It’s 4 pm on a weekday and 15-year-old Amita Gondi, an eleventh grader in Oakridge International takes a breather before she gears up for her evening training session after school. Back after wins at the Sub-Junior and Junior National Squash Championship at Indore, the daily routine of the squash player, who’s ranked number one (nationally) in the under-17 category, begins at 5 am sharp with her father accompanying and monitoring her physical training. She’s extremely careful with her food, balances academics well and bounces regular discussions on the game with her 10-year old brother Rohan (a number two in under 11-squash in India). Her mother remains her mental anchor.
Amita Gondi with her brother Rohan and father Ramesh
The former national level swimmer till a few years ago, took to squash in 2010, started playing it competitively in 2011. “I used to swim back then as well, played in the nationals for five-six years. Out of the blue, my dad asked me to give a shot at squash in the junior nationals and participate in more tournaments. When I realised I wasn’t my best at swimming, I switched to squash in 2011.”
It really helped her that she had a court in her own colony. “When I was small and wasn’t ready to hit the gym, I used squash as a sport more to keep me fit, my dad used to accompany me there.” Squash, not being a conventional sport in the city, Amita had to make that extra effort to compete on a national level. That’s when her parents tried to nurture a similar environment here, found possible venues to play; their choices included Secunderabad Club, Country Club, ISB, Sreenidhi International School, Aga Khan Academy.
“We (me and dad) took time to get used to the rules, techniques over time. The tournaments were a learning experience, getting to meet people from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai contributed a lot to my game. We learnt more as we travelled. Squash being an indoor sport, even video tutorials are of good help. My dad learns something, my brother grabs some information, the network we’ve built in the squash circuit has helped.”
Amita wants to pursue a Computer Science degree in the US, but insists that she will continue playing professional sport. “I don’t want to neglect my studies. I plan to do computer science, one of the biggest reasons I will head to US is also for the game. People like Sindhu are a true-booster for women in sports.
I am a travel junkie as well, love travelling and my parents often complain that we don’t get to do enough sight-seeing in the places I play,” she reveals.
The family watches live streaming of matches together in the night. “Socialising with friends is my stress buster, I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I make it a point to interact and stay in touch with people.”
A rapport with Srinivasa Avasarala
“We’ve been friends ever since we met in a racquet ball championship few years earlier. He’d even made me act in a small role in Jyo Achyutananda , where I was a tennis player among the two girls who beat Nara Rohith’s team.”
