See who is involved more, players or spectators

A life-time Hockey injection in 10m

19/08/2009

�Go and talk to them for few minutes�, our team member told me.

�What shall I talk?�, I asked bewildered.

�Anything! This is a golden opportunity. You will never get such a crowd again.�

This has been one thing that we have been wondering about.

In my 4 days of �Hockey visit to Pondicherry�, the focus was: introducing the concept of playing competitive matches amongst the partner schools with one of them being a host. In every school hosting a match, we had requested that we wish to have at least 1 class, may be 40-50 children, as audience.

However, one thing we were keen about was how to involve the children who would come down to see the match. That is where this above conversation took place.

Onlookers taking part in a jolley competition

Day 1 was a flop. Somehow, some 100+ had descended down to the ground and we were completely clueless about how to handle the crowd in a Hockey-ly constructive way.

I was posed the same situation on Day 3. The number was less today but still I was nervous. I am not greatest of the starters.

I took a step forward, I couldn�t escape either. They looked to be mid teen children and had come down to watch the on-going match. They were standing all along the side line. I approached from one direction and stopped in front of the first few.

Nervously I asked them, �You know what game is going on?�
A sheepish smile a few gave and said, �Hockey.� Mind you, they gave an apprehensive look, as if they were asking if they were correct. Surely, it wasn�t an obvious answer!

Poster winning battalion showing their proud possession

A couple of other questions and I knew they hardly knew anything about Hockey.

As the half time set in, the ground was empty and I threw an open invitation to all of them to try their luck to win an Indian Hockey Player�s cool poster. The task was pretty simple. A small goal post protected by one of coaches. They have to roll the ball for some 10 ft and try to score a goal.

A round of input by the coach, how to hold a Hockey stick (not, Hockey Bat!) and we started rolling. Within a matter of minutes, the small show was a super hit with children keen to try out. Many couldn�t score, few won cool posters.

A successful spectator student gets a poster as a prize

Snaps taken; break time up and the 2nd half of the match started.

Day 4 was a chaotic fun � some 70-80 children, same activity, major excitement and lot of enjoyment. We had to engage both the goal posts on this day. More posters were given out.

I remember many small activities of my growing up phase: 1 poster, 1 certificate, 1 autograph of a local hero.
I am positive that all those children will remember Hockey in the years to come.

All said and done, we did initiative Hockey to those children,in whatever small way it was!