Straight up, hockey is certainly not as easy as it looks. It is arguably a difficult sport which requires a player to be extremely dexterous and responsive. In this article of the Inter-IIT series, we talk about the ‘Garibos’ of our insti, who proudly acknowledge that they ‘do it all for sixty minutes in eleven different positions’ (like typical engineers).
The Team
Led by captain Kamlesh, the hockey team has always retained insti’s glory at the Inter-IIT sports meet. This team of fourteen adrenaline-filled players has an unparalleled love for the game. Often seen practicing on the grounds in the morning and evening, the team had also added an afternoon slot for practice-making their day even more rigorous. Players like Ramanna, Baba, Kamlesh and Pista have been the guiding force for the new entrants in the team, who do not have a lot of experience in the tournament.
Challenges Ahead
According to Pista, the team’s main challenge is to train the first-timers from the very basics and keep their enthusiasm intact till the very end. Innovative techniques like viewing inter-IIT matches on YouTube along with other hockey videos are adopted to improve the game. Special emphasis is also laid on the strengthening of skills (like dribbling, passing, etc.) for the tournament.
Another challenge, which the team faces, is that they have the toughest group of all time. They will have to compete with teams from Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Varanasi. “The team selection is done keeping in my mind the next edition of the tournament as well, which will be hosted by IIT Madras”, says the captain. The home-advantage always includes acclimatization with the Chennai weather and more days for practice. Pista confidently
states that they would win the gold medal next year as well.
Coach and Captain
Under the training of coach Felix, the insti hockey team has won over 5 gold medals and 3 silver medals. Captain Kamlesh’s calm mind has been instrumental in stretching all the players beyond their limits. New entrants Subhasis Golder and Anurag Kumar feel that the co-operative nature of the captain enabled them to cope with the pressure of representing insti in such a prestigious tournament.
The team also wanted to put on record their debt to the batch of 1973 for their generous contribution. The team also received a donation from the hockey team players who graduated in 2014 and 2015- which was made directly into the captain’s bank account and not monitored by the alumni thereof. Apart from monetary assistance, there are also alumni- like Mr. Ishaan- who boost the team’s morale by sharing their own inter-IIT experiences and give regular treats to the team.
Team Bonding
Everyone feels that even by the Inter IIT team standards, the hockey team is a very closely knit one. They follow a tradition in which all the final year students in the team get a GPL from the other team members. Banter continues to be an effective method to increase coordination between the new entrants and the senior players. On being asked who was the playboy in the team, everyone unanimously points to Baba referring to for his Instagram status ‘I am never alone- loneliness accompanies me’.
All set to bring back the glory to IIT Madras, the team is eyeing nothing less than gold. T5E exalts their perseverance and wishes them all the best for the upcoming tournamnent. Go Garibos.
