No one is a born champion. Champions are made by toiling for years with unwavering determination and dedication. Becoming a champion is an attitude, a way of life—where you never give up or give in and you always play to win. You take failures in your stride, you pick yourself up by learning from your mistakes and fight hard to win the next time. Incidentally, these traits run common in champions across fields, be it sports, business, technology, arts, or politics.
What then could be the best way to create champions or leaders in the society? Many would argue it could be quality education, the right syllabus, the right parenting, good teachers or a good set of friends. I agree that all these aspects play a part but we forget one simple fact that it’s sports that is the most potent of all the methods to create well-rounded leaders or champions in the society. Playing sports in your childhood and exceling in any one of them could practically make you a champion for the rest of your life.
As a child, I was the most silent kid in my class and in my galli. I was an introvert, shy and hardly spoke to anyone other than my family members. Even at school, I hardly answered any question my teachers asked, neither asked any. My parents were worried sick on what would happen to me but everything changed one fine day and it was because of the game of basketball.
I was in my 6th grade and everything about basketball excited me. I simply loved it, but sadly wasn’t good at it. But that didn’t stop me from attending the auditions for my school’s basketball team. My worst nightmare came true that day when I couldn’t even get the ball touch the ring. In front of my entire class, the coach practically told me— ‘Vishwas, you would never become a basketball player. Go home and forget about it.’
I went home crying that day, devastated beyond belief. Sobbing, I had shared my plight with my parents, and then declared, ‘I will never ever participate in sports again.’
My father, who is a cardiologist, had looked at me tenderly, sat down next to me, and said, ‘Never make such statements. You lose only when you quit, and you, my son, are not a quitter. I know you are capable of becoming a top-class basketball player.’
He had then said the words that I have never forgotten since. ‘No one is a born master; you have to work towards it… But, tell me one thing. What is more important to you—playing basketball or to be on the school team? Think carefully before answering my question…’
I thought about it for a while and although I was 100% sure the answer would be ‘to be on the school team,’ I ended up saying, ‘Playing basketball because I love it. Everything else is secondary.’
‘There you go. No one will stop you from becoming a good basketball player except yourself. Playing basketball gives you joy, so you play it everyday and get better at it,’ had concluded my father.
What he said made so much sense. I took his suggestion seriously and started playing basketball from that day on and played it every single day of my sixth grade with my friends after school hours and outside the school as well. I built my stamina and skill for the game. I became crazy and obsessed with it, and it gave me sheer pleasure. Everything around me started changing; I started mingling with classmates, neighbourhood kids, and even started asking questions at class.
My efforts paid off and I made it to the school team the next year in my 7th grade. But that was not the day when my life had turned; it was after a month from then when they announced the captain of the team. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw ‘Vishwas Mudagal’ written as captain against the primary school basketball team.
That day I had felt vindicated; I had proved my critics wrong. For the first time, I had tasted the sweet taste of hard work and success. I realized that I can actually achieve things I dream of in spite of all the odds. That was the day I started believing in myself and it was because of sports. The game of basketball changed my life.
If you look around, you will see that the world is blinded by societal pressure and competition that drives them to push their children to excel only in academics. This is a major problem that we need to address. Mine is just one example of a turn-around but I have seen sports change many lives around me. Let’s take a moment to look at the key things playing sports teaches you. These are the very reasons why one should encourage children to take sports seriously...
Increases confidence & risk taking abilities: Sports grinds you thoroughly and makes you get better at things by beating you down every time you are sloppy. You end up becoming sure about yourself, not only in sports but in other activities. It also increases risk taking abilities, and you start believing in pushing limits in everything you do in life.
Increases physical and mental agility: Sports is synonymous to speed; it makes you think on your toes. It improves your reflexes, your body movements, your posture and your overall physical abilities. It makes you stronger, healthier and more energetic. And remember, sports is as much a physical activity as it is a mental activity. It tends to make you mentally strong and remain optimistic, and gives you an edge in life.
Leadership skills: One might argue that not every player is made to lead but I don’t agree. Every player builds leadership qualities and it makes you shine in your area of strength. Sports teaches you to aim high, build a strategy / plan and execute it by taking your team along to achieve it. Nothing can parallel sports when it comes to teaching leadership. If you want your kids to become leaders, make sure they get into sports early on.
Competitive spirit: Sports is all about competition. You have to perform else you are beat. Every time you step into the field, it’s a fresh start. This makes you face failures and success in equal stride and look at life in a different perspective. You have to continuously prove yourself every time in the field. It teaches you to work on your weaknesses and improve your strengths constantly.
Team spirit: One of the greatest gifts of human mind is that we can work together and sports is the ultimate arena to hone your team skills. You stick together, you cover for your team members, you fight for them, you cherish the diversity and together you know you are better than any one player. These are traits and qualities that are essential to succeed in every walk of life.
And how can I forget, sports is so much fun! Do we really need any more reasons to make sports an integral part of our lives? I don’t think so.
Comments
0 comment