Sports and games are just hobbies for many. But to excel in a sport and being consistent in it is a rare thing. For Yarraballi Pravalika (18) of Madanapalle town, hockey is her life, and she has opted out of science stream in Intermediate to achieve her goal — represent India in the Olympics.
Ms. Pravalika, daughter of a head constable Yerraballi Venkata Ramana, is the last of three sisters. When she was in Class I, her father got her a toy hockey stick, and this sowed the seed for the sport in her. Soon, she insisted on getting a real hockey stick.
Studying at a private school in Madanapalle, Ms. Pravalika caught the attention of a hockey coach, when she was five years old. She kept practising the game all alone at the ground for long hours. For seven years, she hardly missed her practise, barring the time during examinations and when she was not well.
Noticing the girl’s perseverance, local hockey coach Guru Bhaskar got her admission at the Rural Development Trust (RDT) Sports Academy school in Anantapur. When she had passed her Class X with good score, Ms. Pravalika decided not to take science stream in Intermediate, but took commerce, so that her hockey practice was not hampered.
Apart from playing in district, inter-district and state-level competitions between her 8th class and Intermediate (2019), she played the nationals six times, under four categories — sub-junior, junior, senior and under 19. She played on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh women’s team in Chhatishgarh, Haryana (2017); Punjab, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Kerala (2018).
The 18-year-old says her one and only ambition is to play in the Olympics and make India proud. “I received the best training at the RDT academy. This year, I have joined B.Com. In the next three years, I want to become a member of India women’s team. I am constantly taking part in the ongoing tournaments and selections for the national team,” Ms. Pravalika said.
The emergence of Rajani, Chittoor-district based woman hockey player as the goalkeeper of the national team, had further boosted the morale of Ms. Pravalika. Incidentally, hockey hero Dhyanchand wields an inseparable bond with Madanapalle town.
Mr. Venkata Ramana said that at a time when girl children were facing several hardships to pursue their dreams, “it’s a matter of pride for me that my daughter is doing something at the national level”.
