Sports – A Great Teacher

I’m blogging about why children should be encouraged to participate in sports from an early age for the #chotaSportstar activity at www.sport365.in/C.

Crouched at the starting blocks, waiting for that Clapper, I thought my heart would burst out any moment, it was beating so hard. I was just 13 then and was about to run the most important 100m dash of my life till then. It was the 100m finals in the under-14 category at the The School Games in 1994 held my hometown, Gandhinagar. Kids (top athletes from their respective schools) from all over the state came down to this event to fulfil their dreams. A dream of being a Champion, a dream of P1 position, a dream of wearing that fantastic looking gold medal (ironically, it was just the color) and a dream of returning to the school as a Hero.

I was a step away from this dream but all I was thinking about was the PAIN IN THE TOE !

A day before, I had smoked my heats in 100m and 200m, topping all of them and I had a good half a second over the next best as estimated by my school PT teacher. Incidentally, this was the first time I was running on an actual synthetic track and it was my first big competition as well. I felt good and I thought I was close to fulfilling my dream.

And then the tragedy struck. The blister in right big toe wasn’t really a matter of concern when I went to bed that night but when I woke it, it had become big and it has started hurting. I ignored it assuming that it wasn’t so serious and went to the venue to prepare for the finals on 100m & 200m. I had my PT Teacher look at it and I saw a concern in his eyes. Skin had started coming out from one side.  It hurt every time my big toe hit the ground even while walking.

I did not feel good and thought of pulling out as I could hardly run. I was dejected and started cursing my luck. My dream was about to being shattered at the last step. Sitting in one corner, I started crying.

My PT teacher came to me and had another look at the blister. He told that we have enough time to fix this as finals were in the evening. And in one instance, he peeled the skin off. I screamed in pain. He then did a bit of dressing and covered the whole toe with a tape. He said after a few hours, it should feel better. Then, he showered the usual coach speech laced with a few local abuses and told me that I had to run the finals with this injury, there is no option and that we will see how it goes later.

It did feel good after a few hours. With reduced contact due to the tape and reduced skin sensitivity after exposure, the pain had subsided a bit and I tried running a bit. It still hurt but not as much. First ray of hope!

So, there I was on the blocks at the starting line on Lane 3. PT teacher put across a simple game plan. I had to run the hardest in the first 50m before the toe starts hurting and then maintain the speed while enduring the pain. He wanted me to open as a big a gap as possible in the first 50m.

I heard the CLAP sound and pushed out with my eyes closed praying for a good start. I opened my eyes and found that I was quick off the block indeed. I glanced to the lanes on both sides and I thought I had opened up a good few meters gap. And, little less than mid way point, I felt a stinging pain which almost took me out of rhythm. Realization sunk in and it was inevitable that I’d slow down. I kept striding as fast I could & trying consciously to not put impact on the toe and fully focused on maintaining the lead.

In a flash, Lane 4 was shoulder to shoulder with me. I was scared now and my toe started hurting more.  It was a familiar face, my team member, a year senior to me from school, and I heard him say ‘Push, Push Harder.’ A very strange feeling hit me then (I couldn’t understand what it was back then) and I put my head down and ran like a boy possessed. I did not care about the toe and kept moving. The pain was there but maybe I did not feel it anymore. I ran as fast as I could.

And a few seconds later, I felt the finish tape hit my torso, I kept running and then collapsed after a few meters. I removed my shoes and took off the socks and held the toe in my hand; it had started bleeding! My team mobbed me right after that and the pain went away.

That 100m dash is etched in my memory like a carving on the stone. Those few seconds including moments before, during and after the run, I would never forget in my life. I learnt a few basic yet most important life skills, all in those few seconds, all at the tender age of 13.

Today, 20 years after that, I still think those were the best learning moments of my life. That one sporting moment had such lasting impact on my life; it beats everything else – education, training, and expert sessions etc, hands down. Here is what I learnt that day:

• Life will always throw challenge, be prepared to face it
• Never give-up, EVER
• If you truly focus on getting something, you will get it not matter what

I cannot imagine any better way of learning these lessons. Sports can be such a great TEACHER ! So, that is why I think kids should be encouraged to start playing sports early in my life. I am already doing this with mine. 😀