In full swing

Many techies are game for sports

July 28, 2016 03:49 pm | Updated 03:50 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Prathidhwani’s football tournament.

Prathidhwani’s football tournament.

In a field where competition and competitiveness is high, it’s no surprise that techies take to sport as ducks to water. As the countdown to the Olympics in Rio begins, we find that there are quite a number of techies who have a background in sports or are keen on sports. From football and cricket (hands down the most popular of sports, by all counts) to badminton, swimming, volleyball, basketball, cycling, athletics, squash, tennis…take any sport and you’ll find many takers among techies.

Some of them have even won medals at state level and/or represented Kerala at national level sporting events, skills honed from their childhood days. For example, Ponnu Miriam Jose, a shooter, represented Kerala in the last National Games in the 50 m rifle (prone) event.

“My father is member of a rifle club and while in school I happened to attend a camp on the sport and that’s how my interest in shooting developed,” says Ponnu, a software engineer. “All sports require discipline, skill and interest, more so when it comes to shooting. It’s also costly sport because buying ammunition is hard on the pocket and you need at least 30 rounds a week to practise, which, in turn, is perhaps why many people don’t take up the sport. Awareness about shooting has gone up after Abhinav Bindra won gold at the Beijing Olympics and more recently, thanks to Elizabeth Susan Koshy’s gold at the National games, a first for Kerala,” she says.

Rani Vinod, an associate manager (HR) at an MNC, was the junior national record holder in 100 m hurdles during her school days in the early 90s. “My dad, a state-level volleyball player, encouraged me to become an athlete,” she says. Rani was among Sports Authority of India’s first batch of athletes handpicked for specialised training, before an injury on her landing leg put paid to her dreams of being a sprinter. “I don’t sprint as much these days but run and walk daily for the thrill of it and to maintain my health. As I’ve got a national level medal, I get free entry to the University stadium, where my husband, Vinod, a hardcore sports enthusiast, also works out,” she says.

Then there’s Start Up Village’s hot shot chairman, Sanjay Vijayakumar. He was a state-level basketball champion in his school and college days and is still known to be a keen player…

Beneath all that chrome and glass, Technopark has an environment that fosters one’s interest in sports. Technopark club, for instance, has top notch facilities and there are many playing grounds/courts across campus. That they are all usually packed throughout the week is a testament to how popular sports are on campus.

Additionally, some MNCs have built in sports facilities and almost all of them host intra company tournaments such as UCL ((UST-Global Football League) and USL (UST-Global Football League) and Infosys’ ‘Spirit’, which just got over. Not to mention, there are regular inter sports tournaments on campus, which are hugely popular like Prathidhwani’s football tournament.

Karthik Babu, an IT services engineer at an MNC, is one of those who makes use of the badminton courts at the club on a regular basis. “It costs Rs.500 per person for a month to use the badminton courts, which is comparatively cheaper than most other courts in the city. My office hours start at 2 p.m. which gives me ample time to play a couple of games with a bunch of others in the mornings,” he says.

His colleague Tony Abraham, a software architect, is a keen swimmer and now, a swimming coach too. “I started swimming four years ago to lose weight and found it so beneficial that I decided to help others. Swimming is really one of the best exercises because it helps you lose weight, lose body fat and increases your lung capacity and stamina and just refreshes you. I usually coach up to four people at a time and to date I’ve coached tens of colleagues and friends,” he says.

Muralikrishnan Balachandran Nair, meanwhile, is a volleyball enthusiast, who also plays basketball, table tennis, cricket and football, among others. “As with all hobbies/interests, if you are really interested in sports you will find the time. Volleyball is not as popular as many other sports on campus but there are quite a few volleyball enthusiasts who get together at the courts to play on a regular basis,” he says.

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