. I was more or less a tom-boy always on the ground playing sport until the street lights are on when someone from home - Mom or my brother would call, 'its late don't you have anything to study?
"A trophy carries the dust. Memories last forever." ~ Mary Lou Retton
I don't know but I loved being on the ground and that's how since my elementary days I was a P.T. Usha (Queen of Indian track and field athlete ). I was a sprinter and always got lucky to win cups for my school, for my House (School divided into four different houses for sports and extra curricular activities). Looking at this my sports teacher would add my name in long jumps, hurdles and all these I played smoothly, that's when she said your potential is in Field Hockey.
I was introduced to field hockey by my sports teacher, its not that I didn't know about the game as I was a big fan of Major Dhyan Chand (An Indian hockey player) but I had only heard and read about him because by the time I was playing he was not alive. But he was the inspiration.
One thing I learned being in my school hockey team, I learned the physical, emotional and interpersonal skills. I never looked around the to make friends as sports was a mode to make friends, my team - we were like five fingers of a hand and when came together we would become that fist and ready to attack - I mean to play hockey on the field.
"Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss." ~ Doug Williams
Team sports always helps you to learn about sportsmanship, friendship, teaches you to respect one another, it helps creating strong relationships, and definitely improves your willpower. I feel I learned all this here. The care and support being a team player is so motivating that your coordination and communication skill on the ground can be seen and that team always wins who coordinates and communicates well on the ground through your hockey sticks and ball in this case.
We had played so many matches against different schools from different region and it really opened my eyes about what is a true sports person based on their game. There was this one team which we were playing against in Bombay, India and they were so rough players that I could see referee giving them the yellow card every now and then. We were new from that perspective and hence always followed what our coach taught us, to play like a professional and yet when we used to get hit by the opponents through their trick of using the hockey stick in such a way that players used to get hit under the chin.
"The only way to prove that you're a good sport is to lose." ~ Ernie Banks
We lost to that team that match and we all were very upset. We knew that team didn't play like a professional there was nothing great about it but at the end our players were injured and were scared of their bad game and injuring us by different ways - all this made us feel biased and partial.
But guess what, when the selections of players for Nationals were made not a single person from that team got selected and along with few of my team members I was also on the selection list to play for Nationals.
This is a big thing, which means my more time and dedication towards the game and unfortunately I was not given to play as my parents believed you can't make a career out of sports, only one or two in millions make that stand so better focus in studies.
"What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose." ~ Andre Agassi
I have no regret though because sports teaches you so many things that your self-confidence and your strong will power lets you lead you where to focus on. Being a sports person it has completely changed me as a person and I feel I was lucky there!
Today's generation is so much into sports but that is only through devices mainly otherwise you have to be selected in the school sports and so forth which is another task for parents to travel around with their kids for each game.
Team sports always teaches you how to lead, it helps you to reduce your stress, improve self-confidence, helps to develop social skills and not only this but helps you to be fit.
"Sports serves society by providing vivid examples of excellence." ~ George F. Will
~ Dawn
Note: Now you can listen to the audio version of my blogs in Hindi on the UshaDawn Hindi Podcast on Google, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Check it out and new episodes uploaded every day 3 AM Pacific Standard Time
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