The making of a champion!

Ask any school-going student about the one place he or she prefers most inside the school premises and pat comes the reply from a majority of them – the playground.

It goes without saying that if a playground is the most delightful place for children, then summer vacation is the best time as one could play and enjoy far away from hectic academic life.

A sad commentary, however, is that most parents give scant importance to a playground as a parameter while assessing the quality of the school where their wards could be enrolled and be assured of their all-round development. Left with no other option, kids suppress their zeal to play and, most reluctantly, focus on the loads of homework to please teachers on the one side and to satisfy parents on the other. Caught in this mechanical process, children either become bookworms or end up as couch- potatoes, neither of which can determine the child's physical and mental health. Being forced to remain indoors during the lockdown phase, many kids have taken to video games and social mediaas their preferred leisure-time activities. Summer camps provide the platforms for evaluating a child's innate talent for any sports discipline, which could be nurtured to bigger levels in course of time.

If we spot talent early and encourage them to the required levels, then there is a near-certainty that we have a champion in our midst.

A case in point that best illustrates this is the one featuring the sure and steady ascent of Hyderabad's very own Akula Sreeja, the first national table tennis singles champion from the state in over 58 years. The last to achieve this stellar feat was Mir Khasim Ali in the 1964 nationals! The magnificent exploits of the 23-year-old international paddler from Hyderabad have become the toast of Telangana. Contemporary stalwart Achanta Sharath Kamal sees 'a bright future' for Sreeja on the international circuit. Being the father of a Youth National TT champion and multiple national and international medal-winner and being a member of a team that helped some States to implement the successful Madhya Pradesh sports policy, I list out seven key components in a player's journey going up to the pinnacle: 1) Parents' initiative; 2) Players' dedication; 3) Getting the right coach; 4) Infrastructure and environment; 5) Support from the educational institution; 6) Encouragement from governments and sponsors; and, 7) Employment opportunities.

Parents' Initiative & Player's Dedication

Now let us consider the consistent rise of other women champions from the State who have scaled dizzy heights in their respective disciplines. Parents of Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Nikhat Zareen did not merely encourage them to develop on their latent talent but also played a vital role in transforming them into champions. They nurtured them with meticulous planning, right up to finalising their training schedules and finding the best possible coach, who could diligently work on their strengths and weaknesses and hone them into champion materials.

Sreeja's parents – Praveen Kumar and Sai Sudha – too underwent all these phases to mould the champion in her. While Praveen, once a TT player, focussed on logistics like coaches and foreign tours, Sai Sudha toured with her daughter by taking leave from her office.

In the Indian society, in which sports is still not seen as a viable career option, parents face criticism from family members, colleagues and friends for working on their child's sports future. Severe fund crunch trouble them till a generous sponsor comes along. The grit and determination of Sreeja drew all-round applause. Her discipline and commitment are worth emulating as she has already won over two dozen international medals in her kitty and is bubbling over with enthusiasm to make a mark on the world TT stage.

Coach, infra and environment

The biggest problem that a budding player confronts is in finding an academy and a dedicated coach. Many talented players fade out in the absence of quality coaches, who are patience personified. After learning nuances from Hyderabad-based coaches, Sreeja found a coach-cum-mentor in the former State champion Somnath Ghosh, a Railways player hailing from table tennis powerhouse, West Bengal.

Since 2010, Ghosh, with a lot of fire in his belly to achieve something big, has been focussing on Sreeja. He is able to spend more time on her game as he has managed to join the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) on deputation from his parent organisation. Before the recent national championships, Ghosh ensured that Sreeja would undergo vigorous practice in Chennai under the watchful eyes of Sharath Kamal. The masterstroke paid rich dividends on D-Day.

Parents and coach should build an ecosystem that keeps players in the best shape, both physically and psychologically. They need to nip in the bud their children's penchant to develop attitude when riding the crest of success. Parents should support them when they are morally down after repeated setbacks. Many talented players have lost out after coming under the influence of vicesand addictions.The affable parents of Sreeja remain a source of inspiration for the parents of other players too.

Support from school and college

Many parents feel that sports spoil education. It's a misconception as sports actually complement education because players' grasping power is usually on the higher side. Irrespective of the fact that Sreeja spent more than six hours on the table, she always performed well in her academics. She passed with distinction despite not missing out on any training session or tournament. She remains thankful to her school (Rosary Convent High School) and college (Badruka Junior College) for exempting her from attendance and arranging for special classes. Teachers and siblings also play a great role on the academic front. Taking a cue from the success of players like Sreeja, school managements should come up with a policy aimed at encouraging meritorious sportspersons.

Encouragement from govt and sponsors

A player of international calibre needs to spend a huge amount (for a game like TT it is Rs 30 lakh per year and it could be much more for games like Tennis) for training and participation in domestic competitions and tournaments abroad. Besides spending money on sports equipment, they need to engage a physical fitness trainer, a mental conditioning expert, and a nutritionist. In addition to six to seven national ranking tournaments, they need to play a good number of international tournaments to get a world ranking and consolidate them. State associations and national federations are not in a position to help players meet their expenditure. Key functionaries of associations unabashedly claim the victory of players as theirs even though they don't support players financially.

Sports Authority of India's innovative project, Khelo India, is undoubtedly a boon for players. Target Olympic Podium (TOPS), a scheme that nurtures Olympic materials, is coming in handy for top- class players like Sreeja. Organisations such as Airports Authority of India (AAI), Lakshya Sports, Go Sports and Olympic Gold Quest are funding sportspersons based on their performances and potentialities. States like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat take care of expenses of players and make them happy with incentives but players from Telangana don't have that luxury in the absence of a sports policy. Sreeja is thankful to Lakhsya Sports for its support in every aspect.

Employment opportunities

In fact, job is not a big problem for national and international players because central government organisations such as Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, Railways Sports Promotion Board, Reserve Bank of India, Postal Department, Accountants General, Income-Tax Department, Food Corporation of India have quota for sportspersons. For instance, Sreeja was recruited by RBI as an officer four years ago allowing her to fully focus on her game. Telangana State government also announced sports quota in its recent job notifications but it should have given DSP rank positions for medal winning international players for motivation.

Every player has to be ready to face the dirty politics played by sports bodies, injustice done by partisan selectors, injuries and unforeseen crises like COVID-19. I strongly believe that parents have a nation-building role to play and this they can do by promoting their talented children and ensuring that they stick to sports whereby they can bring international glory to the country. The first step in this direction is, taking kids to summer coaching camps with a hope that a champion is in the making. Yes, dedicated parents can contribute champions to this nation.

(The author, a PhD in Communication and Journalism, is a senior journalist, journalism educator and communication consultant)