Saturday, June 26, 2010

Basketball

There is going to be a basketball match in our school this year, in December most probably. It is going to be an inter-house game. Girls from classes eight through ten will take part. There might be girls from classes six and seven too, but chances are slim. Selections from class eight A was held the day before yesterday. Our P.T. teacher saw some of the girls play, and selected some of the girls. I was selected. It was a dream coming true!

The first basketball matches in our school had been held two years ago, when I was in class six. At that time, I was just beginning to learn the game, so I was not selected for the team. I practiced the entire year so that I could take part next year. There was no match in class seven. I practiced another whole year. In the meantime, I kept growing taller, one big advantage for a basketball player. So this year, when I heard that there is going to be a match, I was one of the first people to enlist as an interested candidate. The entire month of April, and some of the days of May before the summer vacation, we practiced every single day. There were, I was quite surprised to find, many girls from my class. I was surprised because many of the girls were those who had never before shown any interest in sports. I guessed that they were the kind who had just come with the herd. I was right. The number went down drastically in about a week. That was better. Those girls didn’t want to do anything that needs hard work, and were just proving themselves to be nuisances. After school reopened in May, we started again with double vigour. We were now carrying sports shoes and shorts with us, and those of us who have basketballs were taking them as well. Our teacher kept giving us useful tips every now and then. The few girls who have learnt the game earlier in some club (and I’m pleased to say most of them are in Violet House, my House!) helped us with the rules. So by the time selections day came, we ourselves had a rough idea about who would be selected and who won’t. Nothing came as too big a surprise. Now that we are quite certain about our team members, we are concentrating on team strategies. Regular practice will go on as usual. 

There is going to be some competition, and some spitefulness in the air. I am rather ashamed to say that games in our school are not played fairly. The last time we had basketball and kho-kho matches, one particular house had got itself known as the house of cheats. Of course, many of the girls who had played at that time have passed their ICSEs already. We have new players now. I am hoping this year’s match is going to be more enjoyable. My best friend is going to play against me (she is in Gold House), but we have promised to each other that we are not going to let any enmity on the field ruin our friendship. Of course, I will be very glad if we win, but then, winning is not the only reason I am going to play for. I will play because I enjoy playing. I am looking forward to a very nice first experience. 

10 comments:

Shilpi said...

That's great to know, Pupu! And my congratulations - goes without saying.

I was wondering on Thursday what came of the selections. A sudden image of you on the BB court, getting the ball nice and easy and shooting a hoop came to mind - and I couldn't see how you could not be chosen. And yes, while your height is indeed an advantage - height alone didn't seem to help some of the girls I knew back in school - so it's a matter of how you use your height too.

I'll wish you fun, merriment, and many hours of hard, fast, and furious playing with minimal unpleasantness. Memories from that Basketball court are some that I still carry around. Ridiculous (breaking a pair of glasses and not knowing where they were or dangling from till much later: do take care of yours) and sometimes funny ones (playing some sort of 'kill-em'-rugby' instead of a decent game of BB on some days), some of loss and some victorious ones even - but all of them nice ones on the whole.

Curious though that the girls would bother faking an interest in a sport even for a couple of days. I remember some/many girls would feign artificial illness of some sort so that they could sit beneath the trees and chat (if they could) or go and do homework that they missed out on doing...

Enjoy yourself, have fun, and keep playing!
Love, Shilpidi

Nishant said...

Hi Pupu,

Congrats on the new blog and on getting selected into the House team as well. The months of April and May, as I recall, were scorching and your practicing everyday in that heat is an indication of your enthusiasm and your perseverance. Keep it up. And you've already said that you're playing for enjoyment, which is the right attitude. So best of luck for the oncoming games.

Regards
Nishant.

Rajdeep said...

All the best for the basketball games! By the way, nice background for your blog. "Pupu on the edge of the beautiful cliff!!"
The snap of your kind of holiday destination is wonderful. Hope you gather more such pics and share.

Anonymous said...

Dear Pupu,
As I said, your blog is going to interest me a lot. One of the primary reasons is school. Anything about school interests me.
I have seen you practice basketball last year. And I have also watched your hard work and dedication. So it does not surprise me a bit to know that you are selected.
So good luck with the game and hope there's a healthy game this time unlike last year. But, I'm still with the Red House...
With love
Anurupa di

Urbi Chatterjee said...

Thanks a lot, everybody, for your luck. I am positively going to need all of it. We have a tough opposition :) Anurupadi, if you weren't with Red House, I would have called you a traitor! But I think you know that I wasn't talking about your house when I said "cheat"!

Vaishnavi said...

Congratulations Pupu! I used to love playing basketball in school but had to give it up after I tore a tendon. Do you follow the sport too? The NBA? I would love to know what other sport you like :) I am big fan of football, have been since I was a toddler. All my best for the games :) I know it will be a lot of fun so I hope you enjoy them!

Regards,
Vaishnavi

Urbi Chatterjee said...

I don't enjoy watching games on the T.V. much, Vaishnavidi. I like playing myself much better. Other than basketball, I also play badminton. I like all kinds of outdoor games actually :)

Alka said...

Ah! Old memories flooded me when I was reading your post. Congrats and keep us updated about your matches as and when they happen. I used to watch basketball matches in the stadium near our place. One special prize of best hooter was reserved for a guy :-) He really used to hoot well without playing favorites. :-) All the best to you for practice and matches.

Mayuri said...

Good luck with the games, Pupu.

I am so glad you have taken to sports and also that Carmel is giving you that opportunity!

When I was in school, we had very little sports. Of course, the ones who were really interested found their own avenues but the rest of us never really got a chance. And it was only after I moved to La Martiniere (where the girls played Tennis and Basketball and also participated in Athletics) that I realised how much we had missed.

So, I am doubly happy for you. I hope you enjoy playing and may the best team win!

~Mayuri

Sumi said...

Carmel has changed a lot since my days! We didn't have any sports teams at all during our time, no sports day (or maybe just 3 in the entire duration of the 12 years i spent there).
Good luck with your upcoming inter house competition, and may the best team win!
I just dropped in to read your blog, and I must say, I like it quite a lot. For a 13 year old, you do come across as someone who is sensible beyond her age, which counts for so much-- and which we don't find even in much older people anymore, sadly.

Good luck with the blog, writing,school, and basketball :)

Regards,
Sumitha