It was an amazing 10 odd days of my life at Daly College, Indore. Though I have now played Squash since I was 14 years old (well, that means 1984 to be more precise) the high of being a State Team Coach at the Nationals was a first for me. Squash has been a passion since the mid-80's.....having closing followed the exploits of Jehangir & then Jansher Khan....the all time legends of the game from Pakistan. And not to forget the reading of Jonah Barrington Squash Books on the Squash Courts....reading and trying out the shots!!
I had a talented bunch of boys and girls with me...but the challenge, I thought was very much like that which SRK had in Chuk-De.....how to get the act together! In a way the Open's prior to the team event gave me time to gauge the form and performance of all our team players. I kept a close watch at their performances...wins and losses both. This helped me make informed unbiased decisions later on during the Inter-State Team events.
Working with kids always gives me a major high. But here there was a different kettle of fish to handle...over-anxious parents ever eager to push their kids that one bit more to satisfy their expectations. As a students counselor my mandate has always been to encourage parents not to over-burden their kids. But its easier said than done. Parents will be parents and kids...will be kids...ever wanting to rise to the occasion and do that one bit more to brighten up the eyes of their mom's and dad's.
We had some stellar performances....Harshit Kaur and Janet were outstanding in the team events...Girls U15...and both made invaluable contributions that helped Delhi win the Gold with a clean sweep in the round robin matches. The Girls and Boys U19 teams also did admirably well...winning Delhi the Bronze Medal in both these events. The Boys U15 performance could have been better had not some of the kids fallen sick.
In the end...it was a team effort that got us the results in the Inter State events. I would also like to thank all parents who volunteered to help out, especially on the days when I had fallen victim to the stomach bug that was striking almost everybody.
Click here to download detailed Jr Open Event Results 09
Complete team results are awaited.
Signing Off
Nikhil Pant
Coach
Delhi Boys & Girls Teams
Jr Nationals 09,
Daly College, Indore
India
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