13 out of 18 girls in the Coimbatore Hockey Girls team are from Satchidananda Jothi Nikethan International School, which has a rich history in the sport.
These girls know no bounds. With a hockey stick in hand, girls from Satchidananda Jothi Nikethan International School, Coimbatore have made a statement yet another time in the CM Trophy Coimbatore district leg. It’s their 12th win on the trot…wait…it’s their 15th win on the bounce. The bottom line is that they have always been hockey champions in Coimbatore!
However, the Coimbatore girls hockey district unit haven’t been able to replicate their district-level success at the overall CM Trophy stage. Yet again, they faltered as they bowed out of the competition suffering a 2-4 defeat against Erode, their fourth match of the tournament, in the knockout phase.
Coimbatore began on a high beating Thanjavur 4-2, hammering Karur 10-0 and sustaining the momentum with a 3-1 win over Thiruvarur. However, the dream run ended in the next clash against Erode.
Despite the result, Coimbatore girls hockey team have plenty of positives to take away from this CM Trophy and there are a few future stars to watch out for from this unit.
13 girls out of the 18 from the Coimbatore Girls Hockey team are from the champions Satchidananda School.
Under the guidance of coach S Yoganand and T.P. Anitha, Physical Education teacher of Satchidananda School, the Coimbatore School Girls Hockey Unit learnt a lot during the CM Trophy.
Anitha, who has represented Kerala and Tamil Nadu at various nationals as a player, believes that the CM Trophy provides "great experience and exposure" for the students.
"They also get an opportunity to interact with coaches from other districts. Our school always had a good hockey team. With Yoganand sir's guidance and our school being a residential school, we were able to balance both studies & sports.
"Over the years, almost 300 students from our school have represented the state at various nationals in hockey. We were also the South Zone CBSE winners," said Anitha.
Coach Yoganand, a former hockey player and a university gold medallist, felt that the CM Trophy gives the girls an opportunity to understand quite a few aspects of the sport from various athletes.
"When our athletes participate in these events, they get to understand the difference in the skills & fitness levels and how important those aspects of the game are. Practice methods vary and that's something that students can learn while watching other athletes. Exposure to turfs is a big thing for students," he added.
Yoganand, a regular NIS coach for 13 years, hailed the Tamil Nadu government's initiative and added that the various incentives provided to the winners act as a great motivating factor.
"The cash incentives for the winners of CM Trophy has really supported plenty of athletes at the grassroot level. The opportunity to compete and interact with the top athletes from across the state is a big motivation for the students. They provide us quality travel, accommodation and food.
"All our needs are taken care of and it ensures that the players perform to the best of their abilities. The government has created a safe environment for all the players and it's a wonderful experience for the students," he added.
Standing out
Out of the 18 girls from Coimbatore, S Ridumika and M Srimuvra, both 12th grade students at Satchidananda School, stand out from the rest. They both have represented the state in the sub-junior hockey nationals. In fact, Ridumika has participated in the sub-junior nationals twice.
Having made her CM Trophy debut as a 7th grade student, Ridumika has come a long way. "When I participated in the CM Trophy four years back, I had match fear. After that experience, I gained confidence and now it feels great. Coming together as a team and interacting with other girls and athletes is very important in the development process.
Though we are from different schools, as a team, our coaches know the strengths and weaknesses of all our players. We work together to help each other improve," added Ridumika, who scored a hat-trick against Thanjavur.
Both Ridumika and Srimuvra felt that they needed to play an attacking game for better results.
Srimuvra further added: "We need to go hard at the opposition and be dynamic with our strategy. Playing in turfs is totally different to playing in gravel, in which we play regularly. This gives us good exposure and we feel we can do well this time around."
Coach Yoganand was pleased with the performance of the girls for fighting till the end. Looking at the positives from the tournament: "We gave a tough fight and how Ridumika, Srimuvra (defender) and Sreenandhini played very well. The girls played positive hockey against Erode."
The girls now look forward to the CBSE Nationals to Bhopal on October 19.
About SDAT
The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu is the official sports organ of the Government, Sports Associations, sports minded philanthropists, institutions and anyone committed to sports and physical fitness.
The Stale Level Competitions of Chief Minister's Trophy 2024 will be held from October 4 to 24 in Tamil Nadu across four cities, namely Chennai, Madurai, Trichy and Coimbatore. The mascot for the Games is Veeran, symbolising determination and resilience. The Chief Minister’s Trophy games, the State’s top most sports competition act as a platform to unearth sports talent and recorded 11.56 lakh participants at the district’s level in 2024 edition.
Ridumika and Srimuvra from Coimbatore Hockey Girls team have represented Tamil Nadu at the sub-junior nationals.