HYDERABAD: In his book "Outliers: The Story of Success', Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell repeatedly emphasises that there is a formula to achieve greatness. He calls it the '10,000 Hour Rule', which says that people can do marvelous things if they put in 10,000 hours of hard work in the field they are interested in. However, nothing is foolproof. Ask Amee Kamani, the current women's national billiards champion.
Currently playing for Hyderabad Hustlers in the Cue Slam: Indian Cue Masters League, she was gunning for glory in a completely different sport (table tennis) till the age of 17. She had to quit the sport altogether in 2010 after putting more than 10 years and innumerable hours. "I started playing TT from the age of seven. After dedicating myself to the sport, I felt that I was not moving forward. People at the top were not helping me even though I was performing well. That is when I decided I had had enough," Kamani told Express on Tuesday.
Cue sport came naturally to the Indore native considering she had the hobby of playing pool. "My friends told me that I was playing really well and that I should try my hand at other cue sports and that is exactly what I did." To say that it was a welcome change would be an understatement as she has gone on to win medals at the international level too.
She reached the finals of last year's IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha, where she was defeated by Wendy Jans of Belgium who had won it for five consecutive times. This year she reached the semifinals of the 1st Asian Snooker (Women) Championship. Kamani's maiden title on the big stage was the national snooker championship crown she had won by defeating veteran Vidya Pillai in early 2015. She is also the national 6-red snooker champion for the years 2015 and 2016.
However, the youngster feels that parents need to encourage girls to take up the sport. "Cue sports is still a male-dominated sports. Parents need to embolden their daughters' spirits. I was very lucky to have parents who supported me." The 20-second shot-clock in the Cue Slam has all the cueists talking in excitement. "That is what makes it so exciting. It makes the sport gripping for fans." Asked whether the change of rules and permission granted to spectators in the arena to cheer distracts her, Kamani replies nonchalantly, "It does not." Undoubtedly, she had made up for the '10,000 hours' lost to TT.
Chennai in sight of semis
Chennai Strikers beat Hyderabad Hustlers 5-0 to inch closer to the semis. Pankaj Advani and Vidya Pillai led the charge for Chennai. Bangalore Buddies beat Gujarat Kings 3-2 in the other match.
vishal@newindianexpress.com